Have questions? The whole college admissions process can be quite daunting.  Don’t worry, we’re here to help.  If you don’t see the answer to your question below, feel free to give us a call at 610.688.6441 or email us here.

We encourage students living in or near Havertown, Wallingford, and Wayne, PA to call or email us with any questions they may have about our tutoring.

Does test prep really work?

Yes! Standardized tests focus on a small, unique set of skills and topics. By knowing exactly what types of questions are on the test, a student gains a distinct advantage. Furthermore, a great tutoring company can build on this advantage by providing a highly individualized learning experience and a wealth of fantastic strategies for all types of students.  We have the evidence from thousands of students across 30+ years that great improvement is possible through test prep for nearly everyone.

What kind of results should I expect?

We expect our students to succeed; students who follow our instruction will see their scores increase greatly.  For students not already at the top of the range, we typically want to see at least a 20 percentile rank improvement (the actual raw score this translates to varies across the scale). Going from the 50^thto 70^thpercentile or from the 70^thto 90^thtypically opens up a whole new range of schools for students.

Do you offer a score guarantee? 

We offer a score guarantee on our Summer Bootcamp.  Because it is a very intensive program, we’re able to offer it with a minimum of restrictions.  For our other courses, we’d rather students spend their time studying than worrying about checking all the boxes for a guarantee.  We want all of our students to earn a score that they can be proud of, and for each parent to feel confident they chose the right tutoring company. If, at any point, either of these goals are not being reached, we will make it right.

Do you come to our house?

Typically, we do all of our tutoring within our new, modern offices in Wayne and Malvern. Tutoring in an office has three advantages: (1) When students enter our doors, it is apparent that they are in a place dedicated to serious learning. Much of the success of tutoring depends on the mindset of the student, and the presence of a learning environment assists in building that mindset. (2) You won’t have strangers coming into your home to teach your child. (3) In our offices we have full access to any and all materials that a student may need, so there is never an issue with getting them exactly what they need at the time they need it. We do occasionally do home instruction if a student is unable to come to our centers due to disability, injury, or other circumstance.  If your student is in this situation feel free to give us a call at 610.688.6441 to discuss.

Which of your offerings is right for my student?

We’re happy to discuss in person or over the phone (610.688.6441) about your student’s specific situation.  However, we can share some general information.

• Education research shows, and our experience backs the findings, that 1-1 instruction allows students to make the fastest gains. Our methodology is focused on mastery of individual concepts.  Working with students 1-1 allows us to focus on only those topics they have not yet personally mastered, constantly pushing them forward.
• We recognize that this may not fit into every family’s budget or student learning style, however, so we offer the Full Course (12 hours of group instruction + 5 hours of 1-1 instruction) to combine the benefits of 1-1 instruction with group classes. The group classes cover the topics and strategies for the test, while the 1-1s allow us to focus on individual student needs.
• We offer the Group Course for students who are skilled at (and motivated to do) self-study and just need the instruction on what will appear on the test. We don’t recommend this option for students who aren’t as enthused about studying for a standardized test or might need some additional help in learning the material.

I’m considering the SAT Full or Group Course, but I know my student will miss one of the dates.  Can they still take it?

For students in the Full Course, we will make up one missed class as an extra 1-1 session.  Full Course students who will miss a second class, or Group Course students who will miss any class, will need to work through that week’s material themselves.  They will be given thorough written explanations and practice problems to do so. For students who know they cannot make 2 or more classes in advance, we recommend finding a different section of the course to take.

This stuff is pretty expensive.  Do you offer any discounts?

For twins or siblings taking instruction at the same time, we offer a 20% discount on the second student (for same or lesser cost instruction).  We also do occasionally have promotions, so it never hurts to ask.  We structure our instruction to be as efficient as possible; we ask students to do a significant amount of work outside of sessions with us, which helps keep the cost down.  We will never say a student needs 30+ hours with us to learn a test, because we are able to teach the entirety of the material in far less time than that.

How do I know your instructors are any good? 

We require three very important things from our instructors.  First, they must have graduated from a top college so that they have a clear understanding of what students are going through and working towards.  Second, they must have scored at the top of the range on their own standardized tests – all our instructors scored at the 99th percentile.  This demonstrates their mastery of the material.  Third, they must be able to communicate and teach to students of all ability levels with patience and respect.  There are many people who are high scorers on standardized tests that are unable to teach others effectively.  Our instructors provide a safe, low-pressure environment for students to learn.

How do I choose an instructor?   Is there an instructor who is better with math (or reading)?

Because we only do SAT, ACT, and high school entrance exams, all our instructors are able to teach across the entire test.  This is all we do all day, every day, so each instructor has deep mastery of all the material and ability to teach it.  Students often will pick an instructor that matches up best with their schedule (our instructors keep slightly different hours) or may prefer a certain gender or age.  We do want students to work with the same instructor every time whenever possible.

Do you tutor for SAT subject tests?

We do not, for two reasons.  1) The SAT subject tests have largely been abandoned by the College Board and college admissions staff alike.  They are mostly phased out in favor of AP / IB tests.  2) For students applying to those schools that still require subject tests (e.g., Georgetown), we generally recommend that students study on their own.  Any student who meets the other criteria necessary to get into these schools should be bright and able enough to review facts they have already learned – parents do not need to pay us to tell them to do so.

Do you tutor for academic subjects?

We have a very clear mission that we want to stick to, which is raising students’ standardized test scores.  We believe a tight focus greatly helps with that mission.  We do, however, have a strong recommendation for another tutoring agency in Wayne, GameFace Tutoring.  They are also a local independent business, and do a wonderful job of helping students.

What if my student wants to switch instructors?

No problem, just let us know. While we like to always keep the same instructor-student relationship whenever possible, if there is a change in schedule or it isn’t a fit for some other reason we can easily transition.

Which areas do you provide tutoring services for students?

The high school students we serve primarily come from Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties, including Wayne, Radnor, Malvern, West Chester, Newtown Square, Havertown, Chester Springs, Wallingford, King of Prussia, Phoenixville, Villanova, Swarthmore, Broomall, Media, Collegeville, Audubon, Downingtown, and other nearby towns.