SAT & PSAT
I have tutored over a thousand high school students during the last 12 years; I have also written SAT/PSAT test prep materials for publication by a major test prep company. I know these tests inside and out! I have studied and analyzed all released digital SAT and PSAT material. My greatest joy is helping students overcome their fear of these tests, seeing them as games with rules, learning how to play, and occasionally enjoying the game.
STUDENTS: 10 things to know about studying with an SAT/PSAT Tutor
Tailored Learning
Tutors can personalize study plans based on your strengths and weaknesses, maximizing your study time.Test Insights
Experienced tutors know the SAT/PSAT inside out, offering strategies for tackling challenging sections.Targeted Practice
Working with a tutor means focusing on high-impact areas and learning to manage time effectively for each section.Confidence Boost
A good tutor helps reduce test anxiety, allowing you to approach the test more like a game with straightforward strategies.Adaptive Techniques
Tutors familiar with the digital SAT/PSAT offer specific tips that make these newer tests more manageable.Expert Test Prep Materials
Tutors with experience in writing or contributing to test prep materials often have access to specialized resources.Mastering the Rules
Tutors teach you to approach questions as “puzzles,” showing you how to break them down effectively.Familiarity with Digital Format
Tutors who have studied released digital SAT/PSAT material provide insight into the format’s unique aspects.More Accessible Verbal Sections
With more manageable verbal sections on the new test, your tutor can help efficiently refine reading comprehension and grammar.Accountability and Motivation
Regular sessions with a tutor keep you on track and motivated, making it easier to stay committed to your study goals.
PARENTS: 5 things to know about hiring a Ph. D. expert
Proven Expertise
Ph.D. tutors bring years of academic experience, providing a strong foundation in test prep and effective study methods.Specialized Knowledge
Ph.D. tutors often have a deeper understanding of test psychology and strategies, having studied and contributed to prep materials.Personalized Approach
A Ph.D. tutor can tailor their methods to match your child’s learning style, helping them grasp challenging concepts with ease.Confidence-Building for Students
Ph.D. tutors are skilled at breaking down test anxieties and helping students see the SAT/PSAT as manageable, even enjoyable.Cutting-edge preparation for New Formats
Ph.D. tutors who are up-to-date on changes, like the digital SAT, ensure your child is well-prepared for current test formats.
I hope that these lists emphasize the benefits of working with a knowledgeable, experienced tutor and highlight how a specialized tutor, particularly one with a Ph.D., offers an edge in preparation for these important exams.
If you would like to know more about my educational background and experience, please review the ABOUT section.
What does an example session look like?
Before meeting me for the first time, a student took a College Board practice test and got 1,300 (650 RW / 650 M).
After one session with me, they took another College Board practice test and got 1,380 (670 RW / 710 M). Of course we like to see a 60-point jump in Math after just one session, but after 15 seconds of celebration, we got back to work! :-)
So our second session looked like this:
The first thing I do after a student completes a test is gather a list of which specific questions they got wrong:
RW: 4, 20, 21 / 3, 7, 10, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 25
M: 11 / 8, 12, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, 22
We agreed that we should start with the verbal skills, given this particular student's goals and also given these results. First, we addressed the three errors in module 1. By the time we had worked through verbal module 2, we had the following summary list and related strategy points:
RW module 2: 3, 7, 10, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 25
If texts are in 3 parts, break up and understand the meaning of the parts!
Prioritize learning new vocabulary words by (1) writing them down, (2) writing down definitions, (3) creating your own sentences.
On vocab questions: (1) highlight key words, (2) predict your own answer, (3) POE.
We fixed the 2 ‘extra vs. necessary’ punctuation questions.
Cut out the prepositional phrases to correctly ID the noun / the subject.
The question numbers bolded above involve the skills that we should work on FIRST because they are EASIEST TO ADDRESS. In this case, that meant vocabulary and grammar questions. The non-bolded question numbers involve harder skills to address, ones that we'll get to after we've seen significant improvement on the easier skills. In this case, the harder questions mostly involved reading comprehension with charts and transitions.
Compare my identification of very specific skills tied to particular question types to the College Board's score report, which only vaguely refers to knowledge areas.
Because we still had time and energy, we used the final third of the session to look over the math, resulting in this analysis of module 2:
M module 2: 8, 12, 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, 22
How many solutions = put the equations on two lines! See what they do.
Use paper! Sometimes it's easier than DESMOS.
Feel free to MARK AND MOVE on 2 or 3 questions!
The two non-bolded questions were unlike most of what the College Board has put forth as practice questions. When one encounters something truly alien-looking on the Math test, it's wise to mark it, put down any letter as a placeholder, and move on. (If there's time to come back, great; if not, also great!) In this case, while taking the test, the student had gotten stuck trying to work these two difficult problems and then had to rush on the last three. In retrospect, skipping those two problems at first would have left plenty of time to calmly and correctly answer the last three questions.
Since we were planning to meet just two days later, we ended the session by formulating thoughts about what we would do that session:
Next time: we will do the Vocab lesson and begin all of the SE lessons. We'll also start all the DESMOS lessons.
I am referring above to Powerpoint lessons that I've created; they incorporate official College Board practice questions not on the practice tests, combined with my 'tips and tricks' for how to manage them. For this particular student, the following lessons seemed to be high priority:
Words in Context
Standard English (Boundaries 1 & 2)
Standard English (Form, Sense, and Structure)
DESMOS tutorial (2 lessons)
Finally, after getting offline, I gathered screenshots of all of our work and emailed them to both the student and the parent, so that we’re all on the same page about what’s been done and what’s planned.
The above description is for literally one single student at one single moment. For every student, there will be a somewhat different pathway. That's the beauty of working one-on-one with an experienced tutor like me, since test preparation (at least when it's done well) is very far from a mechanical set of one-size-fits-all guidelines. Your son or daughter is not a cake to be baked! They are a person with individual quirks, strengths, weaknesses, and ways of learning.
Want to help your kid get ready for the June 2025 SAT exam? Me too!
How many sessions are needed?
A frequently asked question is: "How many sessions do I need?"
There is no standard answer, but in my experience, most students' needs can be addressed by some version of one of the three following pathways. It all depends on the student's starting score and on the student's willingness and ability to work independently between sessions.
While every individual student's path is different (which is exactly the point of private tutoring!), the following three pathways can give you a sense of how things might unfold.
'standard model' (starting score ~1,100-1,300)
Take CB PT 4 before 1st meeting.
1st meeting: review CB PT 4, rehearse strategies, review content as needed.
Take CB PT 5 before 2nd meeting.
2nd meeting: review CB PT 5, rehearse strategies, review content as needed.
Take CB PT 6 before 3rd meeting.
3rd meeting: review CB PT 6, rehearse strategies, review content as needed.
Take CB PT 7 before 4th meeting.
4th meeting: review CB PT 7, rehearse strategies, review content as needed.
Take CB PT 8 before 5th meeting.
5th meeting: review CB PT 8, rehearse strategies, review content as needed.
Take CB PT 9 before 6th meeting.
6th meeting: review CB PT 9, rehearse strategies, review content as needed.
Take CB PT 10 before 7th meeting.
7th meeting: review CB PT 10, rehearse strategies and content as needed, form a final self-study plan.
'thorough model' (starting score ~900-1,100)
Take CB PT 4 before 1st meeting.
1st meeting: review high-yield areas of CB PT 4, rehearse strategies, review content, assign targeted homework (easy-medium problems).
2nd meeting: review homework, review more of CB PT 4, rehearse strategies, review content.
Take CB PT 5 before 3rd meeting.
3rd meeting: review high-yield areas of CB PT 5, rehearse strategies, review content, assign targeted homework (easy-medium problems).
4th meeting: review homework, review more of CB PT 5, rehearse strategies, review content.
Take CB PT 6 before 5th meeting.
5th meeting: depending on progress, either review all of CB PT 6 or just highest-yield parts. Rehearse strategies and review content.
Take CB PT 7 (and do other homework if needed) before 6th meeting.
6th meeting: depending on progress, either review all of CB PT 7 or just highest-yield parts. Rehearse strategies and review content.
Take CB PT 8 (and do other homework if needed) before 7th meeting.
7th meeting: review most if not all of CB PT 8. Rehearse strategies and review content.
Take CB PT 9 (and do other homework if needed) before 8th meeting.
8th meeting: review most if not all of CB PT 9. Rehearse strategies and review content.
Take CB PT 10 (and do other homework if needed) before 9th meeting.
9th meeting: review CB 10. Form a final self-study plan for the week before the exam.
'accelerated model' (starting score ~1,300-1,500)
Take CB PT 4 before 1st meeting.
1st meeting: review CB PT 4, rehearse strategies, review content as needed. Assign targeted homework (medium-hard problems).
Complete homework and take CB PT 5 before 2nd meeting.
2nd meeting: review CB PT 5, rehearse strategies, review content as needed. Assign targeted homework (medium-hard problems).
Complete homework and take CB PT 6 before 3rd meeting.
3rd meeting: review CB PT 6, rehearse strategies, review content as needed.
Take CB PT 7 and CB PT 8 before 4th meeting.
4th meeting: review CB PT 7 and CB PT 8. Assign any remaining needed homework.
Complete CB PT 9 and CB PT 10 before 5th meeting.
5th meeting: review CB PT 9 and CB PT 10. Form a final self-study plan.
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