Question 1

When is the right time to plan to take my exams?

Accepted Answer

Many of our students take either an SAT or ACT (this is based on location) in the spring of their junior year through school. We suggest that students take the alternative exam during their Junior year during the fall semester. This introduces them to general testing methods and allows them to have multiple opportunities to take exams and see further improvement prior to their college admissions deadline. We also work with many rising seniors looking to make final improvements before their early fall exams.

When considering tutoring, we recommend contacting us 2-3 months before your test. This will give us time to illustrate test taking tools and check for understanding. No matter when you contact us, we will work with you to come up with a plan to help you achieve your goals.

Question 2

Is tutoring online or in person?

Accepted Answer

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, we began to offer our services primarily via video conferencing (Google Meet). Why? Students are busy! We found that students had the same experience working with their tutor online, and they didn’t have to spend 30+ minutes of their day traveling to and from their sessions. 
 
At this time we are focusing on all online learning with our clients. You can rest assured knowing we have years of experience with this method of tutoring. To keep students engaged during our sessions, we utilize tools and resources that replicate conventional face-to-face tutoring.

Question 3

How long before an exam should I start to prepare with my tutor?

Accepted Answer

Learning test strategies takes time; therefore, for a full preparation period with solid improvements, we suggest beginning test prep 8-12 weeks prior to their exam. We offer smaller packages for shorter practice periods, but students won't be able to fully master our strategies in less than 8 weeks.

Question 4

How much time should I be able to dedicate to working with my tutor and completing assignments?

Accepted Answer

Generally, we expect that students will meet with tutors for about an hour per week. Each week, they can expect to be assigned 1.5 - 2 hours of homework that can be broken up and completed throughout the week for best results. However, we are firm believers in quality over quantity; we know every student is different and will work with each student to find the right amount of homework they can give 100% effort.

Question 5

How do I know which exam is right for me?

Accepted Answer

Every student is different. Prior to beginning tutoring, we ask students to submit a comprehensive set of questions that help us get to know them- not only their favorite classes, but also their behaviors. We use this information to ask questions that may help us determine which exam may be the best fit. However, this decision comes down to personal preference. All of our tutors are trained to teach introductions to both exams as a primer and evaluate the student’s capabilities to help them choose which exam is the best fit for them. Often times, we suggest this as a great starting point to go into test taking with an informed decision about which exam is best for you.

Question 6

How many times should I plan to take my exams?

Accepted Answer

Over the course of working with us, our students typically take between 1-4 standardized tests. For juniors, this looks like 1-2 fall exams, 1-2 spring exams, and 1 exam the fall of the senior year. For our rising senior students, they will typically take one exam in the spring, one in the summer, and one in the fall. Contact us today to come up with a plan for what is right for you!

Question 7

My exam scores aren’t as good as I had hoped. Does that mean that I won’t get into any of the colleges I apply to?

Accepted Answer

Historically, standardized test scores have been a large component of college admissions applications, but after the COVID-19 pandemic, many colleges have been shifting away from requiring standardized testing. There are many other ways to measure student achievement and merit, and test scores are not everything. These days, test scores should be seen more as a boost to an application.

Question 8

How do we get started?

Accepted Answer

We believe every student is unique. Therefore, when you first contact us, we will first ask you to fill out our New Student Enrollment forms. Once submitted, we will follow up and schedule your free phone consultation. During this consultation, we discuss a general overview of what our program will look like for the student, map out a plan based on each student’s strengths and weaknesses and clearly communicate our expectations for students. Should you/your student choose to work with our team to improve your exam scores, you can expect to be introduced to your tutor within 1 week, depending on how soon your exam is.

Question 9

What types of improvements should I expect to see?

Accepted Answer

During an 8-12 week preparation period, If students are engaged during sessions, give full effort to homework assignments, and treat each time they practice like the actual exam, we typically expect to see an improvement of at least 3 points on their ACT composite score and at least 100 points on their SAT score.

Question 10

I am interested in having YTTC help me achieve my goal of improving my test scores, but I have more questions…

Accepted Answer

We are glad you have questions! This is a big decision and we don’t want you to commit to our programs without having a comprehensive understanding of what to expect. Contact us today to learn how to set up a free consultation.

FAQs