Posner Brown College Guide

Guides & Tools

In-depth, honest resources on testing, essays, and application planning. Free to read, no signup, no email required. Written for students and the families supporting them.

Written and maintained by Steven Brown, independent college counselor and high school teacher, Washington, DC.

Admissions Testing

Testing

Both exams changed recently. The SAT is now digital and adaptive, and the ACT is shorter with an optional Science section. Anything written more than about two years ago is out of date.

SAT vs. ACT: Which to Take, and What Tutoring Actually Buys You

Guide

A full breakdown of both exams as they exist today, plus honest score-gain expectations for every kind of test prep. Includes what controlled research finds, what tutoring companies advertise, why those two numbers differ so much, and how gains shrink as a student's starting score rises.

Updated Aug 2026 · ~25 min read Read the guide →

SAT to ACT Score Converter

Tool

Convert a score in either direction using the official concordance, with the full lookup table and answers to the questions families ask most about comparing the two tests.

Interactive · Free Open the converter →

Writing

Essays

The essay is where a student stops being a transcript and becomes a person. It is also the part of the application families get the least useful advice about.

Your Essay, Your Story

Guide

A practical walkthrough of the personal statement, from finding a topic only you could write to knowing when to stop revising. Covers structure, voice, the topics to avoid, an honest word on AI, and a self-check to run before submitting.

Guide · ~15 min read Read the guide →
More on the way. New guides are added through the application season. Supplemental essays, financial aid and the FAFSA, and building a balanced college list are the next ones planned.

Beyond the Guides

Tools that track the actual work

Reading is the easy part. The portal turns this guidance into something a student can act on: a college list, a deadline calendar, score tracking against real target schools, and a grade-by-grade roadmap.