For twelve years I taught SAT and ACT prep to small and large groups as well as one-on-one. There is no question that one-on-one achieves the biggest gains in the shortest amount of time, but why?
Working one-on-one, the tutor doesn't waste time going over unnecessary material. A student basically needs to learn four or five skills/subjects for the test: advanced reading comprehension, the various math problem types, grammar rules, science graphs and tables (ACT only), and basic reasoning, or logic.
Regarding logic, Why this evidence and not that? Why this word and not that? What is the most efficient way to solve a certain type of math problem? What kind of thinking do you cultivate for the hardest questions? (Simple and direct is the key.) The best way to teach these tests, I've found, is to focus on one skill at a time for each of the sections. Practice the skill, refine it, and your score goes up. Thus, the skill work is best taught and best learned one-on-one.
Specific information is crucial for doing well on the test: which four dozen math problems come up over and over? Which grammar rules appear most often? What's the best way to study for the reading test?
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 some of the time). How does a tutor make the time go quickly? One strategy is to approach the test as if it were a puzzle or game. A student who relaxes learns faster.
Finally, 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 read links here or call for a free consultation.
Bill Jackson, MFA
#301-229-2602