SAT

Upcoming Changes to the SAT

The College Board is retiring the current SAT at the end of 2023, and they’ll introduce a new digital-only version in the spring of 2024 (the digital test is already being used for international students). You can learn more about all of the changes here.

Which version should your child take? If you have a senior, they should prep for the current version of the SAT. If you have a junior, give us a call to figure out the best plan based on when your child plans to take the real test. 

You can see a comparison table for the current SAT, digital SAT, and ACT here!

Our Approach to the SAT

Students who are unfamiliar with the SAT may find it daunting, but we'll break it down to manageable parts so that they can tackle it one step at a time! When we meet students where they are, we have the best chance of getting them where they want to be. This approach enables us to work with students with a wide variety of needs and goals. Our 1:1 in-person and online instruction is:

• Holistic - The tutoring process starts with a pre-test and consultation so that we can understand your whole child. We want to learn about their strengths and weaknesses, academic experience, learning style, personality, interests, talents, and even their schedule. 
• Customized - The info from the pre-test and consultation helps us make a strong tutor match and tailor an effective and efficient tutoring plan. We also use those details to recommend a realistic goal score, as well as the number and frequency of sessions to reach it. Because instruction is individualized, we can work with students who need a full program, others who want to focus on one or two test sections, those with learning differences, and some who are looking for a confidence boost.
• Comprehensive - We address four core competencies in our SAT tutoring: test taking strategies, academic skills, timing/pacing, and test anxiety. A deficiency in any of these areas can lead to a score that doesn't reflect your child’s ability. If your child is approved for testing accommodations (such as extended time, multiple day testing, a reader, a writer, or other alternate test formats), we’ll teach them how to successfully apply them.
• Responsive - One-to-one tutoring is dynamic and engaging! Your tutor will adjust their instruction based on how your child does in session, as well as on homework and practice tests. We’ll also be responsive to your needs. Your tutoring director will check in regularly, answer any questions you have along the way, and send timely reminders and test-related information. 
• Up-to-Date - We’re knowledgeable about the new digital SAT and excited to prep students for it! Adaptive online tests are not new for us; we’ve tutored hundreds of students for this type of test over the past fifteen years.

Our Results

For the current version of the SAT, we see an average increase of 170 points for students who follow our tutoring recommendations. What does that involve?

• meeting for the recommended number of sessions
• completing homework
• taking a practice test before each real test

Our test prep is about much more than the test! The work your child does to achieve strong scores will also positively impact their school experience. Test prep can lead to:

• better grades
• reduced anxiety
• improved test and quiz scores
• increased chance of being awarded scholarships

It’s always fun to hear about students trying a new activity or achieving a long-held goal because of their newfound self-awareness and confidence. Scroll down to read more about our students' test prep experiences!

Getting Started

In order to truly customize test prep, it’s vital for a student to take a diagnostic pre-test before tutoring begins. While they won’t be excited about this, in the end it saves time and money. (If your child has already taken a real or practice SAT, let your director know. We might be able to use it instead of our pre-test.) 

After the pre-test is complete, we'll provide a detailed score analysis, as well as a tutoring timeline that outlines how much tutoring we recommend, a goal score, and real test dates.

Sign up for one of our proctored pre-tests, a great opportunity to get a feel for the real test day. If your child is unable to make a proctored test date, they can take a free practice pre-test at home.

When to Start

Tutoring will be a weekly time commitment, so you want to think about when your child will have the space for it. Consider extracurricular activities, volunteering, part-time jobs, vacations, family commitments, and school projects. You can see real SAT dates here, and your director can help you determine the best timeline.

In a perfect world, we’d like for students to take a diagnostic pre-test at the end of sophomore year or summer before junior year. That gives us the most flexibility for planning and keeps anxiety at bay. However, we’ll work with students whenever they’re ready!

Online Tutoring

Our online tutoring is a great option for students who live outside of the Chicagoland area AND local students, too! Contact us to learn more.