Hello parents! There will be a series of free SAT & ACT workshops hosted by the Malibu Public Library at 2-3PM on July 28th and August 17th. The workshop will consist of an informational session, followed by a problem solving session. Part 1: What students and parents need to know. My SAT Experience: from 1830 to 2160 What sort of … Read More
Finding a Good Tutor on a Budget
If money is easy, then finding a good tutor is similarly easy. Call up a popular tutoring agency nearby and put in the request. If the tutor isn’t a good fit, you can request another until satisfied. If you’re on a budget, then a tutoring agency may be too expensive. But do not despair! Finding a good tutor on a … Read More
How to Score an 800 on the Math Portion of the SAT
You do well in math class and you are comfortable with numbers. But, you got a 650 on the math section of your first SAT and you think you could do better. What should you do? LOOK AT YOUR MISTAKES First, look at your mistakes and categorize them. The majority of mistakes fall into two categories: silly mistakes on easy … Read More
Why is Tutoring So Expensive?
When I first started tutoring, I had no idea what to charge my clients. $25/hr? $50? $100? Less? More? I scoured the internet for individual tutors, called tutoring companies, and even browsed Craigslist in an attempt to understand the tutoring market. After many years as a private tutor and 3 years of running my own agency, I thought it might … Read More
Should SAT Tutoring Cost More?
Some people wonder why we charge the same rate for nearly all types of tutoring. Shouldn’t SAT tutoring cost more and junior high tutoring less? Although many would have you believe otherwise, tutoring for the SAT doesn’t require any special skills or present any extra difficulty to the tutor. Any competent tutor is just as comfortable helping with SAT questions as they … Read More
SAT Test Prep Courses Don’t Work
Parents of college-bound students who want to help their kids score better on the SAT often wonder whether their money would be better spent on a specialized SAT test prep program or on a more expensive private tutor. Companies like Kaplan and Princeton Review spend huge sums of money advertising their programs as viable and economic alternatives to private tutors … Read More
Private Tutoring VS. Test Prep Companies
Test prep companies advertise intensive programs that claim to teach all sorts of tips, tricks, and secrets, to be staffed with experienced teachers, to comprehensively cover the SAT, and to cost far less than private tutoring. Where do they go wrong? Everywhere. Lets looks at these points one by one. Learn to fly in just 24 hours – Intensive Study. … Read More
What not to look for in a math tutor
What sort of qualifications do people look for when choosing a math tutor? Experience as a school teacher. High standardized test scores and other impressive academic achievements. Years of tutoring experience. Seems important, right? Well… not as important as you might think. Let’s take a look. Assumptions About Teachers Many people feel that being a teacher is an important qualification to look for … Read More
Best books for SAT prep
Kaplan writes them, The Princeton Review writes them, Barron’s writes them… Lots of other companies and individuals write them too. You have probably noticed that there are a huge number of SAT prep books out there – How do you decide which one (or ones) are the best? And how many do you need, anyway? Although I haven’t used every … Read More