Test prep Needham MA | SAT Prep Needham MA | ACT Prep Needham MA | ISEE Prep Needham MA
Test Prep Needham MA – SAT, ACT, ISEE
Did you know our test prep makes a huge difference in scores? That’s pretty important, because test scores make a huge difference in where you can get into school. Don’t shut yourself out of possibilities – make sure you are sending your absolute best scores when you apply. Our proven system consistently generates scores at least in the 1400s for the SAT, and at least in the low 30s for the ACT. Results vary, of course, but we offer what a lot of providers don’t: a proven track record of results.
In the era of grade inflation, a stellar test score is still the best indication to a selective school that you are one of the best candidates for admissions. Don’t let this vital part of your college admissions portfolio go neglected – relying on “test optional” policies for schools is understandable, but often ends up yielding poor results, as explained below. A great test score can’t hurt you – it can only make you rise to the top. That’s where we can help you shine.
Test Prep Needham MA
SAT Prep Needham MA
SAT Prep Needham MA: our custom curriculum covers the entire test, and our test prep tutors have a history of raising scores by hundreds of points. Yes – we work on all the sections of the test, both the math and the English! Work with us and get a great score!
ACT Prep Needham MA
ACT Prep Needham MA: The ACT is different from the SAT in some subtle ways. For instance, the inclusion of a science section makes it a whole different animal! Fortunately, our experts know both tests inside and out and can help you decide which is better for you!
ISEE Prep Needham MA
ISEE Prep Needham MA: Students who work with us improve by multiple deciles, improving their chances of getting into the school you want. We cover the whole test, making sure you master all topics necessary for this important assessment. If we can identify gaps in your conceptual knowledge, some math tutoring may be in order!
College Essays Needham MA
Of course, another important component to a great college app is making sure you have a wonderful college essay, one that tells your real story. If you’d like a more comprehensive approach to preparing for the college admissions process, we do offer an intensive college coaching program – but if you’d like to just give your college essay a tune-up, we can do that as well!
Test Prep Needham MA | SAT Prep Needham MA | ACT Prep Needham MA | ISEE Prep Needham MA: The Process
Test Prep Needham MA: Step 1
Take A Diagnostic SAT, ACT, or ISEE
We strongly recommend taking a diagnostic test. Although we do not administer diagnostic tests, it’s easy to take an SAT, ACT, or ISEE diagnostic yourself, and we can use the results from that. Have you already taken a diagnostic? Great! Unlike with many other providers, at Strength In Numbers we can utilize a test you have already taken; you can bring us a test you completed yourself, or via Khan Academy or a local diagnostic test provider.
It’s important that the test you take be from an official source of the tests, though – so make sure that if you take an SAT for example, it’s from the College Board, not from a private test prep provider. Often, diagnostic tests from private providers are skewed to be either too difficult (to scare you into thinking you need more help than you do) or too easy (to fool you into thinking you’ve made progress). Go for the real thing.
Test Prep Needham MA: Step 2
Meet with a Test Prep Expert to review your SAT, ACT, or ISEE/SSAT results
Your diagnostic gives you valuable info on how to boost your scores. Our test prep experts help us to identify these areas of improvement. Do you need help in algebra? Having trouble identifying comma splices? Difficulties with reading comprehension? We can identify and address these and many other specific challenges.
Each test has its own specific content areas that are important, which is a big benefit to knowing the tests inside and out. The quantitative section of the middle-level ISEE is very different from the science section of the ACT, which is very different from the reading comprehension section of the SAT, which is different from the… well, you get the picture. Getting results from all of these sections helps us to build a comprehensive picture of your needs and how to make sure you get your best score possible.
Test Prep Needham MA: Step 3
Create a customized SAT prep, ACT prep, or ISEE prep plan based on your diagnostic results
OK, time to get to work! Your test results will indicate your specific needs. The great thing about standardized testing is that it’s incredibly precise – it indicates exactly what you need, which tells us what you need to work on. Standardized testing is complicated, but we make it easy because we understand how to break the tests down into chunks of content and strategy!
Once we figure out what you need to work on, we laser focus on precisely those skills. Each session you work with us, you’ll learn something new, which will be put to work in your homework. The end result is that you end your session with better, sharper skills, which you continue to hone afterwards. How do we know this works? Because we’ve seen dozens of students’ scores go up! All our work is focused on one thing: getting you the BEST score possible. After all, isn’t that what taking a test is about? Ace it!
Test Prep Needham MA: Step 4
Meet with an expert Test Prep Tutor
Our system is proven to raise scores for students who put in the required effort. No reliance on AI systems or other computer-powered, impersonal approaches to education. No, with us you get the old-fashioned, personal approach, customized to your needs and targeted to achieve the best score possible.
People learn best from – get this – people. All the Khan Academy videos in the world aren’t going to get the same results as sitting across a table (or across a tablet!) from an expert and learning the best approaches to a standardized test. The only “school” we do is old-school: getting you one-on-one time with an expert who understands your needs and will take the time to address them.
Our expert tutors will take the results of your diagnostic test and turn them into a customized study plan. This plan, when you work hard at it, will increase your score to your absolute maximum potential. Imagine the smile on your face as you send a college app with a great test score!
Test Prep Needham MA
It’s no secret that getting a great test score is one of the best ways to get into a great school. With competition for spots at great schools getting tougher, and with grade inflation making grades mean less and less, standardized testing is taking a greater role in differentiating great candidates from mediocre ones.
You may have heard that lots of schools are going “test optional.” It’s true – but let’s talk about that for a second. Imagine yourself as the head of a college. Your “test optional” policy means lots more applications, right? And… do you think you’ll admit more students? Your dorms are the same size, your lecture halls are the same size, you have the same number of faculty willing to work with all those icky freshmen… so, in a word, no! You’re going to admit the same number of students.
You’re going to admit the same number of students… but chosen from a larger number of applications. Gee, doesn’t that mean you have a lower admissions rate? And who exactly has lower admissions rates? Oh, that’s right – “exclusive” schools, which are prestigious! Congratulations, Head of College – by making yourself test optional, you’ve just ensured that you can appear more exclusive and prestigious!
This is all a little tongue-in-cheek, but it’s also true. The single most powerful way to set yourself apart from other applicants, even in the era of “test-optional” schools, is and will always be submitting a strong, objective measure of your excellence. Yes, many other dimensions of your application matter, which is why getting a great test score but failing all your subjects and doing no extracurriculars is a terrible idea. But if you want to rise to the top of the pile, it’s still vitally important that you have a great test score.
That’s where we come in. We have helped students raise their SAT scores into the near-perfect ranges. In the world of extremely competitive admissions and high-stakes testing, it’s not worth leaving the results of an important test to chance. With us in your corner, you will get your best possible score, which can open doors to you. Why leave your potential unrealized? Work with us and you can be confident that your score is the best you can achieve!
Test Prep Needham MA: Success Stories
Test Prep Needham MA: Student #1
This student worked with us for a long time, over a year. She was able to achieve an SAT score of over 1400 and got into her top-choice school. Her work with us was over the pandemic, which was a time when most students were falling behind. But our test prep helped her to shine even during that difficult time. She is now thriving in college!
Test Prep Needham MA: Student #2
This student came to us having already scored in the upper 1400s on his SAT, but wanting to close the gap and get the last few points. He was running into a common problem: his diagnostic tests were “bouncy,” meaning that he was getting inconsistent results. This often means that although subject matter command is strong, test results will be sensitive to the specific distribution of topics on THAT version of the test, which is necessarily going to be a little bit random.
Thanks to his diligent work with us, this student was able to get an eventual score in the upper 1500s. He is now succeeding at his top choice school!
Test Prep Needham MA: Student #3
This student came to us with predicted results from another test prep provider, saying that she might score in the upper 900s on her SAT if she worked really hard with them for a number of months. Her intake score was already in the 900s, though! We did one of our favorite things: tossed the prediction out the window and got to work. After addressing some content issues with her – missing subject matter due to remote schooling, which was thankfully reduced thanks to her already being a student in our academic tutoring program! – we got to work with serious test strategies.
The result? She came back with a huge smile on after she scored in the 1200s. Goodbye, pessimistic predictions – hello, excellent score! That’s what it’s all about! She is now thriving at an engineering program in one of her top choice schools.
ACT Prep Needham MA: Student #4
Just one more, we promise – and this one’s a good one. This student came to us scoring in the mid-20s on the ACT, but he knew he could do better. Over the summer, we worked with him and identified multiple areas he needed to improve in. For instance, on the ACT science section, he was relying on his pre-existing science knowledge – which was impressive, to be honest – but didn’t take into account that the test is mostly about how to read and interpret scientific data.
After making this and several other breakthroughs, he was able to clear the path to scoring in the 30s. This was in just a few months! With this score in hand, he was able to gain admissions to one of his top choice schools, and is now well on his way to a fulfilling career.
How Far In Advance Of The Test Should I Start?
This depends on your initial diagnostic results, and how much you’d like to improve. Students with intake SAT scores in the 900-1000 range indicate significant content deficits, which will need to be addressed before moving on to test-taking strategies and “code-cracking.” These students will need several months of help before they begin to improve. Unfortunately, with remote schooling and learning loss, this is the situation with lots of people, but we are here to help. For other situations where the intake score is a little higher, we advise a minimum of 12 sessions to achieve lasting, permanent results.
How Many Times Per Week Should I Work With A Tutor?
During the school year, we usually recommend one meeting per week, so that test prep doesn’t conflict with school. In the summer, twice per week is better. Regardless of when you do your studying, though, it is crucial that you continue to rehearse your test prep skills outside of your sessions – this is when the skills really set in. It’s like anything else: if you put in the time, you can expect to see results. Don’t worry! We give you structured, targeted tasks to make sure you consistently improve and churn out better scores as you work through our curriculum. It’s simple: put in the work and succeed!
How Long Are The Sessions And When Are They Offered?
We have a minimum of one hour for each session, but strongly recommend 1.5 hours per session for quickest improvement. We offer customized scheduling. Most students can see an improvement with a single session per week within a couple of months; more frequent sessions tend to yield results more quickly. If your test is coming up soon, it would be a good idea to book more than one session per week. Especially for seniors coming up to one last administration of the test, it’s important to really get to work and schedule as many sessions as possible. Better to work hard now and reap results than to quail at the effort!
Without Strength in Numbers, I can honestly say I would not be a college graduate right now
What’s the best day to start test prep? Today!
It’s a fact – a great test score is an incredibly important factor in gaining admissions to selective schools. We are the leading local provider of tutoring and test prep for a single reason – we get the best results. Sure, you could trust a smaller provider or use an online program and hope for the best. Or, you could hire the absolute best pros in the business, the people who know standardized tests back to front, inside and out, and can help you crack the code.
We are waiting to help you achieve your potential. Let’s start today, shall we?
