Can Sally improve her score? Yes. Y-E-S. One thousand times: yes.

So why would ETS insist that Sally cannot improve her score and that from the day she is born until the day she dies, poor poor Sally is on track to be average,  averaging class, averaging college, average at work, and have an average life?

Well, ETS is a for profit corporation that makes money by administering tests.

Aha, you say, quite rightly: but don’t SAT prep companies have just as much as an agenda to promote that they can help students beat the test?

To which Perfect Verbal says, yes, we don’t deny that you should be skeptical both about SAT test prep companies and about ETS’s invincibility claims.

But, in our next blog entry–Aptitude Can Be Improved by SAT Test Prep with Perfect Verbal (pt 2)– we will present studies and research that show that aptitude and skill levels can be changed. So, stay tuned, residents of Savannah, Charleston, and Asheville and be ready to adjust your attitudes toward aptitude.

Individual attention. Excellent results. #413-387-8289

Face-to-face SAT test prep allows the SAT tutor to interact with the student which helps create a more dynamic and productive tutoring session. People communicate through body language-in fact, more than 90% of all communication occurs nonverbally–and a good tutor tailors lessons by reacting to subtle cues from the student. Online SAT tutoring can supplement face-to-face tutoring, but technology will not effectively replace rich communication for complex SAT test prep lessons in areas like reading and writing. More questions? Feel free to contact Perfect Verbal for a free consultation to learn how we use technology in conjuntion with our face-to-face SAT test prep to improve your scores.

Individual attention. Excellent results. #413-387-8289

With only two months to go before students take or retake the SAT subject test, Perfect Verbal SAT tutoring service provides this sample schedule to help your SAT test prep:
-If you haven’t already taken the test, block off a few hours and do a real world time tested practice.
-Score your SAT practice test and decide where to focus your energy to raise your scores.
-With only two months left it will be difficult to increase your knowledge base without the help of SAT tutoring. For students in Savannah feel free to give us a call for a free consultation. If you decide to work on your own, try to hone your skills with practice to leverage your already existing knowledge.
-Develop your concentration.
-Find an approach for the SAT test that works for you. For some college-bound students, it’s deep relaxation (yoga anyone?) while for others it’s all about intensity.

Tailor your approach to your goals and needs. There is no silver bullet. If we can be of help please call 413-387-8289 for your free consultation for math and verbal SAT tutoring. Good luck, Savannah, and happy testing!

Individual attention. Excellent results. #413-387-8289

Parents often wonder to what degree SAT tutoring will help their child improve his SAT scores.  Motivation is the key here. Our SAT tutors see students who do not want to do homework outside of the classroom and we believe there is nothing wrong with that approach as long as the student, parent, and tutor all have realistic expectations. However, to get the most out of SAT tutoring, we believe that a motivated student with set goals for score improvement and a target SAT test score will improve the SAT tutoring experience. Savannah has many wonderful distractions for students including extracurriculars and trips to the beach, and we encourage teenagers to be teenagers, but still believe that hard work will pay dividends when it comes to taking the SAT test and reaping the rewards of a high score.

Individual attention. Excellent results. #413-387-8289

The PSAT can indicate how a student will do on some parts of the SAT test, but it cannot accurately predict SAT performance and is not meant to do so. People often incorrectly think the PSAT has the same material as the SAT and is adjusted for the takers age level. While this is true in part, the PSAT does not have all the material that the SAT does. Therefore, Perfect Verbal recommends that students who want to practice SAT preparation with or without a tutor use actual exams from ETS– available in bookstores and online. Still, it’s difficult to know even with a practice exam how a student will perform on the critical writing section of the SAT because that material is difficult to impossible for students to evaluate themselves. And, importantly, the PSAT has no critical writing section.

Therefore, for the best SAT preparation possible, Perfect Verbal recommends taking a practice SAT and showing the writing sample to a qualified instructor who can offer constructive criticism. Please contact us to set up a free consultation. Our SAT tutors are always happy to answer questions and point families to the best SAT resources. So sharpen those number two pencils and be in touch soon, Savannah!

Individual attention. Excellent results. #413-387-8289

Perfect Verbal does not recommend retaking the SATs to before working with us. Here is our logic:

If you took the SAT test in January and were not satisfied with your score, then is not likely that your score will increase significantly without a good bit of SAT preparation with a qualified SAT tutor. If you’re just looking for practice, then we recommend simply taking the test at home with a stopwatch and a practice book; that will save you about $50 and let you take the test at your leisure so you can still enjoy your morning with your family. In fact, your SAT score will go on the record so if you do worse the second time around your college counselor will have access to those SAT scores-whether you like it or not. Therefore, Perfect Verbal recommends waiting to retake the SATs until you have studied on your own or with a qualified SAT tutor and feel confident that you will do better the second time around. That’s Our Tip of the Week for SAT Preparation! Good luck!

Individual attention. Excellent results. #413-387-8289

Recently a parent asked Perfect Verbal what kind of schedule we recommend for tutoring for the SAT and/or ACT. Here we provide a sample tutorial plan for in-depth preparation in order to ace standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT.

The number of tutoring sessions can vary depending upon student goals. However, following would be a game plan for approaching the verbal/writing of the SAT:

- A set of six lessons provides a student with a plan of attack for the test that includes strategy for multiple-choice questions and an overview of content. Some of the strategies for multiple-choice with the verbal could also be applied to multiple-choice for the math.

-Another set of  lessons allows for more in-depth preparation with content and practice (e.g. studying more vocabulary words, having strategies for reading comprehension as well as essay writing, etc.)

-For further study with the math (e.g. theorems, reasoning, practice, etc.) another set of lessons would make sense.

Fortunately, much of the material tested on the SAT is similar to material tested on the ACT.

if you have any further questions we recommend an individual consult – call us for to discuss your needs at no charge.

Individual attention. Excellent results. #413-387-8289

Yes, it’s good to prepare for the SAT, and Perfect Verbal will help you out, but here’s an example of when things go too far: the SAT cheating scandal from CBS and 60 min….

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57348498/the-perfect-score-cheating-on-the-sat/

Individual attention. Excellent results.

SAT test taker question: What does Perfect Verbal make of the recent article in USA Today about SAT scores and scholarships?

Perfect Verbal SAT guru answer: We hear a lot of discussion about the importance of high SAT scores, and even though we don’t always agree with the amount of emphasis placed on a student’s test results, USA Today’s recent article only highlights the importance of doing well on the SAT. USA Today notes that with government funding for student scholarships going down, colleges use their largesse (SAT word-look it up!) more and more to attract the best and the brightest. The reality is that high SAT scores and high GPAs give college counselors benchmarks they can look at. It is a lot easier for college counselor to offer thousands of dollars in scholarships to a student with good numbers and good extracurriculars than a student with bad numbers and good extracurriculars because no matter how much people say they look at the intangibles, concrete things like SAT scores and GPA make for a good PowerPoint presentation to a board of trustees University when it comes to describing the incoming class. For a student who already has a great SAT score, we recommend being a well-rounded student with extracurriculars and high grades. For those students who want to go to a top institution and need money in the form of a scholarship, putting in some time and effort with qualified SAT tutors can pay serious dividends. Invest now and avoid coming out of college in debt.