Pre-College
SAT - PSAT - ACT
My years of teaching test prep classes and tutoring students
how to master standardized tests and training other teachers to do the same
have led me to a unique and highly successful approach to helping students
Learn to Succeed!™ Read
what people are saying about Test Your Best™.
New for 2009, College Board has changed its score
reporting policy. This policy brings the SAT score
reporting system in line with the ACT system. As usual College Board's most
recent change was announced well in advance but in a way that created more
confusion and angst than is necessary. We can clear up the confusion and tell you exactly how the new
system works and how it can benefit your child.
Feel free to call and ask about this new policy. When you call we can also talk
about your needs and goals.
Once the family's needs have been discussed at length and it has been decided
whether the student will work with Jay, Dave, or Monica, we will schedule with a Family Consultation.
This initial Family Consultation involves the
student and at least one parent and is an integral part of our services. During this session
we will get to know the
student’s schedule as well as the individual's testing and academic history. We
will discuss goals and develop a program which the student can use to start
moving toward those goals right away.
Because the economy is a major concern for most
families these days, many parents now choose to establish a budget at the
outset. If a family wants to set a maximum of 8 sessions we
can structure a prep schedule that will allow for solid coverage of all relevant
test areas. Of course nothing is set in stone and if the family decides to
increase or decrease the planned number of sessions we always strive to
accomodate the student's needs. Although tutoring is more expensive than an
SAT class, Test Your Best students have a much greater chance of improving their
scores than do students who spend a similar number of hours in a genericized
test prep class.
Many families are unaware of the benefits of
taking the ACT (which is accepted at most U.S. schools as an alternative
to the SAT) as an additional, “no stress” test. Therefore, discussion during the
Family Consultation often centers on how the SAT fits in to the student’s
college admissions goals and which other tests - such as the ACT - may be on the horizon.
One of the more obvious main goals of the Family
Consultation is to educate the entire family about the current standardized test
landscape. The "new for '09" College Board score reporting policy affects
our test-taking strategy. Details about this new policy and its ramifications
for your child will be covered during the Family Consultation.
This gives our students an extra advantage rarely provided by
tutors. Practice done at home is crucial to improving your score but taking a
practice test in a room full of students under test-day conditions will help
you feel much more comfortable when test day finally rolls around. Whether you
attend just one of our practice tests or several, you will greatly increase your
chances of success on test day. And there's never an extra charge for these
sessions!
Confusion abounds concerning the “New” SAT and the SAT
II:Subject Tests. The frequency with which College Board renames their tests
doesn't help matters much; the SAT was renamed the "SAT I: Reasoning Test"
several years ago, but College Board later decided to drop the roman numeral
in the test name. The current "SAT Subject Tests" similarly lost a roman numeral
recently, yet they have not changed dramatically in the years which have passed
since the name was changed from "Achievement Tests." Yikes!
Tutoring sessions following the Family Consultation can be
scheduled as frequently as desired, at a convenient time for the student.
It is common for the Family Consultation to take place in August or September of
Junior year, even if we do not plan on starting tutoring in earnest until much
later in the academic year. Typicall by mid-September we are fully booked
through the January SAT.
» More information on the college admissions process
» Recommended Study Aids
» Read one parent’s letter
» More information on the SAT
» More information on the ACT