FAQs
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I am an active participant in College Board meetings, and am writing a book detailing my way of acing the test. In addition, I was an essay reader for the previous version of the SAT. I bring that skill to the current essay writing portion of the test. Although I never taught, I am a certified high school English teacher. I believe that it's important to know how to teach, not just how to take the SAT. Good scorers are not always the best teachers. It requires a certain set of skills to translate how you do something into how to teach others. I take the SAT at least once a year, and continue to practice the techniques I coach, as well as refine or create techniques. The tutors who work with me have been trained in the methodology and adapt it while working with each individual student.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
Teachers had begun tutoring the children of my friends. Although teachers are wonderful people (I had been one myself) they are often ill equipped to tutor the standardized tests. They concentrate on English, Math and Creative Writing when students need to understand how standardized tests are created. They then need to create their strategy and tactics to obtain their best scores on the tests. Standardized tests can be "gamed" to use the current jargon, and most teachers just don't study the tests...they study the subjects. So, I decided to learn not just "my" part of the SAT (the essay) but how the rest of the test is constructed and therefore how to deconstruct it. The rest, as they say....
- What types of customers have you worked with?
I work with highly motivated students. You needn't be at the top of your class, you just need to be at the top of your game. Most all of my students have raised their scores higher than they ever expected. I have worked with students who have focus issues, students for whom English is not their first language, and students who have taken the SAT unsuccessfully. I work with students who need college counseling, with testing as part of the plan.