Test Prep Program

My test prep method involves 3 key elements:

1. Step-By-Step Strategies: I teach students how to think/work through each different type of question on each section of the test, step by step.

2. Progress Tracking & Reporting: I always keep a written record of how students are performing, give regular benchmark assessments, and communicate progress to students/families.

3. Homework: In order to maximize improvement efficiently, I give students a brief homework assignment, customized based on exactly what we worked on in the session, to complete before we meet again.

I begin by giving each student a short Pre-Test to assess their current performance level. The results and customized report with my analysis/recommendations are then shared with the student and family. The Pre-Test results give us a benchmark with which we can measure progress throughout the program. This Pre-Test can be waived if a test has been taken recently.

I begin each program with a short introductory lesson introducing myself, getting to know the student, highlighting past success stories, demystifying the overall structure/scoring of the ACT/SAT, and underscoring the importance of the score to their college prospects. I then quickly begin teaching the most effective step-by-step method to use on each section of the test. The different sections, and the different types of questions on each section, each have a different step-by-step process to follow. 

These step-by-step processes incorporate all of the most effective tips, strategies, and hacks that the student might find in another tutoring program or workbook, but the benefit is that by following the steps the students ensure that they are following these best practices automatically, without having to give it much thought at all. For each step by step, I demonstrate first how to do it, observe the student doing it themselves while providing real-time feedback, and then have the student execute independently. Once the student has grasped these strategies, I then give them a Check-In assessment and complete another report with my analysis. I expect to see a significant score increase already at this point compared with the Pre-Test. 

Based on the results of the Check-In assessment, we then progress toward working on the specific sections and skills that will give the student the most bang for their buck in terms of a score increase. The emphasis will look different for each student, but we will always continue to practice each section of the test to some degree throughout the program. Just before they take the real test, I will give a Final Tutoring exam that measures their progress from start to finish and provides the student and family with a solid estimate of where we can expect the score to fall on their upcoming test.