ACT & SAT tutors in San Diego
Working one-on-one with a private tutor is the most efficient and effective way to raise your SAT or ACT score. It's a completely customized experience - we tailor our program to each student.
Blake Jensen and Matt Sheelen each have over 15 years of experience helping students raise their scores. You can email, text or call either of them directly via our contact page.
SAT and ACT Prep Classes
Competitive colleges are harder to get into than ever, but you probably realize a great SAT or ACT score isn't just going to happen without a smart study plan and some targeted instruction. We're happy to help your kid learn how to handle these tricky tests and make it more likely that their scores reflect their spark, so they have more college admissions and scholarship opportunities.
With the right kind of instruction, the SAT / ACT prep process can be efficient and effective, even for kids with LD/ADHD, or test anxiety, or for those who are bad test-takers. We're old hands at this stuff, and our many years of experience have taught us what works and what doesn't, so you can get the test over with and move on with the rest of high school.
Most of our SAT and ACT students are juniors and seniors, but we sometimes work with sophomores if there's a good reason for them to take the test(s) during sophomore year. Our process includes helping you figure out whether the SAT or the ACT is better for you, since ALL colleges take both tests.
Digital SAT vs. ACT: which test should you take?
Most students just need a practical answer based on how they actually perform.
Here’s the quick breakdown:
The Digital SAT (College Board)
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Two sections: Reading & Writing + Math
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Total time: 2 hours, 14 minutes
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The test is built around shorter reading passages, and it’s designed to be more efficient than the old paper SAT.
The ACT (ACT, Inc.)
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The ACT has been rolling out changes that make the test more flexible and less time-consuming, including optional science (and optional writing).
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There’s also a growing push toward more flexible online options.
How we help you decide: We start with reality. A full, authentic diagnostic test for each is the gold standard. Beware of hybrid tests that purport to combine an SAT and ACT into one convenient diagnostic - it won't be accurate.
What SAT / ACT tutoring with us looks like (week to week)
Tutoring shouldn’t feel like, “We meet, we do some questions, and everyone hopes for the best.”
A typical rhythm looks like this:
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We diagnose fast. Not just what your student misses, but why they miss it (timing, process, concept gaps, careless errors, panic, etc.).
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You get a plan that’s actually doable. Weekly assignments that fit school + sports + life.
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Every session has a point. We fix a specific weakness, practice it the right way, and make sure it sticks.
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We don’t let review be lazy. Most score plateaus come from doing a lot of work… with weak review.
If your student is motivated, this process is efficient. If they’re not motivated, we’ll still help—but we’re going to be honest about what’s realistic.
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Meet our SAT tutors Meet our ACT tutors
Where We Meet
Carmel Valley
12625 High Bluff Dr. #113, San Diego, CA 92130 (directions)
We are located near the corner of Del Mar Heights Rd. and High Bluff Drive in North County San Diego. Go down the stairs into the courtyard, and Blake's office is in the back right corner. Blake offers SAT and ACT tutoring in-person at this office.
Both Matt and Blake offer SAT / ACT tutoring via Zoom as well.
Areas we commonly work with (San Diego County)
We work with families throughout San Diego County including: Del Mar, La Jolla, Scripps Ranch, Poway, Carmel Valley, and Rancho Santa Fe - and we also work with students online across the U.S. / worldwide.
Video: How SAT / ACT Prep is like the Pizza Industry
The “pizza” point
SAT / ACT prep has a lot of options, and most of them look impressive on the surface.
The problem is that a lot of prep is built to feel productive (tons of content, endless drills, flashy dashboards)… while the student keeps making the same mistakes.
What actually moves scores is simpler:
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Use realistic material. You can’t train on third-party material and expect it to transfer perfectly.
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Track patterns in mistakes. Your student’s score increase is hiding in the questions they keep getting wrong for the same reason.
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Build timing skill on purpose. Timing is knowing what to skip, what to guess on, and what to slow down for.
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Practice the right way, then review well. Review is where learning happens.
- Use an artisan, not a dilettante or a jack-of-all-trades. Experience matters.
FAQ
Our central goal is helping your (child/student/loved one) succeed on a very important test, and we structure everything around that. We help you find the best test for you, help you assess where you are scoring right now, and help you create and execute a plan to get to your score goals.
Blake meets people in person in our Carmel Valley location! He, like the rest of us, can also meet via Zoom.
Most students should prep for one test at a time. We’ll usually recommend starting with whichever test best fits the student’s strengths and timeline, then only adding the other test if there’s a clear reason.
A good rule of thumb is 12 weeks before an official test date if your student can reliably do weekly homework. If they’re busy (sports, APs, etc.), starting earlier makes everything less stressful.
Yes. Blake can meet in Carmel Valley or on Zoom, and Matt works with students via Zoom.
Our sessions are 60 - 90 minutes each, once to twice a week. Our programs are meant to fit the student, not the other way around: we tailor the program to each student's unique situation after a detailed assessment. Here are a couple of sample programs:
1. begin about 3 months from the test, meet once a week for 90 minute sessions, with about 1-3 hours of homework total for the week.
2. begin about 2 months before the test, meet twice a week for 60 minute sessions, with about 2-4 hours of homework total for the week.
Often 2 real attempts is a good target if prep is done well. Endless retakes are usually a sign that the study plan is unfocused.
Yes. Many of our students have LD/ADHD or test anxiety. It’s all about building a prep process that reduces panic: predictable routines, repeatable strategies, and timed practice.
Here's the latest concordance table.
We will put your student's success first. We will communicate successes and issues with you. If you have questions or concerns, we will deal with them promptly.
We work closely with some great consultants if you'd like help with college admissions. Let us know if you'd like a referral.
What we focus on (by section)
Digital SAT Reading & Writing
This section rewards students who can read precisely and make clean decisions—without overthinking.
Common fixes we make:
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how to stop falling for “sounds right” answers
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grammar rules that actually show up a lot (and the ones that don’t)
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passage questions where the student understands… but still picks the trap answer
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vocabulary-in-context and logic questions that feel subjective until someone shows you the pattern
SAT Math
Many students' problems stem from these four areas:
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careless errors and messy setups
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not recognizing the fastest path
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getting stuck too long on hard questions
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shaky foundations that only show up under time pressure (algebra, functions, word problems)
ACT English
This is the most coachable section for a lot of students:
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rules + repetition + speed
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we focus on the rules that come up constantly
ACT Math / Reading / Science (if your student takes it)
ACT success is often about pacing and decisions:
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when to move on
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how to stay accurate at speed
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how to avoid spending two minutes on a problem worth one point