Brian McElroy's Tutoring Blog

The 5151 Podcast, Episode 2: Why GMAT OG Explanations are so Awful

Posted 2021-07-11

You can't trust GMAT Official Guide (OG) explanations, even though the book is the best source of realistic practice questions. Here's why. Keep Reading

The 5151 Podcast, Episode 1: Quant difficulty on the GMAT online vs. the test-center GMAT

Posted 2021-07-11

Brian addresses (and confirms) the widespread rumor that the GMAT online Quant section is wordier and more challenging than its test-center counterpart. Keep Reading

McElroy Tutoring Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates, Changes and Announcements

Posted 2022-06-27

Important updates regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and its effects on the test prep / admissions landscape. Keep Reading

The QAS (Question and Answer Service) for the SAT, and the TIR (Test Information Release) for the ACT: What are they, and why do they matter?

Posted 2024-02-06

Breaking down the important details of the SAT's QAS (Question and Answer Service) and the ACT's TIR (Test Information Release). Keep Reading

LSAT Action Plan: How to Study and Prepare for the Law School Admission Test

Posted 2024-01-24

A 5-Step Plan to prepare any student for the LSAT. Keep Reading

An Exhaustive List of all 102 (and counting!) Real, Official LSAT PrepTests from LSACâ€”including paper tests on Amazon, free PDF downloads, LSAT India tests, and even Kindle versions.

Posted 2023-12-14

An epic, comprehensive list of links to every version of every official LSAT PrepTest that can be found for free or purchased online. Keep Reading

My Top 11 SAT Prep Resources, Ranked.

Posted 2022-05-13

I'm a Harvard Grad, SAT/ACT perfect scorer, and professional SAT test-prep tutor since 2002. Below are my top 11 personal recommendations for SAT prep practice tests, strategy and learning books, online learning programs, videos, and the like : Keep Reading

I scored a Perfect 36 on the ACT.

Posted 2022-06-26

In April of 2018, on my 7th and final attempt at the ACT, I earned a perfect 36/36/36/36 score, with all 215 questions answered correctly. Keep Reading

Are the SAT and ACT "equated" beforehand, "scaled/curved" after the test, or both? Addressing one of the College Board's Most Persistent Lies

Posted 2024-03-12

Yes, the SAT is curvedâ€”no matter what the College Board has to say on the issue. Due to the College Board's deliberate obfuscation on the issue, there is a common misconception that SATs and ACTs are "curved" before the test instead of after, when in reality there are two separate processes that determine the raw to scaled score conversion : "equating" pre-test, and "scaling/curving/smoothing" post-exam. Keep Reading