If you've never navigated college admissions, VertexScore is your step-by-step guide. Take a free 8-minute check and get a personalized to-do list for every month, from grade 8 to enrollment, so you always know the next step and nothing important slips by.
15+
years of college counseling
Stanford · Berkeley · USC
where students have earned admission
1,585
colleges matched to your profile
8 min
to your free starting point
Pick your child's grade to see exactly what to do this month. VertexScore plans every month from grade 8 to enrollment, so a family that has never done this before always knows the next step.
SummerThis month
Real steps from The ClimbThe summer that builds momentum
Do the summer thing you committed to, and keep simple records: photos, numbers, what you made happen.
Read three or more books you choose yourself.
Patch your weakest academic spot with 20 minutes a day for a few weeks.
+ 1 more step this month, each with the reason it matters
Every month planned, 8th grade to enrollment.
Three steps, and the first one takes about eight minutes.
About eight minutes of guided questions on courses, habits, and plans. Students can answer on their own, or you can sit down and do it together.
Your VertexScore rates academics, habits, and planning on a 1.0–4.0 scale. It comes with a written advisory report and a ranked list of what to work on first.
The Climb breaks the plan into a monthly checklist. You get reminded about deadlines while there's still time to act, and a short review lands in your inbox at the end of each month.
The readiness framework is informed by Stanford's College Readiness Indicator Systems research.
VertexScore comes from more than fifteen years of college counseling. In that time I have helped students earn admission to Stanford, UC Berkeley, USC, and other top universities. What I learned is that the families who struggle most are rarely the ones without talent. They are the ones no one ever handed a plan.
If you have never been through this before, that is exactly who I built this for. The readiness check shows you where you stand today, and The Climb turns the whole journey into one simple to-do list each month, so you are never left guessing what comes next.
Founder & lead counselor, VertexScore
Search any school and we'll show where your grades and scores put you, from likely to reach. Save the ones you like, and the list keeps an eye on its own balance so you don't end up with five dream schools and no backup. Every school also shows what families really pay after aid, which is often a long way from the sticker price.
Private college counseling typically runs $3,000 to $10,000, and the average school counselor is responsible for hundreds of students. VertexScore fills that gap with a plain-English read on where your child stands and what to prioritize this semester, even if you've never been through admissions yourself.
| What you get | Private counselor | VertexScore |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $3,000–$10,000 | Free to start |
| Readiness score you can track | Rarely | Every semester |
| Written advisory report | Sometimes | Always |
| Prioritized action plan | Varies | Ten ranked steps, every report |
| Month-by-month plan to enrollment | Rarely | The Climb, grades 8–12 |
| College list guidance | Yes | Likely / Target / Reach matches |
| Works with your school counselor | Sometimes | One-click report sharing |
| Available whenever you need it | By appointment | 24/7 |
Parents can link to their student's account — with the student's approval — and receive the same monthly look-ahead and review by email.
Ten levels. Thirty interactive lessons. How admissions really works today — how officers read your file, how to build a story that ties your application together, and exactly where to spend your time in grades, activities, leadership, testing, and your college list. Written for 8th–10th graders, so you learn the rules while the game can still be shaped.
Also from VertexScore · One-time purchase
By the fall of 11th grade, a lot of what colleges will see is already set: the GPA line, how deep your activities go, which teachers know your name. These three short lessons show families what gets decided early, with a grade-by-grade plan for the time you still have.
3 lessons · $29.99, yours for all of high school
The readiness check is free. If you want the full report and The Climb, the Student plan is $15 a month with a 7-day free trial. For comparison, a private counselor usually charges $3,000 to $10,000.
Free for the first 7 days
Prefer a one-time purchase? Take a course.
Cracking Admissions and The Junior Year Wake-Up are $29.99 each, yours for all of high school, no subscription.
No. Nothing is graded and there's nothing to study for. It's a short set of questions about your courses, habits, and plans, and your answers shape the plan you get. If things change during the year, just retake it.
A college readiness score measures how prepared a student is for college across the areas that actually drive admissions and success: academics and course rigor, study habits and persistence, and college planning. The free 8-minute readiness check produces your VertexScore — each area rated on a 1.0–4.0 scale, combined into one clear number you can track semester over semester.
Earlier than most families think — 8th, 9th, or 10th grade. Course sequences, activities, and summer opportunities are decided years before applications open. Starting early doesn't mean more pressure; it means small, calm steps while every door is still open.
The readiness check and your VertexScore are free. The Student plan, which unlocks the full advisory report and The Climb, is $15 a month after a 7-day free trial. The Cracking Admissions course is a separate one-time $29.99 purchase.
Private college counselors typically charge $3,000 to $10,000. VertexScore covers the same foundation: a written advisory report, a prioritized action plan, a month-by-month path, and guidance on your college list. It starts free and is there whenever you need it. Many families use it alongside their school counselor, and you can share your report with them in one click.
Cracking Admissions is a self-paced online college prep course for students in grades 8–10: ten levels and thirty interactive lessons covering how admissions really works, building your story, grades and course strategy, activities and leadership, testing, choosing a major direction, and building your college list. It's a one-time $29.99 purchase — yours for all of high school.
Yes — students can share their advisory report with their school counselor through a private, secure link. The counselor sees a clean, read-only report designed to kick off a productive advising conversation.
Yes. Student data is never sold, shared, or rented. Everything is encrypted, stored on US-based servers only, and you can delete your account and all data at any time. There are no ads and no behavioral profiling.
It's free, takes about eight minutes, and there's nothing to study for.
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