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 (both reading & writing combined). The average is
around 200 points. Our success rate is very high. Over 95% of our students see substantial improvement.
We have had many students who came 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.
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. Currently, we
charge $400 per 4 week cycle (16 hours of class time). For individual tutoring, our costs are much higher. We
charge $150 an hour for 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.
