College entrance exams are seen by some to be the great equalizer.  In an attempt to counter grade inflation or resolve grade nonequivalence across schools, many universities turn to these exams to determine acceptance.  The debate rages on the fairness of these exams, but they currently remain a part of our nation’s high-stakes testing giving both students and parents alike a grand dose of angst.

With the next two test dates approaching (May 5th and June 2nd), so loom these tests for many seniors, maybe juniors, and perhaps even the intrepid sophomore. What are your study options? You could hire a personal tutor or take an online preparation course, but perhaps all the prepping you need could be found in one of these online tools, or how about an app making it easy to study on-the-go. Check out this list of 10 possible choices:

 1.  Collegeboard.org – this should be one of your first online stops to get prepared for the SAT.  From getting registered to getting insight on specific test sections, the site can give you the information you need to develop your plan to attack your studying.  The site provides free sample questions to full SAT tests for you to practice your skills.  The clear and graphically -filled site provides you with the practice, practice, practice that can get you to that score you’ve been hoping for.

 2. Quizlet (free) – online flashcard generator.  No need to create your own bank of SAT vocabulary flashcards just choose from the hundreds of created flashcard banks to pump up your personal dictionary.   One of the more difficult challenges that students face on the reading section of the SAT is the vocabulary.  Quizlet provides a number of ways to learn ranging from the traditional flashcard look to games and tests.

 3. SAT Connect (free, currently) – this app is available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Provides a comprehensive review with diagnostic tests, practice, and review opportunities. The vocabulary builder has a flashcard-type mode or a list format.  It is also full of little tidbits like test format, timing, order of difficulty, pacing, and so much more.
(Available at Apple App Store)

 4.  SuperKids – if you’re old school, try this site.  It provides a guide to some of the traditional software available for college board exam review.  The site gives you a review of the software’s capabilities, compatibilities, and cost.

 5. Adapster ($9.99) – if your math needs brushing-up, here’s an iPhone app that creates a personalized lesson review based on the results of a diagnostic test.  Practice, review, and test according to your needs with this app, since it monitors input to create output that suits you.  
(Available at Apple App Store)

 6. SAT Vocab Challenge Vol. 2, by the Princeton Review ($4.99) – challenge yourself on the 250 most frequently encountered words on the SAT.  There are games, reviews, and monitoring within this app.  Wonder how you’re doing, this app will track your progress so you can review the vocabulary you’ve learned.
(Available at Apple App Store)

 7. Kaplan SAT Flashcubes (free) – gives you many ways to study your vocabulary, self study, multiple choice, or custom lists.  Increasing your SAT score may rest on improving your vocabulary, and this app helps you do it by keeping track of your responses and generating reports to refocus your study.
(Available at Apple App Store)

8. SAT Sentence Prep TestBank (4.99) – Here’s an Android app that helps with the sentence completion section of the exam.  Although this app has many great features, such as multiple choice questions, tracking of your performance, and advice and tips, what makes it even better are the explanations why answers are correct!

 9. SAT Math ($4.99) – this is your choice for Android users.  This app provides quizzes, solution explanations, and monitors a users performance to continuously provide review of areas of weakness.  If even the word “math” makes you break out in a cold sweat, then a mobile app may be your solution to everywhere, anytime studying.

 10. Flash of Genius ($2.99) – This Android app has been written by SAT and GRE Harvard and MIT tutors.  This app tracks your performance and also gives your audio for correct pronunciation of words.