The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Once in a while, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. What new piece of curriculum did Mike create recently?

2. What is Mike’s background in birding?

3. What were Amy’s big takeaways from the College Board National Forum?

4. What have we learned about college admissions?

5. When and where will the NTPA Winter Workshop be?

We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or get in touch through our contact page. Let’s get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!

LINKS

Roots2Words Teachers Pay Teachers Store

2024 National Test Prep Association Winter Workshop

10,000 Birds

RELATED EPISODES

EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: October 2024

PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF TEST PREP: AMY SEELEY’S ORIGIN STORY

SAT & ACT TESTING TIMELINES: MIKE BERGIN’S ORIGIN STORY

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.

ABOUT 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. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

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 think to this influential college admissions exam. Amy and Mike invited ACT representative Catherine Hofmann to share all the details about the ACT Test Enhancements.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. How is the ACT changing?

2. What aspects of the ACT are staying the same?

3. What is the motivation for these enhancements?

4. Will the Enhanced ACT be linear or adaptive?

5. What is the timeline for the Enhanced ACT?
   

MEET OUR GUEST

Catherine Hofmann serves as the Senior Vice President of Government and Public Relations at ACT, where she has held a leadership role since 2014. Prior to joining ACT, she worked in Oklahoma as a teacher and assistant principal, at the Oklahoma Department of Education, and then at College Board overseeing state strategy.

Growing up in a fifth-generation rural farming family and as a first-generation college student, Catherine understands the value of a college education and strives to use her voice and professional experience to advocate for underserved students. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Central Oklahoma and a master’s degree in School Administration.

Catherine lives on the family farm established in 1860 outside Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband, her four children, and her beloved rescue cats and rescue dog, Cash. And the family is growing—she regularly fosters rescue animals and engages in a range of other community volunteer services.

Learn about the coming changes and sign up for updates at the ACT Test Enhancements page.

LINKS

ACT Test Enhancements

The Upcoming Changes to the Enhanced ACT

RELATED EPISODES

WHY TESTS MATTER: STUDENT PERSPECTIVES

WHY THE SAT AND ACT ARE AWESOME

WHEN SHOULD YOU TAKE THE SAT OR ACT?

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.

ABOUT 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. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

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 professional Stacey Ross Cohen to review how to build a winning brand to ace college admissions.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. How are college admissions and personal branding related?

2. Why is personal branding/digital leadership critical for college-bound students?

3. What are essential steps teens should take to build a strong personal brand?

4. How can college-bound students use social media to their advantage?

5. What other essential life skills are important for high school teens to navigate the college process?

MEET OUR GUEST

An award-winning marketing professional who earned her stripes on Madison Avenue and at major television networks, Stacey Ross Cohen excels at taking brands to market and leveraging each client's unique voice for impactful campaigns.

In 1998, Stacey founded Co-Communications, a marketing communications agency serving clients in education, healthcare, real estate, hospitality, economic development, professional services, and nonprofits. Her accolades include Forbes Enterprise, PRSA Practitioner of the Year, City & State NY/Power100, and Crain's New York Business' Notable Leader in Advertising, Marketing, and PR (2023). Stacey recently made her debut on the TED stage, is a contributor at Entrepreneur and The Huffington Post, and has been featured in Forbes, Inc, USA Today, Newsweek, and more.

She holds a BS from Syracuse University, an MBA from Fordham University, and a certificate in Media, Entertainment, & Technology from NYU Leonard Stern School of Business. Stacey is a sought-after speaker and author in the realm of PR, Marketing, and Branding and has delivered talks at Fortune 500 companies and global education institutes. She is a newly appointed adjunct marketing professor at Fordham University. An entrepreneur at heart, Stacey started her first business when she was just 14 years old and is now a member of a prominent angel investor group.

Stacey's best-selling book Brand Up: The Ultimate Playbook for College & Career Success (Post Hill Press/Simon & Schuster) is a game changer for teens to stand out and achieve success in our increasingly connected, cluttered, and competitive world. It's packed with exercises, tools, and tips essential to establish a positive narrative and social media presence that can open doors to desired colleges and coveted first jobs. Endorsed by Barbara Corcoran, who calls the book a must-read "to excel at networking, entrepreneurship, in the classroom and the boardroom," Brand Up is available at Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Target, and Amazon.

Stacey can be reached at https://branduplife.com/ or LinkedIn.

LINKS

Brand Up: The Ultimate Playbook for College & Career Success

Brand Up Life

RELATED EPISODES

FITTING IN AND STANDING OUT

AVOIDING THE PAGEANT APPROACH TO COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

FINDING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF IN THE PATH TO COLLEGE

PSYCHOGRAPHICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter.

ABOUT 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. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.