Video: How SAT / ACT Prep is like the Pizza Industry
The most important factor in SAT / ACT prep is the person teaching you.
ACT & SAT Prep Classes and Tutoring in San Diego
Hi, parents! We have three main options to help your kid:
OPTION 1. Our personalized SAT or ACT self-study plan. This is created for you in a live 45-minute session and is based on your unique situation and goals.
This is how we help people who do NOT want to take our group classes or do one-on-one tutoring. Includes weekly email access to Matt or Blake + 3 proctored practice tests.
OPTION 2. Our live SAT and ACT classes.
Each class is limited to just 12 students to keep it fun, interactive, and engaging.
Taking both a "foundation" and a "focus" class is the same exact thing as taking a "complete" class - we just split them up to give people more options.
OPTION 3. One-on-one SAT / ACT tutoring (online via Zoom)
Working one-on-one with a private tutor is the most efficient and effective way to raise your test scores.
To learn more about our SAT / ACT tutors, please click here.
SAT / ACT Customized Study Plan
$195
99 / 99 Remaining
If your kid isn't interested in a class or tutoring with us, we offer customized self-study plans that include weekly email access to one of our tutors. What students need for SAT / ACT prep varies quite a bit, so one-size-fits-all self-study plans don't work very well for many people. We'll recommend study materials and create a complete study plan and schedule for the entire test that is based on your unique situation and goals for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. Bonus: We'll include 3 proctored practice tests (these are on weekends and are online for now via Zoom).
Weekly access to us will help with accountability and also make sure we can adjust the plan to the rapidly changing SAT / ACT landscape these days - tests are going online, etc.
After you sign up, email us with: 1. if you have them, scores on any practice or real tests, 2. your goal score, and 3. what test and test date you're targeting. Then we’ll contact you to schedule a 45-minute phone call, Zoom call, or in-person meeting to create the plan. You'll send your tutor a weekly study report so we can adjust as we go to make sure the plan is working optimally.
Instructor: Matt or Blake
Sign Up
August SAT Complete
$850
7 / 12 Remaining
Through conversation and Matt's expert advice, you'll learn a LOT more about how the SAT is written and about the rules it plays by than if you were studying on your own. He'll cover both concepts and strategies and throw in every tip, trick, and hack he's learned over the past 12 years. Includes all materials + 4 proctored practice tests (held outside of class hours).
Dates: July 21st - August 27th
Time: Tuesdays from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m + Thursdays from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Instructor: Matt Sheelen
Location: Zoom meeting (online)
Register
ACT Complete Class
$850
8 / 12 Remaining
Through conversation and Blake's expert advice, you'll learn a LOT more about how the ACT is written and about the rules it plays by than if you were studying on your own. He'll cover both concepts and strategies and throw in every tip, trick, and hack he's learned over the past 12 years. Includes all materials + 4 proctored practice tests (held outside of class hours).
Dates: July 28th - September 10th
Time: 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm (Monday/Wednesday)
Instructor: Blake Jensen
Location: Zoom meeting (online)
Register
September / October SAT Complete
$850
10 / 12 Remaining
Through conversation and Matt's expert advice, you'll learn a LOT more about how the SAT is written and about the rules it plays by than if you were studying on your own. He'll cover both concepts and strategies and throw in every tip, trick, and hack he's learned over the past 12 years. Includes all materials + 4 proctored practice tests (held outside of class hours).
Dates: August 1st - September 19th (SKIPS 8/27, 8/29 and 9/5)
Time: Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Instructor: Matt Sheelen
Location: Zoom meeting (online)
Register
ABOUT OUR SAT / ACT CLASSES
What Will This Class Cover?
"Complete" classes cover ALL parts of the test. "Foundation" classes build skills and strategies, and "Focus" classes sharpen those skills for a particular test date. Taking both a "Foundation" and a "Focus" class is the same thing as taking a "Complete" class.
Through conversation and our expert advice, you'll learn a LOT more about how the test is written and about the rules it plays by than if you were studying on your own. We'll cover both concepts and strategies and throw in every tip, trick, and hack we've learned over the years.
Here Are a Few of the Takeaways:
- All math concepts explained in plain English
- How to precisely prove answers for vocab and reading passages
- A thorough understanding of tested grammar concepts
- How to deal with tricky critical reasoning questions
- How to make sure you're ready to write great essays
- How to develop good technique and strategy for verbal and math questions
- How to squeeze the most value out of practice questions
- How to effectively study outside of class
- How to decipher the test's patterns, logic, and rules
- How to analyze your practice tests and make better test-taking decisions
Everything we do is designed to maximize your test-day performance and your score.
What Makes Your Classes Different?
Long answer: Does your hairdresser do your taxes?
Short answer: We've been doing this for many years.
Test prep is not a common career, so most test prep teachers are working part-time while they finish grad school or look for a "normal" job in their field of interest.
Once these instructors move on, the company hires more newbies and the cycle repeats. This is why most companies and universities don't tell you who's teaching their classes.
What Are Former Students Saying?
Check out our reviews on Yelp and Google. We have more 5-star reviews than any other local test prep company.
Who Should Not Take A Class?
SAT / ACT: If you already have a 1430+ / 32+ on an official practice test or real test, first of all - nice job, dude. One-on-one tutoring is going to be more efficient and effective to help you get those last few points.
Registration Form
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San Diego SAT and ACT Tutoring
In our view, the most important question for parents to ask is this:
"Who will be the person teaching my kid?"
Our competitors hire college students, train them, and give them a fixed curriculum to teach. We hire long-time tutors (average experience: 9 years) and trust them to adapt the tutoring to the student. One-on-one tutoring, with us, is completely customized to you and your needs.
Look for each tutor's location and pricing in their bio.
Vince Kotchian
Vince: I grew up in small-town Connecticut and completed the honors program at Boston College, graduating with a B.A. in English Literature. I moved to San Diego in 2007, and I’ve been working full-time as a test-prep tutor ever since. Along the way, I've written some test-prep books and courses, but I still enjoy tutoring, even after 11 years. When a student texts me that she aced the test or got into her reach school, I still literally jump up and down and grin.
In my spare time, I like traveling using miles and points (Japan is our favorite country to visit), reading (favorite authors include Haruki Murakami, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and Philip Pullman), watching The Great British Bake-Off (and sometimes actually baking things), hiking and camping, and rooting for the Red Sox and Patriots. I live in the Kensington neighborhood with my hilarious wife and our crazy cat.
To inquire about working with Vince for SAT or ACT tutoring, please email us and include any official practice or real test scores (if you have any), and your goal score, along with any other information you think is relevant. Vince meets students in his Sorrento Valley office, his Mission Valley office, or online via Zoom.
Matt: I am originally from Hopkinton, Massachusetts - the start of the historic Boston Marathon. I went to college at Northwestern University, where I graduated with a degree in Theatre. After college, I wised up and moved to the warmer coast. I worked in Los Angeles for many years as a full-time SAT / ACT tutor and part-time arts educator.
I have been tutoring for over 10 years and have spent thousands of hours helping students improve their scores. Recently, I moved to San Diego after getting a M.A. in Education from Stanford University, and I currently work as a credentialed classroom teacher.
When I’m not working, I enjoy good books, performing improv comedy, surfing, watching Game of Thrones, and enjoying the charms of San Diego. I live in North Park, where I love to get out and take advantage of all the delicious food in the area. I am also a huge Boston sports fan - the Patriots, Red Sox, and Celtics are my favorite teams. I usually have something in common with every student - my interests are really diverse!
SAT / ACT tutoring with Matt is $200 an hour ($180 / hour for 10 or more hours). He meets with students in North Park, or online, and specializes in helping students set and achieve ambitious score goals.
Matt also teaches most of our live SAT classes.
Matt Sheelen
Blake Jensen
Blake: I’m a native San Diegan, father, and an aficionado of basketball, vintage video games, pitchy karaoke, and lecturing my son on how much better Star Wars was "back in the day." I played college basketball at St. Mary’s College and Whittier College, where I earned my B.A. in Psychology in 2002.
Having been a full-time test prep coach for over 13 years, I have seen just about every type of student and tutoring situation. This allows me to give my students exactly what they need to reach their goals.
My years of experience have also led me to coach my students a little differently than most. A lot of test prep revolves around how to answer a question. While that is a necessary component, identifying what is needed to answer a question is at least as important, especially for timed tests like the SAT and ACT. I show my students how to look at the test the way I do, to the patterns and tendencies of the tests to make them faster and more accurate.
Though I still work with students of all types, these days I tend to specialize in students with ambitious score goals.
SAT / ACT tutoring with Blake is $249 / hour (or $224 / hour for 10 or more hours).
He meets people in his Rancho Santa Fe office or online via Zoom.
Blake also teaches some of our live SAT and ACT classes.
Kaitlin Douglass
Kaitlin: I am originally from Amarillo, TX, where I developed a love of BBQ, country music, and beautiful sunsets (I can still get about 2 out of 3 of these things in San Diego).
I attended the University of Pennsylvania, and received a B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering with minors in Spanish and Nanotechnology. I realized that after seeing tumbleweeds in Texas and snowstorms in Philadelphia, it was time to see the beach a bit more! After a summer of backpacking around the world, I decided to make the leap into teaching. I have now been teaching for six years and have my California teaching credential in chemistry. I have worked at High Tech High Chula Vista, La Jolla Country Day School, and I’m currently teaching at another private school. My passion is making chemistry relevant to my students, and especially connecting my curriculum to current environmental issues.
At the same time I started teaching, I began tutoring the SAT and ACT. I use my knowledge of classroom teaching to infuse my tutoring sessions with strategies for students to help improve their scores. I love helping students do well on these tests so that they can shine in other areas of their college applications. I never want a test score to limit a student from their potential dreams and goals.
SAT / ACT tutoring with Kaitlin is $175 per hour ($157.50 / hour for 10 or more hours).
She meets students in her Sorrento Valley office or online.