ACT & SAT Prep Services | Tutor Extraordinaire

ACT & SAT Prep

The most important test of your high-schoolers career means they need to understand the exams, the rules, the deadlines, and the way to score BIG! Money spent boosting test scores can translate into acceptance letters and scholarships down the road.

Every Year The Pressure Increases

Every year the pressure grows on students to boost their scores on college placement exams. With rising costs for education, increased competition for prestigious programs, and scholarships more valuable than ever, it is wise to prepare students to take what may be one of the most important tests of their lives. This is your solution.

Virtual Class, live with recorded sessions
Tips, tricks, time-management, and topic-specific instruction for each section of both exam types
No books necessary, all materials provided!
Questions? Contact me!

The Most Important Thing
To Know About These Tests:

They are NOT tests on everything a student has learned in high school.

Granted, students strong in academics have an advantage, but I’ve seen many advanced students struggle with ACT/SAT because they don’t know HOW TO TAKE THE TEST.

The “science” questions are a great example, because even if you never took biology or chemistry or physics, you can use scientific reasoning to get those questions correct.

How Do Each Of the Tests Work?

Components of the new
Digital SAT
(1^st administered March 2024)

This new version of the SAT is taken on a computer!!

SAT (scored out of 1600, 800 from Reading and Writing, 800 from Math; 2 hours 14 minutes total testing time)

Reading and Writing Test (32 minutes for 27 questions, 10 minute break, then another 32 minutes for 27 questions) Problems include basic and advanced grammar and punctuation, reasoning questions, and analysis of basic graphs and tables, similar to ACT Science test
Math Test (35 minutes for 22 questions, 10 minute break, then another 35 minutes for 22 questions). Calculators are allowed and a digital graphing calculator (Desmos!) is provided on-screen. Includes a few “fill-in-the-blank” questions (in contrast to multiple choice); many geometric relationships provided such as volume and triangle formulae; includes problems that require logical thinking beyond straight-forward math calculations

Some marked differences from the prior version:

Calculators allowed on every math question.
Reading test is no longer multiple questions based off long passages, but single questions based off much shorter ones.
The biggest difference is the “adaptive” scoring, in which the 2nd set of questions students encounter in each section is based on their performance in the 1st set.

Components of the ACT

This is a paper-based exam.

ACT (scored out of 36, averaged from each of the 4 sections excluding the essay; 2 hours 55 minutes total testing time minus the optional writing test)

English Test (45 minutes, 75 questions) Problems include basic and advanced grammar and punctuation questions, and reasoning and interpretation questions.
Mathematics Test (60 minutes, 60 multiple choice questions that include 5 options instead of typical 4) Calculators are allowed, but no formulas are provided. Includes advanced trigonometry and matrices (these may have not been covered in your student’s Algebra 2 class)
Reading Test (35 minutes, 40 questions) Long passages with approximately 100 lines are then followed by 10 or so questions
Science Test (35 minutes, 40 questions) This is more a science reasoning test than it is a review of chemistry, biology, etc. Your student has likely NEVER been taught to take a test like this. Students have to learn how to think scientifically, they do not need to (re)learn anything from a specific science course. Long passages which can include graphs and/or tables are followed by 5-10 questions
Writing Test (40 minutes, optional)

It’s a game, a puzzle,
a race against the clock,

I can teach students to beat the system.

-Virtual Class, live with recorded sessions

-Tips, tricks, time-management, and topic-specific instruction for each section of both exam types

-No books necessary, all materials provided!

-Questions? Contact me!

Why Work With Me?

J. Arnold, Tutor Extraordinaire, has helped hundreds of students pull up their grades, boost their test scores, and restore their confidence in a variety of subjects.

Meet J. Your Tutor with Over 20 Years of Experience

I have been helping students prepare for the ACT and SAT since I started tutoring in 2002. The general test-taking strategies that I teach, as well as the subject-specific tips I provide, allow students to do well on their first attempt, or improve scores from a prior attempt, even if they are an average student.

Your SAT/ACT Prep Questions Answered

Which Test Should My Student Take?

The short answer? Both. Students may do much better on one than the other, but they won’t know which one is “easier” and their best chance for the highest score until they have taken both exams. Most colleges and universities post the average SAT and ACT scores of the most recent incoming freshmen class, so check those for an idea of what scores your student will be competing against.

Virtual Class, live with recorded sessions
Tips, tricks, time-management, and topic-specific instruction for each section of both exam types
No books necessary, all materials provided!
Questions? Contact me!

When Should My Student Take The Exam?

Consider the following when deciding when to take the ACT or SAT:

The math portions require knowledge not covered until Algebra 2 (for a typical student), including trigonometry and graphs of conic sections, so for the best chance at their highest math score, students should take the exam at the end of or just after completing Algebra 2.
Competition for scholarships and acceptance letters can be based on ACT/SAT scores, so it is wise to take the test as early as possible to have scores in hand. Try not to wait until the end of senior year!
Students CAN take the tests multiple times. Most colleges and universities accept “super-scores”, where students can submit their highest scores per section (math, English/reading).
Some students prefer to study and practice only one section really well between retakes, in an effort to boost their overall scores.

Access Real Test Questions

Students should get access to real, official ACT and/or SAT exams and questions. For private tutoring or my ONLINE COURSE, I provide these materials all in one place.

Self Reflect Often

Students should spend time going over problems that they got wrong, skipped, or got correct but don’t know how (which happens, right?).

The Strategy for Success

Take Practice Tests

Students should take a full practice test (or just the one section we are focusing on) before every session.

Learn How to Beat The Clock

Students should time themselves to practice working against the clock. I walk you through strategies to ease anxiety about being timed and beat the clock.

Ready to
get started?

Let's Master This Test.

Virtual Class, live with recorded sessions
Tips, tricks, time-management, and topic-specific instruction for each section of both exam types
No books necessary, all materials provided!
Questions? Contact me!

The Added Benefits of My Online Course

For those who desire a little more help, consider my ONLINE COURSE with the recorded-helps add-on.

Watch At Your Leisure

Send your questions ahead of time and watch recorded solutions on YOUR schedule.

Take a Deep Dive Into Concepts

When I show correct answers, I go over the concepts used in that question to show other ways it can be asked, other skills that can be tested, or related topics that might be used.

Tips and Tricks

I also teach the “tips and tricks” found in ACT/SAT practice exam books (and some that aren’t!).

Focus On Areas You Need Help

Watch only the solutions for the problems for which YOU need help, or watch other solutions to improve your speed and accuracy, which, of course, means higher scores!