Shows / Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
Welcome to THE college admissions industry podcast! Join Mike Bergin and Amy Seeley as they discuss the latest issues in testing, admissions, learning, and education with leading experts. Tests and the Rest is perfect for parents, students, counselors, educators, test prep professionals, college consultants, and just about anyone engaged in the college admissions process. You can subscribe to this podcast or stream it online via any podcast app, including iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify…
Episodes
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
655. TEST PREP PROFILE: Kristen Lefebvre
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Kristen Lefebvre, the…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
654. TEST PREP PROFILE: Allen Tsao
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Allen Tsao, who started out…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
653. TEST PREP PROFILE: Margaret Duden
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Margaret Duden, Founder of…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
652. TEST PREP PROFILE: Ren Abraham
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Ren Abraham, the founder of…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
651. GAME PLAN FOR THE ENHANCED ACT
The unfolding changes to the ACT take effect everywhere in September. Are you ready? Let two nationally recognized experts in education–your hosts of the Tests…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
650. HOW CAN PAST POOR DECISIONS AFFECT COLLEGE ADMISSIONS?
To err is human, which makes adolescence a particularly intense expression of the human condition. Yes, we all make mistakes, but some are more glaring and…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
649. AI AND THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
In a process with as many steps as choosing, applying to, and being accepted at a target higher education institution, small improvements in efficiency at any…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
648. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: May 2025
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
647. THE PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF TEST SCORES IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
The last thing anybody wants to do is sit for a meaningless test. Entrance exams like the SAT & ACT should be able to inform both test takers and target…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
646. ENROLLING IN A TRADE SCHOOL
Not everyone assumes that life after high school automatically entails immediate enrollment in college. Many teens graduate ready to pursue a more practical…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
645. TRUE COLLEGE ROI
One should not take on what is potentially the biggest expense of a lifetime lightly. Motivated students can absolutely make sure college pays off…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
644. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: April 2025
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
643. A TEST TAKER'S PERSPECTIVE ON THE ENHANCED ACT
The ACT has been a remarkably stable exam, administered in roughly the same way for decades. However, a new version is on the horizon, and some intrepid souls…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
642. GETTING READY FOR THE AP ECONOMICS EXAM
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Economics is no…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
641. GETTING READY FOR THE AP PRECALCULUS EXAM
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Precalculus is…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
640. GETTING READY FOR AP WORLD LANGUAGE EXAMS
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and the various AP…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
639. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Wise
AKA Not Just Your Tutoring Software–It's Your Tech Team What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind Wise? How does Wise work?…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
638. MENTAL MATH AND AUTOMATICITY
Mental math trains working memory, boosts confidence, supports faster problem-solving, enhances number sense, and facilitates everyday calculations. So why do…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
637. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: ScoreSmart
A test platform by tutors and for tutors Better SAT and ACT Tests, Smarter Analytics with educators Sonya Muthalia and Neill Seltzer What are five things you…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
636. THE COLLEGE PLEASING EPIDEMIC
You can't please everyone, nor should you seek to, because then you won't please anyone, least of all yourself. When actor Dylan Moran dispensed that bit of…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
635. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Edison Prep AP History Boot Camps
Learn everything you need to ace the AP U.S and World History Exams in One Day What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
634. DIVISION III AND IVY LEAGUE ATHLETIC RECRUITMENT
Many student athletes (or at least their parents) dream of earning a full ride to the college of their dreams. What most applicants find is that having sports…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
633. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: March 2025
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
632. THE THREE CORE EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND TEST PREP
Traits like cognitive flexibility and impulse control strongly influence student grades and test scores to such an extent that they may be best learned in an…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
631. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: MentoMind
Expanding your tutoring business with MentoMind with educators Amit Jain and Jeremy Bryant What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
630. THE HIGH SCHOOL CLASS PROFILE
So much of the college search and application process looks forward, focusing on the destination. Where a student is coming from matters quite a bit though…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
THE DIGITAL SAT: HOW IT STARTED AND HOW IT'S GOING
A year ago, an innovative new digital adaptive SAT came to the United States–a year after its first appearance internationally. This is the perfect time to…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
628. ADMISSIONS IMPLICATIONS OF ACADEMIC COMPETITIONS
While we generally profess to celebrate all interests and contributions, the clubs and activities that mean the most to some high schoolers fail to earn the…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
627. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: February 2025
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
626. THE RISE IN AP TESTING
During a period of American education history where most standardized tests fell at least momentarily out of favor, one series of exams seems to be growing in…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
625. COLLEGE TRANSITIONS AND DISTRESS TOLERANCE
Big life changes hit all of us differently, which is to say that not every teen is equally prepared for the dramatic academic, social, and emotional shift that…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
624. THE DEMOGRAPHIC CLIFF IS HERE
The entire edifice of higher education and industry depends on a steady flow of students coming in and qualified graduates flowing out. What happens to the…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
623. THE MOST COMMON NEUROMYTHS
A widely held belief about brain function is that very little is truly understood in modern science. Unfortunately, most people probably know even less than…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
622. ADMISSIONS LESSONS FROM ADMISSIONS REPS
The opacity and complexity of elements of the college application process inspire endless speculation about what really matters. In many cases, though, the…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
621. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: January 2025
A new year brings new excitement. The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
620. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AS AN UNDERGRADUATE MAJOR: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Considering how prevalent the topic of AI has become in business, leisure, and education, it was only a matter of time before college students would choose to…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
619. POST PANDEMIC LEARNING LOSS
The global onset of the coronavirus shut down schools, which interrupted the educational process for millions of students. The expectation was that deficits in…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
618. HOW THE COMMON DATA SET CAN HELP INTERPRET WHAT COLLEGES TELL YOU
Finding your best fit school requires a lot of smart research, so don't overlook one of the best sources of institutional information available. Amy and Mike…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
617. PREPARING TEENS FOR COLLEGE: ARE THEY READY?
Wanting to pursue higher education is not exactly the same as being ready for higher education and all that its pursuit entails, as too many students learn to…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
616. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: December 2024
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
615. THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLEGE INTERVIEWS
How odd is it that one of the most effective ways to learn about college applicants tends to be among the least frequent steps in the process. How valuable is…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
614. QUALITIES OF GREAT EDUCATORS AND COACHES
Just about anyone can become an educator or coach, but can anyone become great at it? Amy and Mike invited educator Dan Lerman to enumerate the qualities of…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
613. IEC PROFILE: Alison Merzel
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Alison Merzel. Alison Merzel is…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
612. IEC PROFILE: Julie Spak
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Julie Spak. Since 1985, Julie…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
611. IEC PROFILE: Stef Mauler
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Stef Mauler, founder of the…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
610. IEC PROFILE: Michelle Siddons
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Michelle Siddons. Michelle is an…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
609. IEC PROFILE: Feiyang Liu
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Feiyang Liu. As a naturally…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
608. HOW TEST PREP PREPARES YOU FOR COLLEGE
The successful outcome of preparing for the SAT & ACT can yield a massive return on investment, but the real value lies in the process itself. Amy and Mike…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
607. THE DIFFERENT ROLES OF SCHOOL AND PRIVATE COUNSELORS
Teens on the road to college tend to encounter a variety of counselors positioned to support them on their journeys. However, not every one of these counselors…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
606. HOW GRADING POLICIES INFLUENCE GRADE INFLATION
The fact that students are earning higher grades than ever without any appreciable increase in other assessments of academic ability should be well-known by…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
605. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: November 2024
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
604. ALL ABOUT THE ACT TEST ENHANCEMENTS
The ACT has been remarkably stable since the last time the exam was "enhanced" in 1989. However, significant changes are coming more quickly than you might…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
603. BUILD A WINNING BRAND TO ACE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
You don't need to be a future business major to bring some marketing acumen to your application to higher education. Amy and Mike invited marketing…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
602. HOW ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR MORALE IS CHANGING ADMISSIONS
The current college admissions dynamic where selective schools routinely receive 10, 15, or even 20 times as many applications as they have available seats has…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
601. EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: October 2024
The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
600. CELEBRATING OUR 600TH EPISODE with educator Susan Powers
After 599 episodes devoted to amazing conversations about testing, admissions, education, and learning, it's time for something completely different. Amy and…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
599. TEST PREP PROFILE: Sara Kohn
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Sara Kohn, who was raised in…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
598. TEST PREP PROFILE: Reema Chitalia
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Reema Chitalia, a dedicated…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
597. TEST PREP PROFILE: Dan Cozzens
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Dan Cozzens. Dan has worked…
- Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast
596. TEST PREP PROFILE: Mary Bassey
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Mary Bassey, a…