Determining the best standardized test for your teen can be a complex decision, but we’re here to simplify the process! Our assessments provide a thorough evaluation of your teen's abilities and help us make an informed recommendation on which test is best for them.

-Start with our Parent Profile to help us get a clearer understanding of your situation and goals. High school coursework, current GPA, math level, AP Courses, extracurriculars - we’re looking for a picture of what they have learned and how they have performed in their classes. We’ll also want to know whether they will be applying for accommodations like extended time.

*Students can access their prior PSAT/SAT scores through the College Board portal.

-If you’re still deciding between tests, have them complete our 60-Second ACT vs SAT Assessment - a quick and easy quiz that gives us an idea of which test might be better suited for your teen's learning style and preferences. We’ll follow up with a skills assessment to confirm. If we’re still on the fence, we offer timed practice tests!

-In the vast majority of cases, the information in these assessments will allows us to make a recommendation on whether the SAT or ACT is the better test for your teen, when they should take it, and how long they should expect to study to reach their target score.

The majority of focused ACT or SAT prep should take place during the summer before Junior year. This allows students to take the test in the fall, leaving them time to continue improvement (if necessary) in time to begin looking at college applications. When planning your strategy it’s important to consider your teen's schedule and commitments. For students with AP courses or who are involved in sports or other time-consuming extracurricular activities, it may be more challenging to fit in test preparation during the academic year. Summer is often the best time for students to focus on test preparation, as they have more free time and can concentrate on the task at hand.

Starting early also helps reduce stress and build confidence, as the test will not be looming in the near future.

For students who are aiming for top-percentile results, we highly recommend starting with PSAT preparation. The PSAT is taken by many students in the fall of their Sophomore year, and is a great way to gauge their current level of preparedness. It also provides a preview of the types of questions they will see on the SAT or ACT. In addition, the PSAT provides a baseline score that can be used as a reference point for future test preparation.

That said - it’s never too late to start preparing! We’ve helped plenty of late-starting Juniors or Seniors see significant score improvements with focused and personalized preparation.

We understand both parents’ and student's schedules will be busy and unpredictable - we’ll do what we can to accommodate. We’ll outline a plan with you before we start, and because we’re small and local we can be flexible with changes and rescheduling.

We understand that getting results is ultimately the most important aspect of SAT or ACT prep, and we are proud to say that our program has been effective for many students. The majority of students we work with will see an increase of 50-120 points per section on the SAT (3-6 points on the ACT.) We cannot guarantee results, every student is unique and has different needs and challenges, but we will work with your teen to develop a personalized study plan and provide the guidance, support, and motivation they need to succeed.

Based on the information provided in our intake assessments, as well as the target score, we’ll recommend the number of hours they can expect. We aim for efficiency rather than quantity, for most students this means between 8 and 12 two-hour sessions. Tuition varies from $200 - $225 depending on the total number of hours, and there are no additional charges for materials, consultations, or practice tests.

We want to make sure we’re the right fit to keep them motivated, and will track and share score progress and updates as we go. Click here for more information on tuition and fees.

High-quality materials are essential for student success. We've taken great care to create comprehensive manuals which are both accurate to the test and diagnostic of students' strengths and weaknesses.

In addition to our manuals, students will complete:
-grammar exercises and drills for concepts that are uncertain
-practice questions designed to build skills and reinforce key concepts
-flash cards or quizlets for memorizing prefixes and suffixes
-a wide range of efficient reading training material to practice previewing and summarizing

We provide students with access to digital copies of all of our materials, so they can study and review whenever and wherever they like. Practice tests assigned for homework come with bubble sheets, answer keys, and grading rubrics and can be uploaded before class via QR codes to let us know how they went.

We understand that taking the test for the first time can be nerve-wracking, and it's easy to fall into the trap of the "one and done" mindset. This belief that you only have one chance to get the best score possible can put a lot of unnecessary pressure on you, and often leads to a lower score.

We encourage our students to adopt a growth mindset, because the truth is you don't have to get your best score the first time around. In fact, the vast majority of students who take the SAT multiple times see an improvement in their score. Whether it’s by reducing anxiety, addressing core knowledge gaps, or a better understanding and familiarity format and strategy - we’ve seen it before and we’re here to help!

We offer our personalized academic tutoring to middle and high school students on a variety of subjects, including:

MATH

Algebra (Regular & Honors)
Algebra II (Regular & Honors)
Trigonometry (Regular & Honors)
Pre-Calculus (Regular & Honors)
Calculus AB/BC
Calculus II
Statistics (Regular & Honors)

ENGLISH

Reading
Writing
Grammar

ESSAY WRITING

Common Core,

Private School, and

Supplementary Entrance Essays