Episode 339 | Gus Elmashni | Ivy Advantage | Part 2 | The EdisonOS Podcast

In this episode, Gus Elmashni, an experienced test prep coach, breaks down what families still get wrong about both the SAT and ACT, from not knowing the SAT is now digital and adaptive, to misunderstanding the test optional versus test required landscape, to assuming the SAT is still heavy on vocabulary the way it was decades ago. Drawing from his work with students in California, Gus explains why the ACT can be more unforgiving than the SAT because one weak section drags down the entire composite average, while the SAT's adaptive format still allows students to reach near 1400 even after missing several questions.He discusses his hybrid diagnostic exam, a custom mix of SAT and ACT sections paired with a self-reporting spreadsheet that generates a predicted score for both tests, and shares why data alone does not always determine the right choice, because sometimes a student's comfort level with the math and their gut feeling about the strategies matter just as much as the numbers.