Are your children entirely different, and you want to make sure that tutoring will meet their individual needs?

We worked with Julia in the spring of her junior year on ACT prep.  She was looking to see a five-point increase on her ACT (equivalent to 160 points on SAT), and we quickly learned that English was her strongest test.  English is the first test section that students take on ACT.  When Julia was halfway through her test prep program, she took a mid-program progress test; we like students to do this so that they can try out the strategies they are learning in the real testing environment, work off the nerves of a first test, and also learn their test-taking strengths and weaknesses on test day.  What we learned about Julia from her first test was that she was really nervous when she started her test: in her practice work, she was scoring 32-34 (out of a possible 36) in English, but on her first test day, she scored a 27.  We knew that Julia just had to take a calm and focused test to score higher!

As a result, we made mindfulness and relaxation strategies one of the focuses of the remainder of Julia’s test prep program.  We had practiced them from the start, but now, they became paramount. We identified Julia’s favorite relaxation strategy, and she faithfully practiced it multiple times a day for the following two months.  She understood that to reach her score goal, she had to take an excellent English test, and that meant she had to do calm and focused test-taking.  Her goal in English was a 34. Julia’s commitment paid off. Not only did she reach her score goal in English, this calm and focused test-taker took a perfect test section!  Julia scored a 36 in English, which meant her Superscore Composite was six points higher than her baseline score (equivalent to a 190-point increase on SAT).  Julia showed what we know to be true: calm and focused test-takers can take their best tests. This is why we prioritize helping students overcome anxiety in our test prep.

Julia is now very happy at Fordham University, where she received a sizable merit aid scholarship.

The following fall, the family returned to RTC to work with their younger daughter, Anna.  Anna and Julia were very different test-takers, and, just as with Julia, we designed a customized curriculum that would meet Anna’s specific needs on the test.  Anna wanted to get a head start on ACT, with the ultimate dream being to get it out of the way early, so we started prep in the summer before her junior year. Unlike Julia, who had done in-person tutoring, Anna completed an entirely virtual tutoring program.

Anna’s tutor worked with her to find her own unique best approach to ACT. Anna was a natural test taker, but like anyone she had a few roadblocks on the way to ACT success. To hit her score goal, she would need to master math content she hadn’t yet learned in school. In addition, Anna suffers from migraines, so she would need to practice through some tough days and find a contingency plan in the event of a migraine on test day.  She also had to keep working even as COVID made the standardized testing schedule more and more uncertain — tests were cancelled throughout the summer across the East Coast, and fall test dates were in doubt as well.

Anna and her tutor worked on advanced math and trigonometry throughout the summer and concentrated their tutoring on consistency and calm, focused test taking. We made a concrete game plan for her comfort level in case she got a migraine and practiced relaxation techniques to keep her at ease. During the tutoring process, we realized it was important for Anna to trust herself in her test taking and to work confidently. Instead of changing answers or getting uncertain, Anna learned to stick with what her instincts told her and to attack difficult math questions with confidence.

On test day, Anna took her calm, focused test and hit her score goal! She knocked it out of the park on her first attempt, including a perfect 36 on the Reading section. As a result, Anna was able to spend junior year thinking about school and not worrying about standardized tests, and she was able to apply to colleges with a great score already banked.

As test takers, Julia and Anna could not have been more different, but we were thrilled that each achieved a perfect section score on ACT. That’s an achievement college admissions offices notice, because perfect test-taking takes attention and care. What Anna and Julia have in common is that both are exceptionally committed, diligent students. They understood from the start that they would get out of test prep exactly what they put into it, and both saw huge rewards for their investment of effort.  Test prep is a mountain to climb, and we are so proud of Anna and Julia for all their hard work.

As we told Julia and Anna, they were also spending their parents’ money wisely. The family’s return on investment in terms of admissions and merit aid alone with Julia’s admissions process was huge, and with Anna, the family also invested in college essay tutoring. Anna is thrilled to be attending Johns Hopkins University in the Class of 2026, and she has been recruited to run track for JHU. Mom Caroline told us, “When Hopkins started looking at Anna for track, the process was so smooth. Thanks to her work with you, Anna’s application checked every single box.”

As every parent knows, in the college application process, that piece of mind is invaluable.