Q. How is your course different from other SAT prep courses?
A. We strongly believe that the best SAT verbal prep is an intensive course of relatively long duration that actually
improves students' verbal skills. We practice "intensive exposure" in that we immerse students in the types of
sophisticated reading passages that appear on the SAT. After the course (provided that the student attends most classes
and completes his/her assignments), students will be proficient in: 1) reading college-level material 2) know all the
frequently- encountered words on the SAT 3) know the rules of grammar and be able to spot mistakes. 3) know how to
quickly outline and compose a compelling essay. We are also different in that unlike most SAT prep courses, we focus
exclusively on SAT verbal prep (critical reading and writing). Most SAT prep courses divide their time between verbal
and math prep. These courses are inadequate for students who are strong in math and weak in verbal areas.
Q. Why do you adopt such an intensive approach?
A. We were intrigued by why it is that contrary to claims made by SAT prep companies, independent studies show that
SAT verbal score gains were insignificant after prep courses. For example, a 2001 independent study showed that the
average verbal score increase after one or more prep courses was just 8 points. Also, from our own experience tutoring
students, we found that just teaching test-taking strategies and vocabulary was not enough. We found that an intensive
course focused on "immersion-reading" of sophisticated college-level writings can improve a student's verbal skills and
that such an approach was much more effective in raising SAT verbal scores than quick test-oriented "band-aid"
approaches. We have used this approach in our private tutoring and our students have seen very substantial score
improvements.
Q. What are the results of your SAT Prep program?
A. Our students regularly improve from 100 to 300 points (reading & writing combined). We have students who have
come to us because they did not see any improvement after taking other SAT prep courses. We have been able to help
virtually all these students achieve significant score gains. We have a success rate of around 90%. The 10% of students
who do not improve significantly are those whose class attendance is sporadic.
Q. Do you teach test-taking strategies and vocabulary?
A. Of course we do! We teach proven test-taking strategies. Our pattern recognition approach is highly-effective and
our way of teaching vocabulary enhances retention more than other methods. How we differ from other prep courses is
that we do not focus exclusively on gimmicks and test-taking techniques. We believe that the only effective way to
improve SAT verbal scores is to improve your verbal skills, something that many believe is impossible to do in a test prep
course.
Q. You offer both one-on-one tutoring and group classes. Which option is best for me?
A. That really depends on the individual. If you are easily distracted and often feel antsy around your peers, then it
would be best for you to sign up for one-on-one tutoring. Also, if you have a lot of commitments, then scheduling
individual tutoring sessions would give you more flexibility as to when to meet. Otherwise, our classes would be the way
to go because they are less expensive than individual tutoring.
Q. Do you give guarantees?
A. No, we do not. The reason why is because your score improvement will depend on how hard you work. We have a
great program but even the best curriculum will not work if you do not show up for class and if you do not put in the
time and effort to learn the material. You should know that the "guarantees" given by many SAT prep companies are
guarantees in the sense that if you do not see a significant score increase, they promise that you can take their course
over again until you are satisfied with your improvement. The problem with this "guarantee" is that why would anyone
want to waste more time taking a course again, especially one that was not effective?
Q. Who are your teachers?
A. All our teachers are high scorers and all are from top universities. Currently, most are Stanford graduates, former
faculty and graduate students. Moreover, they are screened for their teaching ability and are well- trained to deliver
our curriculum in an effective manner.
Q. Who would benefit the most from your SAT verbal prep?
A. Our course would benefit all students who want to enhance their chances of obtaining a high SAT or PSAT verbal
score and at the same time strengthen their verbal skills so that they can handle college level work easily. Also,
students who have already taken a typical SAT prep course and were not satisfied with their critical reading and writing
scores may want to consider taking our course. Our course is so unique that what did not work for you in your previous
prep course(s) will most likely not be repeated. If you are determined to improve your score despite the fact that
previous prep courses were ineffective, our course will give you the best chance of seeing significant score improvements.
