Blog
Official SAT Vocab
Six Words Moving Up in Frequency Before the August 22nd SAT (With Actual Data)
Before every SAT administration, I see a lot of popular SAT "gurus" making predictions on social media. "THESE 20 WORDS WILL BE ON THE AUGUST SAT." No data. No sourcing. No mention of where the list came from. Just twenty words, a fire emoji, and a
SAT News
100 Years of the SAT, and the One Thing That Has Never Changed
The SAT turned 100 last week. On June 23, 1926, a little over 8,000 high school students sat down for the first one. It looked nothing like the test your kids take now — 315 questions in about 90 minutes, built off an aptitude exam the Army had been giving
Official SAT Vocab
The Gauntlet Ultimate SAT Vocabulary Challenge
Hello MJTP families! The third book is here. The Gauntlet Ultimate SAT Vocabulary Challenge is live on Amazon — and that completes the series. Math, Reading & Writing, and now Vocabulary. If you've been using the official vocab quizzes here on mrjohnstestprep.com, this book will feel familiar, but
Blog
Tutorstack Launches This Week at the National Test Prep Association Conference in Chicago
This week marks a milestone that MJTP has been building toward for a long time. Tutorstack is officially launching at the National Test Prep Association annual conference in Chicago, and I couldn't be more excited to share it with the MJTP family. If it weren't for
College Admissions
What the Latest Common App Data Tells Us About Test Scores
Dear MJTP families, I've been perusing some recent data in the Common App's March 1 application update this month. I think it has some valuable insights for all of us. Common App Score Reporting, Through March 1 Year-over-year change compared to the same point
College Admissions
What to Do Before Senior Year: College Application and Essay Advice from Dr. Coppi
A Conversation with Dr. Kellie Coppi Dear MJTP families, Every spring I tell rising seniors the same thing: the summer ahead of senior year is not a break from the work, it is the work. The single best window you have to get ahead of the college application is the
Blog
A Weekend at Sewanee, and What I've Been Thinking About Since
Good morning, MJTP families. This weekend I drove to Sewanee, Tennessee, with my wife and son. The University of the South sits on top of a mountain about forty-five minutes outside Chattanooga, and if you have never been there, the first thing I'd say is that every
Word Stacks
Vocabulary trends from the last two years of official SATs
Updated August 31, 2026 With a little help from AI, I've compiled some data trends on the tough vocabulary words that r/SAT moderator "yodatsracist" and roots2words.com have documented for all documented SATs from March 2024 through August 2026. After analyzing every SAT vocabulary quiz
Newsletter
The Ones Who Stack the Reps
This was one of those weeks where the lesson plan wrote itself — not in a classroom, but on the water, in a gymnasium, and somewhere in between. Intersession week is always a reset. The rhythms of school give way to something looser, more exploratory, and if you're lucky,
Blog
The Hidden Variable That Decides Your SAT Score
(Hint: It's Not What You Think) Here's something I've noticed after years of tutoring SAT students: the ones who plateau in the 1400s almost always blame the same thing. "I just need to learn more content," they tell me. "Once I
Blog
How to Read Your SAT Score Report: Understanding Domains, Skills, and What to Study Next
A real student's question reveals what most families don't understand about SAT score reports.