SAT/ACT

Tutoring high school students in college admissions exams

I spend a good amount of time tutoring high school students for the SAT/ACT and occasionally for AP exams. Having performed well in these exams in high school (1500/34+ and passing 20+ AP exams, mostly self-studied), I possess a strong knowledge base to draw upon.

I am a huge believer in standardized college admissions exams. My high school wasn’t exactly incredible by any means; its U.S. News ratings hover around 30/100. The clear way for me to stand out and be competitive with students from richer high schools for college admissions was through standardized tests.

Some may say that standardized test scores are correlated with socioeconomic status and that testing is therefore part of the problem. Well, socioeconomic status is correlated with pretty much everything when it comes to college admissions. Sure, a student who goes to a 70k/year prep school will be in a much better place when they are preparing to take these exams than a poor student in a Baltimore suburb will but this is a gap that can be overcome with preparation. What can’t be overcome is the affluent student’s access to superior extracurriculars, better teachers, more advanced coursework, and family connections. This is why I find the recent push to go test-optional in the name of “equity” to be horrendous. Proponents of this policy (not pandemic-related test-optional) fail to understand the reality of the mountain that students who aren’t wealthy have to climb.

Moreover, standarized testing performance is an extremely strong predictor of student success in college. Students with excellent test scores, particularly those who exceed the average for their socioeconomic status, are often identified by colleges as likely to succeed. For more affluent students, this academic promise can be recognized in ways such as the IB program, rigorous coursework, academic competitions, or research: opportunities out of reach to many students in this country. Fortunately, many colleges are reevaluating their test-optional policies and reinstating standardized testing requirements in response to these insights.

So, how can a student bridge the knowledge gap?

Most students in this country don’t know all the material that is supposed to be on the SAT/ACT with their high school education. This has only gotten worse in recent years with the learning gap created due to the pandemic and with the adoption of more lenient grading schemes (such as standards-based grading).

Let’s take the SAT/ACT math section as an example. Most students are taking the SAT/ACT in the spring of junior year or the fall of senior year. If a student started with Algebra I in freshman year, they’ll be in or just have finished Algebra II.

Both the SAT and the ACT require knowledge of statistics. With a decent foundation in Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II (which is not close to a guarantee at many schools), the most students can hope to know is how to interpret a basic graph and understand measures of center. That isn’t nearly enough to score well. Students need to know about study design, probability, measures of spread, and random variables.

In the digital age we live in, there are a plethora of free online resources for students to learn from. Students can open YouTube or Khan Academy and have a video that will explain the statistical concepts they need to know in a matter of minutes. With LLMs such as ChatGPT, students have an incredible learning tool: ask to have a concept explained to you in detail and ask clarifying questions as needed.

When students want personalized assistance to understand concepts, learn test-taking strategies, and find accountability, that’s where a tutor like myself comes in. I have helped several students achieve scores of 1500/34+ by addressing their individual needs and helping them develop effective study habits. As a result, my students not only excel in their exams but also gain valuable skills that prepare them for the challenges of college and beyond.

Here, I’ll eventually have some “cheat sheets” linked that I’ve written up for SAT/ACT testing. If anyone reading this is interested in tutoring, shoot me an email!