When should I start preparing for the
SAT?
How long do the sessions last?
How many times should the test be taken?
Is the program tailor-made to my child's
individual needs and skills?
How much homework will be given?
How many points can my child expect to
improve?
Is the tutoring all done one-on-one?
Why is it important to prepare for the
SAT?
Are the tutors trained?
What kind of money will I need to invest?
Conventionally, students are encouraged to start preparation at
least eight weeks before a test. Ideally though, three months or even
longer is fantastic. The reason for trying to put aside so much time is to
help the student integrate the unique test taking techniques into their
strategies. The problem many students come across is an inability to finish
tests on time or an inability to change the way they naturally approach
problems. Both of these are big problems for score improvement and they can
often be remedied by allowing for more preparation time. However, if you
are looking to do one subject preparation or have already studied for the
exam, doing in a shorter amount of time is fine.
Sessions are usually two hours long but for exceptional cases they
can be 1.5 or 2.5 hours long as well. Two hours is an ideal amount of time
to spend because it allows a student to get into a groove of sorts with the
tutor and with the material. Furthermore, since sessions usually only occur
once a week, it is imperative that the tutor have enough time to cover
sufficient ground to have the student practice the new strategies for a full
week's worth of homework.
The vast majority of students take the SAT at least two times.
Depending on the college you are applying to, it may be worthwhile to take
the test three or more times as well. The reason to take the test at least
twice is quite simple. Due to the fact that some tests are harder for some
students and some tests are easier, allowing an extra attempt increases the
student's chances of getting a higher score at least one of the two times.
Furthermore, most universities do not mind students taking the test numerous
times and will only look at the highest score.
The programs come in multiple different packages (click
here to see
our packages), however, built into each of the packages is a customized
program. One of the unique opportunities you have working with Tier One
Tutors is the ability to have a free consultation with the owner of the
company and co-writer of the Tier One Tutors SAT program. During this
consultation, you will have an opportunity to get expert guidance and advice
and we will help to create the appropriate program that is tailor-made for
your child.
The homework varies depending on the specific student. We try hard
not to take a simple approach to every student because each student has his
or her own strengths and weaknesses. For students who are very bright,
motivated and willing to work hard, we may assign more homework. For
students needing to improve heavily on the test we would assign more work.
However, if a student simply would not do a heavy workload we will not
assign the work just to make them fail. We believe that confidence plays a
big role in the test taking process and each program is meant to help that
individual reach the highest level of confidence possible. This means that
the tutor will make an informed judgment call each week regarding how much
homework is appropriate for each student. However, as an average you can
expect to have 2-4 hours a week excluding full-length practice tests.
There is not one simple average for how many points one can expect
to increase on the test. This is heavily dependent on how much effort and
energy the student is willing to put into the program. What we are able to
do as a tutoring company is present your child with the absolute best
methods possible for every question and help guide them through all the
intricacies of the test. However, we cannot force students to try hard or
practice our methods outside of tutoring sessions. That being said,
students who stick to the program and actually develop their skills over the
duration of the course will often see improvements of 70-100 points per
section.
All the tutoring is done one-on-one and in-home except for very
specific situations. We do not offer classroom courses because they are
usually highly ineffective. Since a teacher is forced to teach a rigid
curriculum to a vastly diverse group of students, someone is bound to lose.
Whether it is the student scoring poorly or the student scoring very well,
there is no way a teacher can manage to do an ideal job conveying the
information to a group of students with that kind of spectrum. When a need
or desire arises to have two or three students tutored together we consider
it on a case-by-case basis. We strongly believe that the best way to
improve is to have individual care by a tutor who has a relationship with
the student and knows them well. However, if two students are scoring very
similarly on the test and they have worked well together in the past, having
a group session may also be effective.
Since college admissions have become so unbelievably competitive in
the last decade, the importance of high SAT scores has also heavily
increased. For better or for worse, often times an SAT score can make or
break a student's chances of attaining entrance to the university of their
dreams. Furthermore, the SAT is an extremely coachable test. This means
that as experts, we have been able to study all of the officially released
SAT tests and practice problems and have had the opportunity to create
unique and fantastically successful methods of how to approach every problem
on the test. Through a rigorous review course with Tier One Tutors, you can
be assured that your child will receive all of the pertinent and important
information, tricks and methods to conquer this daunting test!
All of our tutors are not just trained but they have been handpicked
and personally trained by the owner of the company! We have worked very
hard to only hire the absolute best tutors in the region and we have also
made sure that they are flexible with their time so they can work with many
clients. This method has allowed us to keep our SAT staff low and their
personal experience and expertise high. Furthermore, it has allowed us to
personally mold each tutor into the ideal educator working with our unique
program.
Since we have many different options of ways to prepare for the
test, you will be guided as to what kind of investment is ideal and
necessary for your child. However, our programs run anywhere from $995
through a few thousand dollars, just depending on how much preparation you
need. Scholarships are also available on a need basis. |