For twelve years I taught SAT and ACT prep to small and large groups as well as one-on-one. Test prep classes are fine and can help boost your score, but they can't compare with one-on-one prep.
There are five or six subjects, or skills, a student needs for either the SAT or ACT: advanced reading comprehension, math through precalculus, puzzle problems, grammar and editing rules, basic reasoning, and, for the ACT, how to read science graphs and tables. That's it. In an hour session, one-on-one, I go over most or all missed questions from the previous week's homework. I see where a student needs help. Together we review a handful of reading, writing, and math skills specific to that week's problems. There is a progression from easy questions to hard. In my opinion, you can't do this process efficiently for more than one person at a time.
In a class you'll spend time going over other people's questions or general material that is not helpful for your test.
Imagine having a conversation in which you go into detail about every question you miss. What unit in math do you need to review? Learn it today, in detail, and get those problems right on the test. Often, you need to see an advanced question or problem a few times in order to answer it correctly, so follow-up and review are essential.
Regarding the reading, Why this evidence and not that? Why this word and not that? Teaching comprehension is done by asking a series of leading questions and this kind of teaching is best done one-on-one.
What kind of thinking do you cultivate for the test? (Being direct is the key: find the evidence in a passage, or the piece of given information in the math problem, and answer the question). What's the best way to improve on the reading? By doing comprehension work, slowly at first and then according to the allotted time.
Specific information is also crucial for doing well on the test: what are the four dozen math problems you need to know? The two dozen grammar rules?
In addition, the best way to teach these tests, I've found, is to focus on one or two basic techniques for each section. For example, on the reading: what is the main idea in one sentence in your own words? Sounds simple enough, but the devil is in the details! Practice all of the techniques, refine them, and your scores go up, often dramatically.
Good tutoring also means finding ways to motivate. A tutor pushes some students while helping others to relax. All the while, sessions have to be fun--at least a little! How does a tutor make the time go quickly? One strategy is to approach the test as if it were a game or puzzle.
Finally, individual test prep offers the opportunity to teach time management, for the test and for life, and to manage stress by visualizing test day, just as any speaker or performer would visualize a speech or performance. My approach then is to teach skills, a number of which are helpful beyond test day. Take a moment to explore links here or call for a free consultation.
Bill Jackson, MFA
#301-229-2602