I am an admissions testing expert, a nationally recognized college admissions policy wonk, and an entrepreneur of the week and 40 under 40 award winner. My expertise doesn’t come from credentials or brand affiliations but instead has been earned through years of work examining standardized testing from every imaginable angle: test taker, College Board proctor, teacher, tutor, trainer, program developer, test prep company founder, researcher, author, and policy advocate. I have launched companies, consulted with universities, developed dozens of preparation programs for more than ten different high-stakes tests, trained hundreds of instructors, and successfully tutored thousands of students. Most importantly, I have spent decades learning about tests from every angle possible and helping thousands helping thousands of students achieve success on every standardized test from the APGAR to the LSAT.
My observations on access and education has influenced the testing and education conversation from the dregs of the internet to the college lectern to Capitol Hill. Not only did my commentary in Netflix’s Operation Varsity Blues documentary make Buzzfeed’s top moments and fuel public discourse, but my work consulting with the production team helped the film reach the top of Netflix’s ratings. I am a frequent contributor to education coverage, with his insights appearing in hundreds of articles, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Word In Black, Inside Higher Ed and Vanity Fair. Epitomizing my engagement with a wide audience and provoke important shifts in the conversation, my coinage, “highly rejective college,” has been entered into the Congressional record, inspired blogs, mentioned in popular TedTalks, written in nearly every major paper, whispered at the water cooler, and even added to the Urban Dictionary. My most important accomplishment is that every year I use my acquired knowledge to help dozens of students maximize their performance and achieve their best personal scores.
Tutoring
Tutoring is generally optimized with weekly one-on-one meetings for the weeks leading up to the test. My approach to tutoring is to address all knowledge, familiarity, and strategy deficits through focused instruction during lessons. Most early lessons focus on ensuring that the student has command of the knowledge (rules, formulas, terms) tested on the exam and add strategy as is necessary. Later lessons focus on strategy and practice. Each lesson is followed by detailed homework assignments to provide efficient and targeted practice. Depending on what skills a student most needs to improve, the number of total tutoring hours necessary to prepare for a test, the weeks of lead time before a first official test, and even the duration of sessions will vary.
Here are a few rough guidelines and estimates about tutoring for most standardized tests:
– It’s best to start preparing at least 3 months before the test
– Sessions are usually 1.5 hours per week
– Each meeting is followed by 2 – 4 hours of homework per week
– Most materials are included
– A reasonable jump in score takes 10 – 20 hours of tutoring
Rates
My tutoring rate is billed hourly (not by the session). My standard hourly rate is $400 per hour but depending on test type and a few other factors can be as lower (sometimes as low as $250 per hour). My rate reflects my 30 years of experience and study across more than dozen different tests. I’m a specialist and expert and the rate and results tend to reflect that.
But not everyone needs my level of expertise or can afford my rate. If you my rates are beyond your means here are several other tutors who I know are great tutors either because I trained them or have collaborated with them:
- Bell Curves has a team of highly experienced tutors. Contact support@bellcurves.com
- Roberto Colon is based in Puerto Rico and works really well with Spanish speaking and international students. roberto@topscore.today
- Shuyinthia Hembry is based in DC and is an amazingly supportive and patient tutor. butterflyworksdc.com
If you’d like to talk , please feel free to send a message or schedule a meeting
Bellowings 