Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast

24:48

760. WHAT COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CULTURE IS DOING TO OUR...

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/10/06

Obviously, accomplishing big things requires energy and intention. But should admission to a specific school really be the ultimate focus of a child's K-12 journey? Amy and Mike invited college advisor Beth Gelles to analyze what college admissions culture is doing to our kids. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How early does college admissions pressure start in the worst cases? When should parents actually start talking to their kids about college? When does wanting your

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23:12

THROWBACK: USING MINDFULNESS FOR TEST AND SCHOOL SUCCESS

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/10/03

How can we succeed in the moment when we're so burdened by thoughts of the past and anxious over fears of the future? The practice and application of mindfulness can keep a person fully focused on the present. Amy and Mike invited author and test prep professional Logan Thompson to discuss powerful strategies for using mindfulness for test and school success. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is mindfulness? What is "the other half of test prep" and how can mindfulness

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25:35

THROWBACK: MATHEMATICAL MATURITY & TEST SUCCESS

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/10/01

Far too often, we evaluate math ability in high schoolers solely on the basis of grades and level of math learned. A more accurate assessment of a student's potential on challenging math tasks--including those posed on tests like the SAT and ACT--should consider mathematical maturity. Amy and Mike invited author and test prep professional Dr. Steve Warner to define what this means and explain the link between mathematical maturity and test success. What are five things you will learn in this

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27:11

759. WHY DIDN'T MY TEST SCORE INCREASE?

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/09/29

It is often said that intention is one thing, but execution is another. That observation is little comfort to students who study and prepare with the best intentions yet still fail to reach their goals. Amy and Mike invited test prep professional Bobby Nicholson to unpack the regrettably common question, "Why didn't my test score increase?" What are five things you will learn in this episode? When students say, "I know the material—I'm just a bad test taker," what is usually preventing them from

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27:59

758. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: September 2026

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/09/25

The Tests and the Rest podcast consistently focuses on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What have Amy and Mike been up to this month

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24:36

THROWBACK: NEED BLIND AND NEED AWARE ADMISSIONS

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/09/24

Is any aspect of college admissions more mystifying than the determination of financial aid? The concept of "need" and how different schools consider need in both admissions and aid decisions goes deeper than most people realize. Amy and Mike invited admissions consultant Jona Jacobson to bring clarity to the topic of need blind and need aware admissions. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What do the terms "need," "need blind," and "need aware" mean in college admissions?

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26:08

757. THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER: EXPLORING...

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/09/22

With thousands of colleges and universities at home, few American students ever consider studying abroad. Amy and Mike invited independent education consultant Alan Sheptin to explain why he says the world is your oyster when you're willing to explore international admissions. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the benefits and disadvantages of studying outside the U.S.? What is the cost of a non-US education? Can you decide what you want to study, or do you have to

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23:16

THROWBACK: ACT SCORE REVIEW AND VALIDATION

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/09/17

Security at testing centers is almost as tight as screening at American airports. Yet some test takers still find ways to cheat on the ACT or at least raise suspicions. Amy and Mike invited school counselor Desiree Rodriguez-Gould to explore the process of ACT score review and validation. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How does ACT, Inc. handle score review and validation? What roles can counselors and test prep professionals play in the review process? How badly can

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23:24

756. GUIDANCE FOR WRITING A STRESS-FREE COLLEGE ESSAY

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/09/15

Students often approach their college applications as if each essay is the most important piece of prose they've ever written, which leads to overthinking and anxiety. There is a better way! Amy and Mike invited essay specialist Jill Margaret Shulman to share guidance for writing a stress-free college essay. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What are myths that exist in essay writing? 2. What stops students from getting started with their essay in the first place? 3. What

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15:46

755. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: MentoMind (Fall 2026 Updates)

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/09/11

Expanding your tutoring business with MentoMind with educator Amit Jain What are five things you will learn in this episode? How are tutors using MentoMind? How is the MentoMind platform evolving? What are the users of MentoMind like? What kind of courses are tutors creating on MentoMind? What is the new video solution platform Think10x all about? ABOUT MENTOMIND MentoMind is a white-label platform that helps tutoring companies, test prep businesses, and college advisors scale their SAT,

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23:35

THROWBACK: ANXIETY AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/09/10

While all teenagers are alike in certain ways, those at the very top and very bottom of the socioeconomic spectrum share some disconcerting similarities. How are these peer groups connected, and what can be done to help them? Amy and Mike invited psychiatrist Anthony Villani to bring clarity to the topic of anxiety and socioeconomic status. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What fascinating aspects of teen life has Dr.Suniya Luthar uncovered in her research? What behaviors

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26:03

754. WHAT STUDENT RESEARCH MATTERS THE MOST TO COLLEGES?

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/09/08

The apprenticeship model of academia requires more than just passive learning from students. How can applicants seeking entry to selective programs demonstrate that they have the ability and ambition to contribute to their desired fields? Amy and Mike invited professor Robert Malkin to consider what student research matters the most to colleges. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are the different forms of research high school students have access to? Why are in-person lab

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23:41

THROWBACK: BRINGING CRITICAL BALANCE TO HIGH...

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/09/03

Many of today's high school students somehow appear to cram 30 hours of academic, extracurricular, work, and social commitments into each of their 24-hour days. Is that frenzy of activity sustainable or even healthy? Amy and Mike invited school counselor Eric Domroes to analyze the need for bringing critical balance to high schoolers' lives. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does balance mean for a high school student? Where does the pressure to do too much come from?

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27:27

753. MAKING THE FIRST COACHING SESSION MATTER

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/09/01

Real improvement takes time, which is to say that a single class or lesson can only take us so far. However, getting off to a good start can go a long way towards an ideal ending. Amy and Mike invited educational entrepreneur Lisa Tran to explore the importance of making the first coaching session matter. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does rapport mean in an educational or coaching context? What does an ideal first session structure actually look like? How can

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28:29

752. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: August 2026

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/08/28

The Tests and the Rest podcast consistently focuses on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What have Amy and Mike been up to this month

en

25:52

751. ARE SUPPLEMENTAL ESSAYS DEAD?

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/08/25

Even in the Common App era, completing college applications can feel like an interminably long and complex process with far too many permutations from one school to another. But some schools are announcing what appear to be efforts to eliminate application bloat. Are they really, though? Amy and Mike invited independent education consultant Beth Kraemer to answer the question, "Are supplemental essays dead?" What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why are some colleges eliminating

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20:11

750. TEST PREP PROFILE: Eric Rath

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/08/21

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Eric Rath is the founder and president of Rath Tutoring, where he's spent the last decade building a remote test-prep and academic tutoring practice. His career in test prep goes back nearly twenty years, with senior business and instruction roles at some of the field's best-known names — Applerouth, ArborBridge, and Revolution Prep — before he struck out on his own in 2016

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16:31

749. TEST PREP PROFILE: Amy Brooks

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/08/20

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Amy Brooks, the founder of Amy Brooks Tutoring, an academic tutoring and test prep practice serving K–12 students and families both in person and online. With over 30 years of experience in education, Amy specializes in standardized test prep for the PSAT, SAT, ACT, and ISEE, along with academic tutoring and educational consulting for families from homeschool, private

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18:12

748. TEST PREP PROFILE: Bobby Nicholson

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/08/19

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Bobby Nicholson. Bobby is the founder of Outliers ACT Prep, a Knoxville-based education company helping students achieve measurable, life-changing score increases on the ACT. What began as one-on-one tutoring has grown into a multi-coach, team-based program used by students and schools across the region, known for its data-driven diagnostics, proprietary coaching app,

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17:22

747. TEST PREP PROFILE: Mishkaat Rawjee

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast ·

2026/08/18

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Mishkaat Rawjee. Mishkaat is the owner of Mishmath, a solo tutoring business that focuses on one-on-one academic and test prep tutoring for the SAT, ACT, GRE, and K–12 math. She has an undergraduate and master's degree in computer science, but quickly realized that sitting at a desk all day wasn't for her. Tutoring started as a way to make extra money and naturally

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