675. Unlocking Automatic Scholarships With PSAT, SAT, & ACT Scores

The process of applying to college can be so cumbersome and time consuming that applicants have little time left over for elaborate scholarship applications. Luckily, students can qualify for abundant merit aid just by excelling on admissions tests they should be prepping for anyway! Amy and Mike invited educator Shaan Patel to explore how to unlock automatic scholarships with PSAT, SAT, & ACT scores. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How directly do SAT and ACT scores translate into guaranteed scholarship money? How does the PSAT connect to the National Merit Scholarship program? What score ranges typically unlock the biggest automatic scholarships at public and private universities? How can families use their College 529 Savings Plans for test preparation?   What are the most effective strategies for students to maximize both their scores and scholarship opportunities? MEET OUR GUEST Dr. Shaan Patel is the Founder and CEO of Prep Expert. On ABC's Shark Tank, he closed a deal with Mark Cuban for an investment in Prep Expert. He created Prep Expert to help high school students achieve their own dreams. Prep Expert has helped more than 100,000 students improve their SAT and ACT scores, get into top colleges, and win over $100 million in scholarships. Prep Expert offers online SAT and ACT courses, academic tutoring, and college admissions consulting. Shaan can be reached at prepexpert.com. LINKS Merit Aid Grids National Merit Scholarship RELATED EPISODES THE ROLE OF TEST SCORES IN COLLEGE MERIT AID FLORIDA BRIGHT FUTURES SCHOLARSHIP PSAT AND THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROCESS FOUR SCHOLARSHIP MYTHS ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright, Roots2Words, and College Eagle. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, get in touch through our contact page.