Why do my students improve by so many points?
A recent study by the College Board and Harvard suggested that SAT prep doesn't work. In their findings, the average student attending an SAT course improved by only 10-20 points.
After years in the industry, I'll partly agree with their findings: most SAT prep doesn't work - but not all SAT prep is created equal.
My students routinely improve their scores by over 430 points, and sometimes by as much as 700 points or more. Either I'm the luckiest tutor in the world, or there's something to my methodologies.
Below, you'll find an outline of my SAT methods, philosophies, and approach. By the end of this page, you'll understand why most SAT prep fails to help students improve their scores - and why my methods have been so successful.
After years in the industry, I'll partly agree with their findings: most SAT prep doesn't work - but not all SAT prep is created equal.
My students routinely improve their scores by over 430 points, and sometimes by as much as 700 points or more. Either I'm the luckiest tutor in the world, or there's something to my methodologies.
Below, you'll find an outline of my SAT methods, philosophies, and approach. By the end of this page, you'll understand why most SAT prep fails to help students improve their scores - and why my methods have been so successful.
The SAT and ACT are unlike any other exams in the world. They test a bizarre and seemingly arbitrary mix of high school academic concepts, wrapped in complex wording and logical reasoning tricks which make the core of each problem difficult to uncover. At their core, these tests are half logical reasoning exam, half material exam - and have very little to do with intelligence. However, many believe that SAT and ACT performance is directly correlated to intelligence and/or ability - this leads to disastrous consequences.
The esoteric nature of these tests leads many parents to believe that their children are "bad testers." This is absolutely not the case. Instead, their children simply don't understand the right way to approach these exams, and haven't received the guidance they need to refine their approach.
Any student who is "bad at the SAT" simply lacks one of the three pillars of proper SAT understanding:
1. Material. Does your child understand the math, grammar, vocabulary, and literary structures necessary to answer each question?
2. Strategy. Does your child know how to use his or her knowledge properly to the questions on this exam?
3. Application. Is your child comfortable with the test itself? Does he/she know how to manage time properly, navigate each section, and work through a full exam effectively?
All three of these can be taught, and any effective test prep program will focus on all three in equal measure. However, most prep programs falter in two (if not three) of these areas, resulting in sub-par improvements and extremely frustrated students.
Below, you'll learn how each pillar functions in an effective SAT prep program, how I build these pillars beneath my students, and how I differ from the established norms in my industry:
The esoteric nature of these tests leads many parents to believe that their children are "bad testers." This is absolutely not the case. Instead, their children simply don't understand the right way to approach these exams, and haven't received the guidance they need to refine their approach.
Any student who is "bad at the SAT" simply lacks one of the three pillars of proper SAT understanding:
1. Material. Does your child understand the math, grammar, vocabulary, and literary structures necessary to answer each question?
2. Strategy. Does your child know how to use his or her knowledge properly to the questions on this exam?
3. Application. Is your child comfortable with the test itself? Does he/she know how to manage time properly, navigate each section, and work through a full exam effectively?
All three of these can be taught, and any effective test prep program will focus on all three in equal measure. However, most prep programs falter in two (if not three) of these areas, resulting in sub-par improvements and extremely frustrated students.
Below, you'll learn how each pillar functions in an effective SAT prep program, how I build these pillars beneath my students, and how I differ from the established norms in my industry:
1. Material.
Your SAT performance is only as strong as your weakest link. If you have a poor vocabulary/grammar, don't understand basic mathematical concepts, or lack the proper tools for comprehending reading passages quickly, no amount of intelligence or strategy will help you.
Material knowledge is the foundation upon which all other SAT instruction rests. When I work with your child, I'll immediately figure out what your child does and doesn't know pertaining to proper SAT material knowledge.
Once this is done, I'll prepare a checklist with an itemized catalogue of everything that your child is missing from his or her material framework.
Day by day, I'll provide your child with the precise drills, methods, and memorization techniques to build this knowledge into his or her head. Unlike most programs, which simply gloss over these pieces of material, then move on, I spend NO time on the material your child already understands, and provide an intensive framework for memorizing the material that he or she doesn't.
This leads to rapid, systematic improvement. However, I do not teach material in a vacuum - material must be used frequently and properly, and applied to the test under realistic conditions. That's where the next two pillars of my system come into play.
Material knowledge is the foundation upon which all other SAT instruction rests. When I work with your child, I'll immediately figure out what your child does and doesn't know pertaining to proper SAT material knowledge.
Once this is done, I'll prepare a checklist with an itemized catalogue of everything that your child is missing from his or her material framework.
Day by day, I'll provide your child with the precise drills, methods, and memorization techniques to build this knowledge into his or her head. Unlike most programs, which simply gloss over these pieces of material, then move on, I spend NO time on the material your child already understands, and provide an intensive framework for memorizing the material that he or she doesn't.
This leads to rapid, systematic improvement. However, I do not teach material in a vacuum - material must be used frequently and properly, and applied to the test under realistic conditions. That's where the next two pillars of my system come into play.
2. Strategy
None of the material concepts on the SAT are taught past 9th grade - if you know the basics of the English language, algebra, and geometry, you have all the knowledge you need to get a perfect SAT score. However, the SAT doesn't just test students' understanding of material - it tests their ability to figure out what's being asked of them in the first place.
If a student was asked something like this:
x/9 +14 = 28 X=?
He would have an easy time solving the problem - it's just simple algebra. However, the SAT doesn't ask questions like that. Instead, it asks questions like this:
"A truck's gas mileage isn't what it used to be. While it recently had a booster that increased its MPG by 14 on a base level, its regular gas mileage is only 1/9th what it used to be. If the truck is currently getting 28 miles per gallon, what was the original MPG base level that the truck was operating at before its enhancements?"
The two problems are the same - but while one is a straightforward algebraic equation, the other is a nightmarish word problem with endless room for misinterpretation.
The SAT is its own language - I teach my students how to speak it.
Additionally, certain problems on the SAT are nearly impossible to solve without the right strategy. With the right strategy, they're incredibly simple. I've spent over 10,000 hours tutoring and training students and tutors in the SAT, and in this time, I've developed a toolkit of the most powerful, effective SAT strategies ever developed. As I teach my students new material, and work through real tests with them, I show them how to integrate my strategies into the core of their approach.
The results speak for themselves. My students know how to decipher SAT problems, apply their knowledge, and rip apart the logical reasoning aspect of the test, leaving only a simple, material-based shell remaining.
Most test prep firms have a pre-packaged set of strategies that they teach to ALL students, and that they teach SEPARATELY from the material. Their results (10-20 points in average improvement) also speak for themselves. By failing to cater their strategies to the individual, and by failing to work them into students' everyday routines, they fail to make any progress.
However, knowing the strategies and the material isn't the entire battle - knowing how to use them is just as essential.
If a student was asked something like this:
x/9 +14 = 28 X=?
He would have an easy time solving the problem - it's just simple algebra. However, the SAT doesn't ask questions like that. Instead, it asks questions like this:
"A truck's gas mileage isn't what it used to be. While it recently had a booster that increased its MPG by 14 on a base level, its regular gas mileage is only 1/9th what it used to be. If the truck is currently getting 28 miles per gallon, what was the original MPG base level that the truck was operating at before its enhancements?"
The two problems are the same - but while one is a straightforward algebraic equation, the other is a nightmarish word problem with endless room for misinterpretation.
The SAT is its own language - I teach my students how to speak it.
Additionally, certain problems on the SAT are nearly impossible to solve without the right strategy. With the right strategy, they're incredibly simple. I've spent over 10,000 hours tutoring and training students and tutors in the SAT, and in this time, I've developed a toolkit of the most powerful, effective SAT strategies ever developed. As I teach my students new material, and work through real tests with them, I show them how to integrate my strategies into the core of their approach.
The results speak for themselves. My students know how to decipher SAT problems, apply their knowledge, and rip apart the logical reasoning aspect of the test, leaving only a simple, material-based shell remaining.
Most test prep firms have a pre-packaged set of strategies that they teach to ALL students, and that they teach SEPARATELY from the material. Their results (10-20 points in average improvement) also speak for themselves. By failing to cater their strategies to the individual, and by failing to work them into students' everyday routines, they fail to make any progress.
However, knowing the strategies and the material isn't the entire battle - knowing how to use them is just as essential.
3. Application
Imagine the SAT as a three-legged stool. If even one leg breaks, the entire stool comes tumbling down.
The best teachers and programs in the world teach students the proper material, and a decent mix of strategies, but where they really fail is in teaching students to apply these lessons effectively to the actual exam.
I've spent years perfecting the drills, teaching methodologies, and study plans necessary for maximal improvement. My students take frequent, real, timed SATs, evaluate them properly, and use their experiences to enhance their test-taking skills. They learn how to apply broad, widely applicable strategies and tactics on a variety of problems in all three sections of the test. Most importantly, my students know EXACTLY what to expect from their SATs, and know exactly how they're going to perform before they ever enter the testing arena.
The SAT isn't something that you should leave to chance - preparing for this test is a science. I've treated it as such, and as a result, my students get scientific results.
The best teachers and programs in the world teach students the proper material, and a decent mix of strategies, but where they really fail is in teaching students to apply these lessons effectively to the actual exam.
I've spent years perfecting the drills, teaching methodologies, and study plans necessary for maximal improvement. My students take frequent, real, timed SATs, evaluate them properly, and use their experiences to enhance their test-taking skills. They learn how to apply broad, widely applicable strategies and tactics on a variety of problems in all three sections of the test. Most importantly, my students know EXACTLY what to expect from their SATs, and know exactly how they're going to perform before they ever enter the testing arena.
The SAT isn't something that you should leave to chance - preparing for this test is a science. I've treated it as such, and as a result, my students get scientific results.
