Breaking the Mold of SAT Test Prep

We are frequently asked: “Test prep teaches kids how to take a test, but is it really helping them get ready for college?” More an accusation than a question, wouldn’t you say?

Sure, being proficient at taking standardized tests will serve students well throughout life, but there is a lot more to succeeding at college than knowing your way around a bubble sheet. Traditional test prep adds points but lacks substance.

We started MasteryPrep to break the traditional test prep mold. Our goal was to become the “Un-Prep,” and we accomplished this when we released our flagship ACT prep curriculum, ACT Mastery, which we’re taking to a new level with the upcoming release of SAT Mastery.

What’s different? The key is how we handle content. It’s right there in the name. Traditional test prep reviews content. It assumes that students have forgotten key content and need a refresher.

The truth is that students never really mastered the content to begin with, at least not to the level of rigor expected on the SAT.

Traditional test prep gives a paragraph for each major content area and a couple practice questions. MasteryPrep gives each content area an entire scaffolded lesson wrapped with fifteen practice questions in isolation. Only with this many at-bats do students actually have a shot at learning something.

Traditional test prep focuses on the toughest, trickiest questions and caters to high-scoring, affluent students. MasteryPrep gradually builds rigor, and in so doing, builds the confidence and competence of students traditionally left behind.

Traditional test prep yields empty points. MasteryPrep develops essential academic skills and puts students in position to truly succeed in college.