by Amy Seeley & Mike Bergin
Welcome to THE college admissions industry podcast! Join Mike Bergin and Amy Seeley as they discuss the latest issues in testing, admissions, learning, and education with leading experts. Tests and the Rest is perfect for parents, students, counselors, educators, test prep professionals, college consultants, and just about anyone engaged in the college admissions process. You can subscribe to this podcast or stream it online via any podcast app, including iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio. YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and Leap. Between the two of us, expect over 60 years of industry insight, expertise, insider news, and a bit of sarcasm.
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Publishing Since
6/13/2019
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April 29, 2025
<p dir="ltr">One should not take on what is potentially the biggest expense of a lifetime lightly. Motivated students can absolutely make sure college pays off academically, socially, and emotionally; financially, though, can be a big question mark. Amy and Mike invited educator Gage Mersereau to define the concept of true college ROI.</p> <p dir="ltr">What are five things you will learn in this episode?</p> <ol> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">What does ROI mean in the context of college?</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">What are the major factors to determine your true college investment?</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Why should plans after graduation factor into college plans?</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Why should ROI factors be understood before submitting college applications?</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Why doesn’t net price apply to all applicants?</p> </li> </ol> <p>MEET OUR GUEST</p> <p dir="ltr">Gage Mersereau is the CEO and Founder of GradBetter, a company focused on simplifying college planning and affordability for counselors and families. With over 15 years of experience in the field, Gage has dedicated his career to helping families find their college fit. Prior to founding GradBetter, he built ConnectSports, a youth sports recruiting platform that empowered 100,000 high school athletes to discover, connect with, and commit to their college of choice. Gage began his career on Wall Street, working as an M&A banker and in private equity.</p> <p dir="ltr">Find Gage at <a href= "https://www.gradbetter.com/">https://www.gradbetter.com/</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">LINKS</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.gradbetter.com/search">Free college ROI calculator</a> </p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2018/04/12/how-flawed-earnings-information-college-scorecard-misleads-students-opinion"> How the flawed earnings information in the College Scorecard misleads students (opinion)</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.nacubo.org/Press-Releases/2023/Tuition-Discount-Rates-at-Private-Colleges-and-Universities-Top-50-Percent"> Tuition Discount Rates at Private Colleges and Universities Top 50 Percent</a></p> <p dir="ltr">RELATED EPISODES</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://gettestbright.com/return-on-investment-in-college/">RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN COLLEGE</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://gettestbright.com/the-price-you-really-pay-for-college/">THE PRICE YOU REALLY PAY FOR COLLEGE</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://gettestbright.com/considering-college-financial-fit-first/"> CONSIDERING COLLEGE FINANCIAL FIT FIRST</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://gettestbright.com/what-is-a-net-price-calculator/">WHAT IS A NET PRICE CALCULATOR?</a></p> <p dir="ltr">ABOUT THIS PODCAST</p> <p dir="ltr">Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the <a href= "http://testsandtherest.com">show page</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">ABOUT YOUR HOSTS</p> <p dir="ltr">Mike Bergin is the president of <a href= "https://chariotlearning.com/">Chariot Learning</a> and founder of <a href="https://gettestbright.com/">TestBright</a>. Amy Seeley is the president of <a href="https://seeleytestpros.com/">Seeley Test Pros</a> and <a href="https://www.leaprogram.com/">LEAP</a>. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to <a href= "https://gettestbright.com/contact/">get in touch through our contact page</a>.</p> <p> </p>
April 25, 2025
<p dir="ltr">The Tests and the Rest podcast has always been relentlessly focused on exploring important topics in testing, admissions, education, and learning with amazing expert guests. Sometimes, though, we enjoy an unstructured opportunity to discuss our own takes on major issues, upcoming events, and our endeavors at the intersection of business and education. Catch up with us in the latest episode of EXTEMP with Amy & Mike.</p> <p dir="ltr">What are five things you will learn in this episode?</p> <ol> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">What have Amy and Mike been up to in the last month?</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">How is Amy using ChatGPT?</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">What is College Eagle?</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">What updates will we be making for the ACT curriculum for the enhanced ACT?</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">What are Mike and Amy doing at IECA in May?</p> </li> </ol> <p dir="ltr">We definitely want to respond to listener questions in our next EXTEMP episode, so reach out to us on social media or <a href="https://gettestbright.com/contact/">get in touch through our contact page</a>. Let’s get this Tests and the Rest mailbag rolling!</p> <p dir="ltr">LINKS</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://college-eagle.com/">College Eagle</a></p> <p dir="ltr">RELATED EPISODES</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://gettestbright.com/extemp-with-amy-mike-march-2025/">EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: March 2025</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://gettestbright.com/extemp-with-amy-mike-february-2025/">EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: February 2025</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://gettestbright.com/extemp-with-amy-mike-january-2025/">EXTEMP WITH AMY & MIKE: January 2025</a></p> <p dir="ltr">ABOUT THIS PODCAST</p> <p dir="ltr">Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the <a href= "http://testsandtherest.com">show page</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">ABOUT YOUR HOSTS</p> <p dir="ltr">Mike Bergin is the president of <a href= "https://chariotlearning.com/">Chariot Learning</a> and founder of <a href="https://gettestbright.com/">TestBright</a>. Amy Seeley is the president of <a href="https://seeleytestpros.com/">Seeley Test Pros</a> and <a href="https://www.leaprogram.com/">LEAP</a>. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to <a href= "https://gettestbright.com/contact/">get in touch through our contact page</a>.</p> <p> </p>
April 22, 2025
<p dir="ltr">The ACT has been a remarkably stable exam, administered in roughly the same way for decades. However, a new version is on the horizon, and some intrepid souls have braved the uncertainty of the field test to experience it. Amy and Mike invited someone who sat for the April 2025 Enhanced ACT to share the test taker’s perspective.</p> <p dir="ltr">What are five things you will learn in this episode?</p> <ol> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">What were your general impressions about the enhanced ACT test experience in the digital format?</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">What did you find to be the same on the enhanced ACT?</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">What did you find to be different on the enhanced ACT?</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">What recommendations would you have for a student taking the new Enhanced ACT?</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">What should tutors know about tutoring for the new Enhanced ACT?</p> </li> </ol> <p dir="ltr">MEET OUR GUEST</p> <p dir="ltr">Our guest today has her master's degree in higher education and has worked in multiple areas of college administration. She has been a professional SAT and ACT tutor for the last 10 years and works with students across the US for several test prep companies. She understands the preparation necessary to do well on standardized tests, especially the ACT. She prides herself on the scores she has earned on officially administered ACTs in recent years, earning consistent 36 composites. Most importantly, she recently took the first digital enhanced ACT on April 5, 2025.</p> <p dir="ltr">LINKS</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-changes/enhancements.html"> ACT Test Enhancements</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://www.chariotlearning.com/act-enhancement-content-rebalancing/"> ACT Enhancement Content Rebalancing</a></p> <p dir="ltr">RELATED EPISODES</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://gettestbright.com/all-about-the-act-test-enhancements/">ALL ABOUT THE ACT TEST ENHANCEMENTS</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://gettestbright.com/choosing-between-the-digital-sat-and-the-act/"> CHOOSING BETWEEN THE DIGITAL SAT AND THE ACT</a></p> <p dir="ltr"><a href= "https://gettestbright.com/comparing-paper-and-computer-based-testing/"> COMPARING PAPER- AND COMPUTER-BASED TESTING</a></p> <p dir="ltr">ABOUT THIS PODCAST</p> <p dir="ltr">Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the <a href= "http://testsandtherest.com">show page</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">ABOUT YOUR HOSTS</p> <p dir="ltr">Mike Bergin is the president of <a href= "https://chariotlearning.com/">Chariot Learning</a> and founder of <a href="https://gettestbright.com/">TestBright</a>. Amy Seeley is the president of <a href="https://seeleytestpros.com/">Seeley Test Pros</a> and <a href="https://www.leaprogram.com/">LEAP</a>. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to <a href= "https://gettestbright.com/contact/">get in touch through our contact page</a>.</p> <p> </p>
Elizabeth Heaton
Mark Stucker
InGenius Prep
John Durante
Ethan Sawyer
Lee Coffin • Vice President and Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid at Dartmouth College
Thomas Caleel
Jeff Selingo, Michael Horn
Inside the Yale Admissions Office
shiftcollegeadmissions
NPR
Scoir, Inc.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Tokyo Academics
New York Times Opinion
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