Small Group Test Prep

Most of the consultations I do aren’t with students who have no idea what they’re doing. They’re not starting from scratch with test prep. These are usually high schoolers with an idea of where they want to go to school, and most of them have already taken a practice SAT. But they’ve realized that they don’t know where to go next. They’re not sure what a good score is, or the best way to study on their own.
These students don’t need hours of fundamentals. They need a clear, easy-to-follow process for improving their score each and every week and a clear way to tell when they’re done practicing and ready to test.
I like to think about test prep like strength training. At the end of the day, the only way to get stronger is to lift heavy things. In the same way, the only way to raise your test scores is to practice what’s on the test. But just like in strength training, there’s a lot that can go wrong during your practice: you can practice the wrong things, practice too hard and burn out, practice inefficiently, etc.
So everyone needs to practice, but some people can do just fine practicing on their own. Others do better with a trainer who can coach them along.


That makes me the personal trainer of test prep. I can coach the student on what to practice, how to practice, and how to approach the test. I can teach them to practice efficiently and how to track their progress towards their goals. Ultimately, they’ll still need to do the practice to get results, but I can teach them how squeeze the most value out of their practice.
Think of it like a multiplier on the time they spend studying. If students practice exactly the strategies that will have the greatest impact on their score, they’ll be able to get great results in less time. And if students learn to track their practice test scores accurately over time, they’ll build confidence and mastery as those scores go up.
So think of this course as fast-paced strength training. The goal is to teach students how to study for themselves so they can get the results they want in a way that fits their schedule and on a timeline that works for them.
If you’re not sure about this approach, or if you have questions about your student’s test prep, I’d love to talk. Reserve some time to talk for us to talk using the scheduler on the left.
Lesson Sequence
Students will be able to explain the content covered on the
SAT and set a realistic score goal based on the schools they are applying to. Students will understand that their test score is not a reflection of their worth.
Students will be able to explain and implement one of the two methods for answering reading section questions to correctly and independently answer a set of practice questions in the allotted time.
Students will be able to explain the time-point conversion principle in their own words, and will be able to to use three math “shortcuts” to independently answer a set of practice questions in the allotted time.
Students will be able to explain both ways to answer proof-pair questions and which one they prefer to use. Students will be able to identify the topic of eleven W&L section questions with at least 80% accuracy.
Students will be able to identify and articulate to a partner the math concepts they need to review, and to locate a resource for further study of that topic.
Students will be able to explain the sequence of
events they will experience on the day of the test. Students will be able to
design a prototype Test Day Plan for personal use.
Students will be able to follow their Test Day Plan to complete a practice test by answering all the questions in the given time.
Students will be able to identify the cause of their
errors on future SAT practice tests. Students will be able to design and
execute a study plan to address these errors.