“With Mr. Gold’s help I managed to get a golden SAT score!!! My SAT score increased from a 1630 to a 1970!” —Tia Z, high school student (when the test was out of 2400; the 1970 got her into Rice!)
Schedule: This is a 6-week course that meets twice per week, 1.5 hours each session.
Format: Lecture to cover concepts, with lots of class interaction and individual practice during class. No grading; homework is optional but recommended.
Cost: $350 per person for a group class of 4 or more students; $1080 for one-on-one tutoring.
Payment options: Payments can be made via PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, cash, or check.
Materials: Pencil, paper, and a graphing calculator. (The SAT calculator policy is here: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/taking-the-test/calculator-policy) We’ll use free worksheets on the Internet for homework and supplements. No text, but a book like The Official SAT Study Guide or Barron’s SAT Study Guide is recommended.
For more details or to schedule a class, contact Michael by phone at 281-770-2276 or by email at michaelgold@goldams.com.
“My son really enjoyed this instructor. He was knowledgeable and had great presentation skills. He also include a ton of information in follow up emails which was helpful.” –Ellen, parent, about the Outschool class “SAT Test Prep!,” 19 Jul 2020
Class Description.
Conquering the SAT is about knowing your stuff, and knowing how to do it quickly and accurately (knowing “tricks” and “short cuts,” as some might say). So we’ll go over the math, reading, and writing concepts that are tested, as well as learning some test techniques and strategies.
In this 6-week course, meeting three hours per week, students will do a lot of work in class. I’ll provide minimal — but sufficient! — instruction, just what students need to get the idea and run with it. So they should be prepared to use their pencil, paper, calculator, brain, and mind! This will be very much a practical class: some instruction, some discussion, some Q&A, lots of work.
If needed and desired, I will give students some supplemental work, on a class or an individual basis.
Be prepared to learn! And remember that studying for the SAT is not like studying for a typical test, or even for a final exam. The SAT covers your entire academic career, and is supposed to test “college readiness.” So studying well for the test takes more time and effort.
Tentative schedule:
Week 1: SAT structure and format; basic test strategies; what kind of improvement is possible; planning for what your colleges want; algebra review; basic grammar; SAT reading basics
Week 2: geometry review; math techniques/tricks/tips; basic grammar; SAT reading basics, marking a reading, staying focused
Week 3: algebra review; math techniques/tricks/tips; grammar and writing; reading, questioning, and using the answers
Week 4: data analysis review; math techniques/tricks/tips; grammar and writing; reading and thinking
Week 5: algebra review; math techniques/tricks/tips; working the SAT writing section; reading practice; fundamental factors of success, fundamental factors that affect your test performance and score: logic, sleep, exercise, breathing, diet/nutrition, etc.
Week 6: harder math problems; math techniques/tricks/tips; working the SAT writing section; SAT reading practice
“I wanted to thank you for all the help you’ve given Zach. … [Next year at college] he will be taking calculus. So, you probably will have to be tutoring him or hopefully will tutor him in the fall. Thanks for all your help this past year. Zach would not have passed precalculus at all or done near as well on his SAT or ACT test without your help.” –Cindy Q, parent of a high school student
Lauren P made a 1220 on the combined math and reading sections of the January 2015 SAT. She earned the score she needed — to get a $10K scholarship! Even better: it was$10K per year! She was paid well for her efforts. That’s on top of some scholarship money she already had. She and her parents had a very high ROI: she made a great deal more money than her parents invested in tutoring. Put in less than $1000, get out $40,000. Wow!
“Thank you again for your efforts and wonderful tutoring for both the SAT and ACT prep classes. I think the benefits reach far beyond good scores on standardized tests. I believe the skills you teach and emphasize have a tremendous impact on our kiddos critical thinking as well. You are greatly appreciated by our family!” –Michelle F, mother of high school student
“My son is a 9th grader so this class was a little early for him and might have been better in a year (but that was my fault). Still, my son was engaged throughout the whole class. I felt the class gave an excellent overview to SATs and taught some tips and tricks of how to go quickly and do better overall. I’m glad he took it and think it helped.” –Jennifer W., parent, about the Outschool class “SAT Test Prep!,” 25 May 2020
In 10 hourly sessions over 2 1/2 months, a student, DL, I tutored for the SAT took his score from an 890 to an 1190. That is a 300-point improvement! He went from 410 in reading/writing and 480 in math to a 630 in reading/writing and a 560 in math. All in only 10 sessions — and assigned work I had him to on his own.