Rephonic
Artwork for Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast

Amy Seeley & Mike Bergin
College Admissions
Test Preparation
ACT
Education
SAT
Higher Education
Standardized Testing
Tutoring
Financial Aid
Educational Consulting
College Admissions Process
Covid-19
Ohio State University
Artificial Intelligence
Math Education
College Counseling
National Test Prep Association
Desmos
Test Taking Strategies
Education Technology

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... more

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes741Founded7 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
EducationCourses

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast

Latest Episodes

Paying for college poses serious challenges for most families, but should understanding the rules around borrowing really be one of the hardest parts? Amy and Mike invited financial aid expert Will McGinley to offer guidance into decoding student loa... more

Know everything that the SAT Desmos calculator can do for you.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

• What is the story behind the Desmos SAT Math Course?

• How does the Desmos SAT Math Course work?

• Who should use the De... more

If you think the massive amount of information colleges expect applicants to absorb is too much, think about the equally essential insights that are left unsaid. Amy and Mike invited ed tech professional Reetu Gupta to dive into what colleges aren't ... more

Much of the stress involved with taking an important exam is related to testing in a proctored environment surrounded by your anxious peers. What happens when you shift to more familiar ground? Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Eufinger to explore ... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Recent Guests

Marina Yalon
Founder of MYPrep, virtual SAT/ACT tutor
MYPrep
Episode: 735. BEACH READS FOR BETTER SCORES
Aly Beaumont
Founder of Admissions Village, family-focused college guidance consultant
Admissions Village
Episode: 734. COLLEGE ENROLLMENT TRENDS FOR 2026 AND 2027
Meg Joyce
Georgetown University graduate, advisor at Admissions Village, alumni interviewer
Admissions Village
Episode: 734. COLLEGE ENROLLMENT TRENDS FOR 2026 AND 2027
John McDowell
Founder of The Gauntlet, SAT tutor
The Gauntlet
Episode: 733. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: The Gauntlet
Eric Greenberg
Educational services expert; founder of Greenberg Educational Group
Greenberg Educational Group
Episode: 732. STRATEGIZING YOUR TESTING AND ADMISSIONS TIMELINE
Howard Freedman
Financial aid expert; author of Making College Happen
Financial aid consultant / author
Episode: 731. FINANCIAL AID HORROR STORIES
Jam Mirzakhalov
Representative of StudySpaces
StudySpaces
Episode: 730. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: StudySpaces & Assessiv
Aaron Golombfskie
Representative of Assessiv
Assessiv
Episode: 730. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: StudySpaces & Assessiv
Ashish Fernando
Founder & CEO of EDMO, an AI-powered education technology company
EDMO
Episode: 729. HOW COLLEGES USE AI IN ADMISSIONS

Hosts

Amy Seeley
President of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP; host with extensive experience in test prep and college admissions counseling.
Mike Bergin
President of Chariot Learning and TestBright; host with deep expertise in test prep and admissions strategies.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 48 ratings
  • Great Show!

    Mike and Amy are knowledgeable and entertaining hosts and bring on a variety of great guests! A must-listen if you are preparing for college or have a child who is!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    johntheoptimist
    United States4 years ago
  • Experts

    Amy and Mike are skillful hosts—they ask the right questions to get the best out of their guests. Both the interviewers and interviewees are knowledgeable, so I learn from all of them in every episode.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Anznhshdgsvjs
    United States4 years ago
  • Great resource for parents, educators, and tutors

    Amy and Mike do a phenomenal job of bringing in experts who can easily distill their messages into memorable chunks. Each podcast feels like a conversation between friends instead of an interview — a true testament to the hosts.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    VM112358
    United States5 years ago
  • Amy and Mike are experts in their field

    With 50 years of experience between them, Amy and Mike know the right questions to ask their guests. Every episode is smart, on point and professional. Highly recommend!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Greg Langston
    United States5 years ago
  • Reliable advice from experts

    I have been working full time as an SAT/ACT/AP/TOEFL/IELTS (LMNOPQ) Tutor for over 20 years. The podcast has excellent guests who are invested in this industry not to make a fast buck but to provide real help to parents, students and tutors alike.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    mrotteau
    Canada5 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The show is valued by parents, educators, and tutors for practical, digestible insights.
Listeners praise knowledgeable hosts who ask sharp questions.
Guests are skilled at translating complex topics into actionable advice.
Episodes are consistently high quality with expert guests and clear, actionable takeaways.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

735. BEACH READS FOR BETTER SCORES
Q: Before we get into reading, let's talk about you. Please share with listeners who you are and what you do.
Marina describes herself as a full-time virtual SAT/ACT tutor who travels across the country working with students one-on-one and meeting them where they are, plus her involvement with professional organizations like NCPA.
729. HOW COLLEGES USE AI IN ADMISSIONS
Q: Do you think AI leads to less bias or more bias in admissions decisions?
AI can help reduce human bias by logging decisions and exposing decision paths, but it also requires careful design and governance to avoid embedding data biases; the goal is to use AI to remove subjectivity where possible while maintaining human oversight for complex judgments.
729. HOW COLLEGES USE AI IN ADMISSIONS
Q: What does AI actually look like inside an admissions office today?
AI is used to automate repetitive tasks like transfer-credit matching and GPA calculations, to trigger faster, more targeted communications with applicants, and to provide staff with on-demand, specific insights about each student, increasing responsiveness while keeping humans in the loop for nuanced decisions.
731. FINANCIAL AID HORROR STORIES
Q: What should families do about windfalls like inheritances or gifts from grandparents?
Notify schools of exceptional windfalls and avoid transferring gifts directly to the student; consider directing gifts to a grandchild's 529 plan or to the family, since gifts to the student are counted as student assets and can reduce aid eligibility.
731. FINANCIAL AID HORROR STORIES
Q: Why can reporting assets be tricky when a family's finances change mid-year?
Because the FAFSA uses information from the prior year for income and the assets reported at the time of filling the form; timing of asset depletion or additions can dramatically affect the aid package and needs careful planning.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show targets parents, students, educators, and test-prep professionals navigating college admissions, testing, and learning. Conversations cover testing landscape shifts, admissions strategies, data-driven counseling, and student well-being, often featuring practitioners from high-profile universities or education firms. Episodes balance practical guidance with real-world anecdotes, highlighting trends like the evolving value of test scores, data-sharing in admissions, and the growing role of AI in education. A notable strength is bringing seasoned insiders and IECs into accessible, strategic discussions, making it useful for listeners who want clear, actionable takeaways for advising families and students.

Where can I find podcast stats for this podcast?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to this podcast and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does this podcast get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for this podcast, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for this podcast?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for this podcast, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does this podcast have?

To see how many followers or subscribers this podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

How many episodes of this podcast are there?

this podcast launched 7 years ago and published 741 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact this podcast?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for this podcast?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for this podcast from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for this podcast?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of this podcast. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Marina Yalon
2. Aly Beaumont
3. Meg Joyce
4. John McDowell
5. Eric Greenberg
6. Howard Freedman
7. Jam Mirzakhalov
8. Aaron Golombfskie

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days