This site is designed first and foremost to give students the resources they need to start building a plan for the SATs and ACTs with some basic, easy-to-follow suggestions, an introduction to the different types of questions they can expect to see on the tests, and even some strategies they can practice on their own. But many times it’s the parents who are researching test preparation options and trying to find the company, system, or method that will be best for their son or daughter. If that’s you, and you’ve found your way to my site, welcome!
My belief is that SAT preparation – and all test preparation, really – doesn’t need to be big business. It is possible to get great scores on these tests without breaking the bank or locking yourself into expensive prep courses that “guarantee” results but come with a lot of fine print. You don’t have to choose between just buying a book or taking out a second mortgage for private tutoring. You can see your son or daughter succeed without adding unnecessary pressure to them and your family. It’s just a test, after all – just one component of the college admissions process, and not even the most important one.
After reviewing my site and learning a little more about me and the way I teach, I hope you’ll choose to work with me – and you’ve got flexibility in how you go about it. There are three ways your high schooler and I work together:
- In-home tutoring (limited to a specific radius of my NJ home)
- Self-paced remote coaching
- The complimentary test analysis and study plan you can request via this site (go here for that).
No matter what works best for you and your family, though, the focus is the same: focus on answers, not points. It sounds simplistic, because it is – there’s nothing revolutionary in how my students learn to approach the test, and that’s the idea. It’s a system that simply gives them control over how much they want to improve, and shows them specific opportunities to gain more right answers.
When students begin any kind of preparation program, they’ll typically start with an idea of, “I need to get at least a 1900 to get into my target schools.” After taking an initial practice test, they may find they need to gain, say, 400 points to get there. And then they start studying, without a real plan, strategy, or idea of where those 400 points will come from. Or they’ll have a general idea – “My Math looked good, but my Critical Reading and Writing Skills were pretty low.” Getting better, but still not enough.
I show students right down to the specific question types what their biggest opportunities for points are on the SAT. And then I teach them ways to answer the questions more effectively and efficiently, not strictly relying on “tricks” and “cheats” to get them there. You can learn more on the other pages of this site about how I recommend my students approach each type of question on the SAT, but here’s what it boils down to—a study plan based on a couple of key ideas:
- Identifying and working on a student’s biggest opportunities for points, based on specific questions and categories. A vague goal of “200 points” isn’t good enough. “200 points” could equate to, depending on each individual student’s performance, 15-25 more right answers. 25 more right answers? There’s only eight scored multiple choice sections on an SAT. That’s only 3-4 more right answers in each section! That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?
- Using the order of the questions to your advantage, gaining as many early points as you can and recognizing how many of the later “hard” questions you should be attempting.
If this all sounds good to you, and sounds like it can help your son or daughter, please read on or contact me to take the next step. All you’ll be getting is information – I’m not selling books, or software, or online learning systems. I’m not a salesperson and you’re not going to get “pitched” to – like the lessons and coaching I provide, we’ll do this on a timeline that’s comfortable for you and your family.
The college application process is stressful enough – my job is to make a small part of it easier for everyone! And it’s something I love to do. I hope to have the chance to make it a little easier for your college-bound high schooler!
JPM Test Prep 