Is your child a strong student who freezes up on test day? Are you wondering if relying on "test-optional" policies is a safe strategy—or a silent risk for top-tier college applications? And with the SAT moving fully digital and adaptive, why are so many high-achieving students scoring lower than on their practice exams?

Welcome to the very first episode of The Modern K-12 (formerly Demystifying College Admissions)!

To kick off this new era, host Julie Kim is joined by two premier test-prep experts: Amy Seeley (Seeley Test Pros) and Mike Bergin (Chariot Learning), co-hosts of the popular Tests and the Rest podcast. Together, they pull back the curtain on the changing landscape of standardized testing, demystify digital SAT adaptive scoring, and share actionable strategies to help your student showcase their true potential.

🚨 SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT & FREE LIVE TRAINING

The college admissions landscape is shifting faster than ever with new testing policies, hyper-competition, and AI integration. Don't navigate these changes blindly!

Join Julie for the Back-To-School Free Live Training: The 2026 Admissions Playbook on Tuesday, August 18th.

What you'll gain:

• Deep-dive evaluation of current portfolio strategies.

• Clear action steps for new testing policies and trends.

• A roadmap to make your student's application stand out authentically.

👉 Click Here to Reserve Your Free Spot for the August 18th Live Training!

🎧 What You'll Learn in This Episode

• The Test-Optional Trap: Why withholding test scores at selective schools can work against you and what admissions committees quietly infer.

• Unlocking the Common Data Set: How to verify what admitted students are actually submitting—regardless of what tour guides tell you.

• Myth Busting "Bad Test Takers": Why low test scores usually stem from knowledge or strategy gaps (and why that's great news for score growth).

• The Score Submission Framework: Amy's decision-tree strategy to determine whether submitting your score helps or hurts your odds.

• The #1 Long-Term Prep Habit: What students in grades 3–11 should focus on every day to effortlessly build SAT/ACT readiness.

• Digital Screen vs. Real Books: Why digital SAT prep requires physical book reading to build high-level reading stamina.

• The Adaptive SAT Surprise: Why the digital SAT feels so much harder on test day and how to structure a timeline that beats test fatigue.

• Breaking the 1500 Plateau: Key strategic adjustments for high-performing students stuck at top-tier score ceilings.

💡 Notable Quotes

"If a school is still test-optional and you withhold scores, you're signaling—whether you mean to or not—that your test scores would be below the 25th percentile of their incoming freshman class."

— Mike Bergin

"They have to be very certain that by not submitting a test score, those other 'cookies' in the portfolio are large enough to fill that space."

— Amy Seeley

"Working on reading skills and vocabulary acquisition is the single most important thing a student can do from 3rd grade all the way through 11th grade."

— Amy Seeley

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned

• Free Back-To-School Training (Aug 18): Register Here

• Passion Project Bootcamp (1-Year Group Consulting): Learn More & Apply

• PPBC Self-Paced Online Course: Enroll Now

• Connect with Amy Seeley: Seeley Test Pros

• Connect with Mike Bergin: Chariot Learning | TestBright

• Listen to Amy & Mike's Podcast: Tests and the Rest

📩 Connect With Us

• Instagram: @passion_prep

• Support Email: [email protected]