Ivy Test Prep

Mastering SAT vocabulary isn't just about memorizing words—it's about understanding how they function in context. 📝From 'Complacent' to 'Renege,' these 5 essentials from Barron’s are must-knows for test day.

Swipe through to see the meanings, synonyms, and example sentences for each! ➡️

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Parents of rising seniors — a quick word about the essay.

Every year we read the same first draft. It's well-written and carefully polished. It lists the volunteer hours, the leadership title, the summer program. And it could have been written by any of four hundred other students.

The problem is never effort. Your child worked hard on it. The problem is the question they were asked to answer.

Most students sit down to write what they think colleges want to hear. But admissions already has the transcript, the test scores, and the activity list. The essay is the only place left in the entire application to find out who your child actually is.

So we ask something different. Not "what's impressive?" but "what's true?"

"I volunteered 200 hours at the hospital" becomes "I learned how to sit with people who were scared." Same summer. Same student. Only one of them sounds like a person.

The Common App opened August 1st. Every supplement for every school appeared on the same day. The families who start in August aren't getting ahead — they're just not panicking in October.

If your child is applying this year, comment ESSAY below and we'll send you our free College Essay Starter Guide. It's five questions that help a student find a real topic in one sitting, and you can use it whether or not you ever work with us.

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3 · HASHTAGS

Most Bergen County parents know that Bergen County Academies is one of the most selective public high schools in the country. What many don't realize is that BCA isn't one program — it's seven.

When a student applies, they choose a specific academy, and that choice shapes their entire course sequence for four years. Each academy has a different focus, different coursework, and a different kind of student who thrives there.

The seven academies:

AAST (Science & Technology) — biology, chemistry, and physics alongside chemical engineering, organic chemistry, and modern physics. Students conduct original research in professional-grade labs covering everything from nanotechnology to cell biology to a coral research facility.

ABF (Business & Finance) — corporate finance, markets, economics, marketing, and entrepreneurship, with a global perspective built through International Baccalaureate integration.

ACAHA (Culinary Arts & Hospitality) — culinary and pastry arts plus hospitality management, facility operations, and entrepreneurship, with an honors-level core curriculum.

AEDT (Engineering & Design Technology) — design technology, computer science, manufacturing, electronics, and biomedical engineering, with projects in product development, architectural design, and robotics.

AMST (Medical Science Technology) — a rigorous science curriculum plus bioethics, epidemiology, pharmacology, neuroscience, and biotechnology. Students design and carry out original scientific experiments.

ATCS (Technology & Computer Science) — programming, computer architecture, data structures and algorithms, with advanced work in web development, robotics, AI, and security. Seniors build a real product for a real client.

AVPA (Visual & Performing Arts) — three concentrations: Music (audition required), Theatre, and Visual Arts including graphic design, photography, animation, and game design.

The school's numbers speak for themselves: a 21% acceptance rate, an average SAT of 1465, and 99.8% of graduates enrolling in four-year colleges.

Choosing the right academy matters. The entrance exam is the same for all seven — so the smartest first step is understanding where your child stands today. We offer a free BCA readiness test for exactly that: https://tinyurl.com/34t9d2e2

If your child is a rising 7th or 8th grader considering Bergen County Academies or Bergen Tech, here's something many families don't realize: both schools take the same entrance exam, but they offer very different experiences.

Bergen County Academies (BCA) in Hackensack is built around seven specialized academies with honors, AP, and IB coursework, self-directed research in professional-grade labs, and an extended school day. It's ideal for students who want deep academic immersion in a fast-paced, competitive environment.

Bergen Tech — with campuses in Teterboro and Paramus — pairs a rigorous honors college-prep core with a hands-on technical major, in fields ranging from aerospace engineering and computer science to culinary arts, fashion, and law & justice. Its outcomes are outstanding, and it's ideal for the student who learns best when academics connect to an applied field.

Bergen Tech is not a "backup" to BCA. It's a different school for a different kind of learner — and an excellent one.

Since both schools use the same exam, the smartest first step is simply seeing where your child stands. We built a free BCA/BT practice test for exactly that: https://tinyurl.com/34t9d2e2

📚 These 5 words could be the difference between a good score and a GREAT one. Save this NOW! ⬇️

Straight from Barron's Digital SAT Study Guide — these high-frequency words show up time and time again in reading passages. The more familiar they feel, the faster you'll answer on test day. ⏱️

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