Private SAT Tutoring

Did you know the SAT is changing?

Starting March of 2024, the SAT will be a new, digital adaptive test with a radically redesigned Verbal section.

 

Our team of SAT experts is fully prepped for the change.
We have a robust digital SAT curriculum and the highest quality practice tests.

 

Contact us to make sure your teen is fully prepped for the new SAT.

What sets our SAT prep apart from everyone else’s?

isee tutoring

Completely risk free. Try out a session online or in-person, and, if it does not meet or exceed your expectations, then that first session is free.

Average score increase of 210 points on the SAT, even when a student worked with a different company before coming to tutor with us.
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Curriculum is 100% sourced from the real tests (by far the best quality content available) and customized for each student.

The best test prep experts: each applicant goes through a rigorous interviewing process (applicants sourced nationally, not just from NJ), and each new hire goes through a minimum of 160 hours of specialized training specifically on the SAT and ACT before they meet with their first student.

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We retain the best tutors: our SAT and ACT tutors are full-time and on salary with health, dental, vision, long and short-term disability, life insurance, and retirement benefits. They are career, not side hustle, SAT and ACT experts.

We are experts at both in-person and online tutoring.

over 99% five-star reviews

See what our students have to say

Molly and Neve talk about their experience at Summit Prep:

Margie B.
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I can’t thank david for all his hard work and getting my son the score he was aiming for!! Summit prep is an unbelievable place to get your kids ready for their college prep Act and SAT courses!!! Thanks again for making this year end with a bang!!
Thomas S.
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The entire experience from start to finish was excellent. The process was clearly outlined and understood. Scheduling was a breeze and our teacher come not have been more flexible.
Georgia B.
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Eva was wonderful. With her help I was able to get into my top school and receive and scholarship. I loved her help and spending time studying.
Jeanine L.
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We were lucky enough to be referred to David at Summit Prep! My son enjoyed working with David as he felt that he really helped him prepare for the ACT. He explained concepts covered on the test as well as the test itself. My son felt confident taking the test and did so well that he only had to take it once!
Ben H.
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David helped me improve my SAT from a 1480 to a 1570 over the course of about 2 months. Each session made me feel more and more confident.
Jill B.
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Eva took on an almost impossible task and seriously worked a miracle! We found out we were moving, and our son had to take the ISEE exam asap. From his practice test to the exam, his scores went up exponentially. We give her 5 enthusiastic stars!
Rachel F.
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My twins have had a wonderful experience with Summit Prep preparing for the ACT. David is extremely knowledgeable and connects individually in a very relatable and helpful manner for each student. I highly recommend Summit Prep!
Janice B.
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All three of my children have used Summit Prep for their test prep and, I believe, reached their full potential as a result of the outstanding guidance of David and Ryan. His ongoing support went above and beyond. Many thanks!
Kwesi A.
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My son just got accepted into MIddlebury!! He could not have gotten a better tutor than Eva!!! She is the best!
Arlene S.
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Summit Prep are professional, enthusiastic, encouraging and most importantly successful in helping our son achieve his goals. We would strongly recommend using David and his team and want to convey our thanks for all of their help!
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Frequently Asked Questions

Preparing for the SAT

  • Total time: 2 hours and 14 minutes
  • Total number of questions: 98

Structure of the test:

  1. Verbal section 1: 32 minutes (27 questions)
  2. Verbal section 2: 32 minutes (27 questions)
  3. Break: 10 minutes
  4. Math section 1: 35 minutes (22 questions)
  5. Math section 2: 35 minutes (22 questions)

The test adapts to a student’s performance on the first Verbal and first Math section to give them a more appropriately difficult second Verbal and Math section.

For instance, if a student is getting the hardest questions correct on the first Verbal section, then why give them easy questions on the second section that will largely be a waste of the student’s time? There’s no reason to do so. Conversely, if a student is getting all the hardest questions wrong on the first Verbal section, then there is no reason to keep giving them more very hard Verbal questions on the next Verbal section. By adapting to a student’s performance on the first section and thereby eliminating unnecessary questions for the student to complete, the adaptive SAT is shorter but just as accurate.

To recap, if a student does well on the first Verbal section, they will get a second Verbal section with medium/hard questions. If a student does not do so well on the first Verbal section, they will get a second Verbal section with easy/medium questions.

The same goes for Math.

  • First, establish a baseline by taking a real past SAT (we also recommend taking a real past ACT as well to determine which test fits you best). You can take an official practice test here (we recommend taking practice test #4 as the first test because the scoring on that test better represents the scoring on the real digital SAT). Or, reach out to us, and we can schedule you to take a practice test with us.
  • Now that you have a baseline score, you need to evaluate how far you are from your score goal. The farther you are, the more work you will need to put in to hit your score goal — but the work you put in will also help you excel in college as well (see here). Here’s the work you need to put in:
    • Take real practice tests (both to identify weaknesses but also to practice test-taking stamina)
    • Not only go over the questions you got wrong on the practice tests but look up how to do those topics and do additional questions on those topics so that you eliminate any weaknesses on the tested topics (our tutors, for instance, identify the topic of any questions missed and give students additional questions on those topics from the real past tests so that students will get any questions on those topics correct the next time they see them).
  • Take the real test multiple times. Most students get nervous the first time they take any test, so almost all students will score better after taking the SAT a few times (and there is natural variability in scores — see here — so re-taking the SAT increases a student’s chances of a higher score, particularly of a higher superscore).
  • Get calculator programs that will solve distance, midpoint, slope, the quadratic formula, etc for you so that you spend less time on these questions and so that you do not make a silly mistake in your calculations. (We have a suite of calculator programs that are custom made to help students on the SAT.)
  • Learn the “tricks” to the exam. The fastest way to do so is to work with a tutor who knows the strategies to help beat the test. But, if you practice long enough, you might figure out those tricks too, such as knowing that the word “being” in an answer choice on the grammar section (the “Writing Section”) of the SAT almost guarantees that the answer is incorrect.
  • Discover the optimal ways to approach different question types. For example, on the “Reading Section,” students should never look at the answer choices before looking back to the passage for a “vocabulary in context” question because the meaning of the word in context will always have a different meaning than the standard definition of the given word. Looking at the answer choices first will just throw a student off. So students should go straight to the context, treat the given word as a “blank” in the sentence, make up their own definition for the “blank” based on the context, and then compare this definition to the answer choices. This approach almost guarantees that they will get all “vocabulary in context” questions correct.
  • Algebra: particularly functions, manipulating equations, quadratics, and equations of lines (lots of questions on equations of lines).
  • Algebra 2: particularly exponents, radicals, probability, polynomials, and imaginary numbers.
  • Geometry: particularly triangles, perimeter and area of rectangles and circles, volume of cylinders, and equations of circles in an x,y coordinate plane.
  • Trigonometry: only a few questions, particularly converting degrees to radians and vice versa.

Taking the SAT

  • Test site locations can vary by test date (not all schools give the test on every SAT test date). You can check for which test sites are offering the SAT on a given test date here. But, better (since those test sites might be filled) is to simply go through the process of registering for the SAT. At the end of the registration process, you will be prompted to select a test date and then you can choose from the available test locations.
  • Yes. There are no penalties for wrong answers, so answer every question (on the grid-in section, if you’re unsure on an answer, just bubble-in the number “2” — that is the most common answer in the grid-ins).
  • Here’s a link to a blog post on what to eat. Please bring a snack — it will help give you an edge for the last half of the test. As part of your snack, bring water or another drink to keep yourself hydrated — hydration is key for avoiding a foggy brain.
  • Dress comfortably. Wear a sweater and a T-shirt underneath. Who knows what the temperature will be in the classroom, so students will want to have options to make themselves comfortable.

After the SAT

The composite score is out of 1600.

  • The Reading + Writing section scores are combined to get a score out of 800.
  • The no-calculator and the calculator Math section scores are combined to get a score out of 800.
  • The optional essay is scored separately, and its score (out of 24) is not included in the SAT composite score.
Total ScorePercentile of SAT Test Takers
160099+
159099+
158099+
157099+
156099+
155099
154099
153099
152099
151098
150098
149098
148097
147097
146097
145096
144096
143095
142095
141094
140094
139093
138092
137092
136091
135090
134089
133089
132088
131087
130086
129085
128084
127083
126082
125081
124080
123078
122077
121076
120074
119073
118072
117070
116069
115067
114066
113064
112062
111061
110059
109057
108055
107054
106052
105050
104048
103046
102045
101043
100041
99039
98038
97036
96034
95033
94031
93029
92028
91026
90025
89023
88022
87020
86019
85018
84016
83015
82014
81012
80011
79010
7809
7708
7607
7506
7405
7305
7204
7103
7003
6902
6802
6701
6601
6501
6401
6301
6200
6100
6000
5900
5800
5700
5600
5500
5400
5300
5200
5100
5000
4900
4800
4700
4600
4500
4400
4300
4200
4100
4000

Source: CollegeBoard 2021

  • Usually about 2 weeks. Check here for the scheduled score release date for your test.

Information about the SAT

For more info on the SAT, check out our blog posts here about the test and how to best take and prep for it.

The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT Test) is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The test is designed to measure a student’s preparedness for colleges and universities by testing skills in three core areas: Critical Reading, Writing, and Mathematics.

The SAT is a significant determinant in college admission and scholarship decisions. Whether your child struggles with the fundamentals, the “tricks” and testing strategy, the most advanced topics, or simply a lack of testing confidence, our instructors will identify and amend any areas of weakness and enhance areas of strength.

Instead of SAT scores being a soft spot on your child’s academic resume, we will help ensure that these scores reflect and amplify your child’s potential.

A few tips for test day

Be organized and remember to bring a calculator, identification, admission ticket, fresh batteries, a watch, and a high energy snack (see here for what to eat on test day to maximize mental energy).

Get a good night rest and, in the morning, eat a hearty breakfast and double-check that you have everything.

Take the test just like you did practice tests: don’t double-check your answers until you have finished a section (unless you normally do so as you go along, which is rare) and don’t get stuck on difficult questions. If you would skip a question on a practice test, skip it (put down your best guess) on the real test.

Don’t rush. Remember: You’ve prepared for this. You’ve got this.

Hard Workers Always Succeed

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From the Summit Prep Blog