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, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio.
YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and Leap.
Between the two of us, expect over 60 years of industry insight, expertise, insider news, and a bit of sarcasm.
- Update frequency
- every 4 days
- Average duration
- 24 minutes
- Episodes
- 673
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
593. THE ROLE OF TEST SCORES IN COLLEGE MERIT AID
We all know that getting into and paying for college represent two very different challenges. But what if you could focus on factors that improve your odds of accomplishing both at the same time? For…
592. MAKING YOUR COLLEGE ESSAYS COUNT
As short as college application essays have to be, they still contribute heavily to holistic admissions decisions. Don’t waste a single word! Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Sheree Gravel…
591. ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE HS GRADUATING CLASS OF 2025
Every year, the conventional wisdom about getting into college gives way to painful, new truths and exciting, new opportunities. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski to…
590. HOW TO PREP FOR THE DIGITAL PSAT
Every October, the PSAT is administered in high schools. Even though the test has no bearing on admissions, college-bound students should still take–and prepare–for it. Amy and Mike invited educator …
589. THE ROLE OF RAPPORT IN EDUCATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
When learners work with teachers, tutors, consultants, and coaches, developing domain mastery and a strategic plan is an obvious component of success. Less obvious, however, is the instrumental roles…
588. BIG CHANGES TO AP TESTS IN 2025
Advanced Placement courses have set the standard for accelerated subject studies in many high schools, but next year’s offerings may look very different from what teachers and students are used to. A…
587. SHOULD I APPLY EARLY DECISION OR EARLY ACTION?
SHOULD I APPLY EARLY DECISION OR EARLY ACTION?
When applying to highly selective schools, every advantage makes a difference. Why, then, would a student pass up one of the biggest multipliers in acce…
586. WHAT DOES THINKING CRITICALLY IN COLLEGE MEAN?
The standard high school education covers a broad and deep array of state-mandated subjects but doesn’t necessarily cultivate strong critical reasoning skills. That’s a shame, because those skills ar…
585. HOW PREPARATION AND MINDFULNESS GO TOGETHER
Some people embrace practice and coaching in order to be ready for a certain moment, while others train to be fully present in any moment. When it comes to the most important moments, why not both? A…
584. USING THE DESMOS CALCULATOR IN DIGITAL TESTING
Powerful graphing calculators can provide potent math problem solving advantages for students that know how to use–and can afford–them. What is the impact, then, when everyone has free access to lead…
583. THE VALUE OF THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
When Ralph Waldo Emerson suggested that it's the journey, not the destination, that matters, he may not have had higher education in mind. That said, applicants often overlook what really matters on …
582. THE NEED FOR TESTING SITES IN CALIFORNIA
California is the most populous American state with a veritable cornucopia of exceptional and reasonably well-funded high schools. Why, then, do Californian teens need to travel hundreds–and sometime…
581. COLLEGE DOCUMENTATION FOR HOMESCHOOLERS
The bespoke nature of homeschooling can be a great advantage for tailoring education to a student’s individual needs. However, those differentiated programs present challenges when the time comes to …
580. THE PARENT TRANSITION FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGE
We focus so much on our teens getting through high school and into college yet spend little time looking at the space between or how everyone involved needs to change and adapt for success. Amy and M…
579. A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO TEST TAKING
When the most important exams in our lives tend to be meticulously crafted instruments based research, statistics, and standards, a sloppy and spontaneous approach just won’t cut it. Amy and Mike inv…
578. WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TRANSFERRING
While choosing a college feels like one of the biggest decisions of your life, choosing to leave one may be even more difficult. That said, swapping the wrong school for the right one can do wonders …
577. TEST PREP PROFILE: Alex Pint
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Alex Pint, the owner and founder of Pathway Prep in Kansas City! Ale…
576. TEST PREP PROFILE: Remy Zaken Andersen
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Remy Zaken Andersen. Remy is a graduate of Columbia University, wher…
575. TEST PREP PROFILE: Jason Hankins
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Meet Jason Hankins, who graduated in the year 2000 from Milwaukee School …
574. TEST PREP PROFILE: Loni Lebanoff
Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry?
MEET OUR GUEST
Loni Lebanoff founded CogniTutor with a simple mission: help millions of …