Have you heard the buzz about April’s ACT test?  Students are saying it was the most difficult ACT ever given:  “The math questions were impossible”, “…there was not enough time to complete all of the reading passages”, and even “…the smartest kid in our class thinks she bombed the science section”. These concerns will be repeated by students until the June ACT becomes the “hardest test ever.”

Test anxiety starts because many high school students believe their ACT or SAT scores can make or break their college dreams, and that can be a legitimate fear if a student is applying to competitive schools or hoping for a merit scholarship. Combine the pressure of getting into your dream college with rumors about how hard the latest ACT test was, and you get one result:  intense test anxiety. At Flying Colors, we understand the pressure students feel. That’s why a core part of our comprehensive test prep includes anxiety management–a key feature that sets us apart from other test prep companies.

Test anxiety is a common barrier for students that can keep them from achieving their true potential. When you have an important game, theater performance, or exam, your body kicks into overdrive. The brain sends signals to indicate that the stakes are high—your heart beats faster, your palms start to sweat, and you feel butterflies in your stomach. Your body is responding to your brain’s signals and doing its part to rise up to the challenge. If you walk into a test or step onto the field and your body treats it like just another random Tuesday morning, you’re not going to perform your best. Performance enhancing anxiety works to your advantage by improving concentration and focusing the brain on the task at hand. That is your body’s way of saying “OK, let’s go!” Neuroscience studies show that heightened awareness IMPROVES performance. 

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The Yerkes-Dodson Law Bell curve (below) illustrates that as arousal increases, so does performance, but only up to a certain point. When taking the ACT or SAT, students get into trouble when their arousal becomes too high, thereby inhibiting performance. By reframing the body’s physiological responses as positive through relaxation techniques such as breathing and visualization, students can keep performance anxiety at an optimal level and increase their chances of optimal performance. 

A student’s goal should be to maintain a healthy level of motivation and drive while taking the ACT or SAT without slipping into higher levels of stress. Flying Colors’ instructors use evidence-based strategies and draw upon more than 14 years of experience to empower students to minimize anxiety and achieve success. Students learn skills that are not only applicable to standardized tests, but that can also improve performance on academic tests or in sports, theater, public speaking, or any other performance-driven endeavor. 

Anxiety reducing strategies include:

• Familiarization with the content of the ACT and the SAT so students know what the tests can throw at them

• Strategic study plans and pacing strategies tailored to each student

• Regular practice tests that simulate test conditions to build confidence and test-taking stamina

• Coping strategies to calm the body’s natural stress reaction

Flying Colors’ goal is two-fold: prepare students for the ACT or SAT’s content and mentally equip them for the challenges of taking the tests. Our instructors help students create a game plan and execute it with confidence, so they can walk out of the test knowing they’ve achieved their target scores. 

KARE 11 News’ Gordon Severson spoke with Ron Michalak, president and founder of Flying Colors Prep, about the move to digital testing.  Click here to see the news segment.

Beginning on April 5th, the ACT will debut an enhanced version of its test, initially available ONLY online and only available at two test centers in Minnesota, both of which are full.  The new ACT will be shorter in length and will make science an optional section.  While most Minnesota students will NOT be able to access the new ACT until September, when it becomes available on paper, the changes to the test represent the most profound modifications to the ACT since it was launched more than 60 years ago.  Click here to view a webinar, led by Ron Michalak, the founder of Flying Colors Prep, on these changes.

Each year, the Common Application releases data about the students who use the app to apply four-year colleges in the U.S.  Among the highlights, which are explored more fully at our website, are the following:

• First-year applications to colleges were up 5% over last year; approximately 1.2 million applicants submitted the forms for the latest application cycle; on average, students apply to between 5-6 schools each
• The report found that the number of first-year students who included standardized test scores in their applications grew 10% last year, while the number of applicants who left them out remained unchanged, narrowing the gap between the two groups.

Since the 2020-2021 application cycle, applications from prospective first-year students have steadily increased, despite the debacle of the rollout of FAFSA last year and the US Supreme Court’s decision to ban race-conscious admissions.  Roughly 960,000 students used the Common App portal to submit over 4.8 million applications during the 2020-21 cycle. In the 2024-25 cycle, over 1.2 million users submitted just under 6.7 million applications.

The Common App’s report also found more first-year students including standardized test scores in their applications, up 10% since last year. The number of applicants leaving them out remained unchanged year-over-year.

“This marks the first time since the 2021–22 season that the growth rate of test score reporters has surpassed that of non-reporters, narrowing the gap between the two groups,” the report said.

That’s despite slowing interest in highly selective colleges, the type of institution that has historically used standardized test scores most frequently in the admissions process.

Applications to colleges with acceptance rates below 25% (the nation’s most selective colleges) grew just 2% in 2024-25, Common App found. That’s compared to the between 8% and 9% increases seen at institutions of all other selectivity levels.

PSAT Results To Be Delivered By Mid-November

With the conclusion of PSAT testing for 2024, it’s a good time to reflect upon the PSAT exam.  In September, the College Board announced National Merit Semifinalists for the class of 2025.  Now, the class of 2026 is stepping up, and results have come out quickly.  If your student took the PSAT by October 11th, scores became available on October 24th.  For students who completed testing by October 26th, scores will be available by November 7th.  Any additional scores will be released on November 14th.

As we’ve noted before, the PSAT is a single purpose test whose objective is to identify the nation’s National Merit Scholars.  Each year, approximately 17,000 students are named semifinalists.  That number is winnowed down to about 15,000 students who are named finalists.  From there, some 7,500 students will be eligible to receive a National Merit scholarship.

The College Board determines scores based on a selection index number which is easily calculated.  To determine your student’s National Merit Scholarship Index, you take their reading/writing score and double it.  To that number, you add their math score and then divide by ten.  For example, if your student scored a 700 on reading/writing and a 750 on math, you would multiply 700 x 2 = 1400.  To that, you would add 750 and then divide the sum by ten, arriving at their NMSI of 215.

Minnesota Numbers

Cutoffs for the National Merit Semifinalist level vary from year to year and from state to state.  For the class of 2025, the cutoff for Minnesota’s National Merit Semifinalists was 217.  For the classes of 2024 and 2023, the cutoff was 2016.

There is another level of recognition called the Commended Scholar.  That number is determined on a national basis and also varies from year to year.  For 2025, the cutoff for the Commended Scholar level was 208.  Approximately 36,000 students are named a Commended Scholar nationwide.

When Will I Find Out If My Student “Made the Cut”?

Formal notification of Semifinalist status isn’t announced until September of the student’s senior year.  Flying Colors will keep you posted if any new information comes to light before then.

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Fast Forward To Today

Today, we’re not only the leading provider of personalized ACT/SAT test preparation in Minnesota, we also provide students and families with a complete set of services including academic tutoring, college application essay assistance, expertise in test prep and tutoring for students with LD/ADHD and graduate school admissions test prep including the LSAT, MCAT, GRE and GMAT exams.

To celebrate the success of all our students and the quiet, steady growth of our organization, we’ve chosen a new name – Flying Colors.

Why The Name Change, and Why Flying Colors?

We’re still the same great company and team, but we believe ‘Flying Colors’ better captures all that we do – and why we do it. We’re passionate about building confidence, unlocking individual potential, and delivering an engaging and collaborative experience.

Our team of 50+ expert tutors has helped thousands of students tackle complicated academic subjects and prepare for their college entrance exams with tailored programs that consistently deliver exceptional results.

We’re proud to say we’re the exclusive provider of test prep services for a long list of great Minnesota schools, and we’re the only organization in the Upper Midwest with test prep instruction designed specifically for students with LD/ADHD.

About Our President

Ron Michalak is the founder of Flying Colors. He earned a BA in economics from Northwestern University and an MBA in marketing and finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

After college, Ron enjoyed a 25-year career in finance, marketing, and business development as an executive with firms including Arthur Andersen, Coopers & Lybrand, BellSouth and IBM/Internet Security Systems. Ron got his start in test prep nearly two decades ago when, as a student at the Kellogg School, he provided classroom-style instruction to SAT and GMAT students.