How the OC Journal is made
Every article has a job: to help a student or a parent understand the digital SAT or how to prepare for it. Here is how we keep it honest.
What the Journal is for
The purpose of each article is written down before the article is. If a draft does not serve that purpose for that reader, or only repeats what we have already published, it does not go live. We publish when we have something useful to say, not on a fixed quota.
Where the facts come from
Facts about the test, its rules and research findings come from named sources: College Board, Khan Academy, government agencies, universities and professional associations. Every quotation is checked word for word against the live page on the day the article is written, and every article lists its sources with the date they were accessed. A number that is not in a source is not published.
What is opinion, and what is not
Recommendations are our professional judgment and are written as such. They say who the advice applies to and when it does not. We do not invent statistics, studies, quotes or stories about students or families, and we do not promise scores, admissions or results.
How each article is checked before it is published
Articles are drafted with the help of software. Before anything goes live it passes automated checks for citations, numbers and wording, a separate fact-check against the quoted evidence, and an independent review by a second system that reads the article next to its sources and its stated purpose. If that review cannot run, or finds a problem that cannot be fixed, the article is held back and not published.
Updates and corrections
The date marked "Updated" changes only when an article has been checked against its sources again. Rules and policies change, so we ask families to confirm current details with College Board. If you find a mistake, write to support@ocstudy.com. We correct errors and take an article down if it cannot be corrected.
Independence
OC Study sells SAT preparation. Journal articles are written to inform, they mention our product only in a short note at the end, and they are not a substitute for advice from a school counselor, a doctor or College Board.