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Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ’s
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My SAT scores improved drastically with the help of
FAQ’s |
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| When Should I Sign Up for Excel Tutoring? | |
| How Long Are the Tutoring Sessions? | |
| How Many Hours of Tutoring Will I Need? | |
| How Far in Advance Do I Need to Schedule My Excel College Prep Tutoring Appointments? | |
| Where Does the Tutoring Take Place? | |
| How Much Homework Will I Have? | |
| What Range of SAT Score Improvements Can I Expect? | |
| Does Excel Offer a Score Increase Guarantee? | |
| Does Excel Offer Group Tutoring? | |
| Does Excel Offer Tutoring Services in Addition to SAT/ACT Prep? | |
| How Many Times Should I Take the SAT? | |
| What SAT Score Will I Need to Get into My University of Choice? | |
| Do Schools Look at My Overall Score or at Each Section Individually? | |
| Will Colleges See All of My Test Scores From Each Sitting? | |
| After I Take the Test, Can I Get My Questions and Answers Back So I Can Look Them Over Before Retaking the Test? | |
| Do all schools look at the Writing section? | |
| How Is the ACT Different From the SAT? | |
| What are SAT Subject Tests? | |
| Do all schools require them? | |
| What are they scored out of? | |
| When should I take them? | |
| What is the PSAT? | |
| When do I take it? | |
| When Should I Sign Up for Excel Tutoring? | |
| We recommend that students begin prep at least three months before taking the test, meeting once per week. This allows for about 12 sessions prior to the test. Excel advises juniors to take the test as early as fall for practice, but realistically most juniors will score higher on the test if they take it the latter half of their junior year. You should call us as soon as you decide to prep for the test. You do not to know your specific tutoring schedule, but reserving a tutor early is a good idea. | |
| How Long Are the Tutoring Sessions? | |
| Excel’s tutoring sessions last approximately one hour. Our experience has shown us that most students lose interest or do not perform at their highest level after more than one hour of tutoring. However, there are some students who can handle longer sessions and we are happy to accommodate those students with longer appointments. | |
| How Many Hours of Tutoring Will I Need? | |
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Every student is different. Our tutors will assess your needs at our initial meeting. However, most of our students looking for comprehensive prep work with their tutors for somewhere between 10-15 hours. |
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| How Far in Advance Do I Need to Schedule My Excel College Prep Tutoring Appointments? | |
| You should contact Excel College Prep as soon as you know you are taking the ACT or SAT. Some students need more or less prep time, but allow time for twelve weeks of tutoring. Call us a month prior to your first test prep session and we will reserve a tutor for you beginning at the appropriate time. Need Excel in less than a month? No worries, last minute appointments do open up and we will do our best to accommodate your schedule. We also offer a “crash course” for incoming seniors that can be booked as available during August. | |
| Where Does the Tutoring Take Place? | |
| Our tutors are available throughout Orange County and parts of LA County. They can work with students at their home or in another agreed upon meeting place, such as a library or coffee house. | |
| How Much Homework Will I Have? | |
| Students should expect to spend a minimum of one hour per week on SAT/ACT prep. However, each student is different and has different goals. Excel College Prep recognizes that students have many academic obligations with their high school course loads. Balance is the key to success. Our experienced tutors will assign an appropriate amount of homework for each individual. | |
| What Range of SAT Score Improvements Can I Expect? | |
| There is no limit to what any individual student can accomplish. Score increases depend on how focused a student is with his Excel tutor, how diligent a student is about doing homework, and how many hours of test prep a student completes. Score increases also depend on a student’s starting scores; according to College Board statistics, higher scores are harder to raise than lower scores because there is less room for improvement. Each student is different but, in general, a diligent student who attends ten or fewer sessions with Excel can expect score increases in the 150 to 200 point range, a diligent student who attends 15 hours with Excel can expect a 200-300 point increase, and diligent students who attend more than 20 hours with Excel may see gains of over 300 points. | |
| Does Excel Offer a Score Increase Guarantee? | |
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Excel College Prep stands behind our test prep tutors but we do not offer any guarantees on score increases. Raising ACT & SAT scores depends on many factors, some of which are out of our control such as a student’s focus on homework assignments, missed tutoring sessions, illness on test day, or other unplanned events. |
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| Does Excel Offer Group Tutoring? | |
| Excel College Prep feels that the single most effective way to prep for the SAT/ACT is with one on one tutoring so we do not offer pre-arranged group or classroom style tutoring other than Excel's SAT Crash Course for students who do not have the time or resources for individual prep. However, if a client wishes to put a group of five or fewer students together who have similar schedule availability and a similar SAT/ACT level of achievement, our tutors are available upon request. Please contact us for assistance. | |
| Does Excel Offer Tutoring Services in Addition to SAT/ACT Prep? | |
| Subject Test prep, writing, college admissions essay assistance, and subject tutoring is available. Please contact us for prices. | |
| How Many Times Should I Take the SAT? | |
| It depends on the student. Most students applying to competitive universities take the SAT two or three times. Studies have shown that students often earn higher scores once they have experience and are familiar with the length and content of the test. Excel Prep offers each student the opportunity to take proctored, practice SAT’s in a classroom setting so students can measure their progress and gain confidence in their SAT skills. The College Board has statistics on average score increases based on a student’s particular score in each section. | |
| What SAT Score Will I Need to Get into My University of Choice? | |
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Admissions change every year. Click here to view a partial list of universities and the SAT scores and GPA’s of students admitted for Fall 2009. |
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| Do Schools Look at My Overall Score or at Each Section Individually? | |
| Most schools look at each section individually. Although you may like to look at your combined score out of 2400, most schools will ask for your Critical Reading, Math, and Writing scores individually. Some schools “super score” your SAT results. That means they take the highest score from each section (even if the scores are from different sittings or test dates) and add the sections together to get the highest possible composite score. At this time, the UC’s do not super score so the highest score you can get will be a combination of the scores of your three sections from one single test date. | |
| Will Colleges See All of My Test Scores From Each Sitting? | |
| Beginning in March 2009, colleges will only see whichever SAT scores you specifically release to them. ACT scores are already handled in this way. This means you can take the test as many times as you want without suffering any negative repercussions from admissions officers. Note: Some high schools include every test score on the high school transcript; you can choose to not have your scores automatically reported to your high school or you can ask your high school to remove unwanted test scores from the transcript prior to sending it out to colleges. Ask the guidance counselor at your school before you take any tests. | |
| After I Take the Test, Can I Get My Questions and Answers Back So I Can Look Them Over Before Retaking the Test? | |
| Yes, you can order your answer choices from any SAT test you take. HOWEVER, the College Board only releases the actual test you took three times a year, in October, January, and May. If you took one of those tests, you can order your questions and answers. The cost of this service is $18.00. It is extremely helpful to have this information so you can see exactly what you need to work on before retaking the SAT. Excel College Prep STRONGLY recommends that all juniors take advantage of this service in their junior year. Excel feels that the ability to review your questions and answers is a valuable learning tool that helps students attain higher scores when retaking the SAT. | |
| Do All Schools Look at the Writing Section? | |
| No, not all the schools look at the writing section. The UC schools count it just as much as math and reading. Some Ivy League schools count it too, but many schools still only look at the Critical Reading and Math scores | |
| How Is the ACT Different From the SAT? | |
| The ACT is five sections: English, Math, Reading, Science, Essay. It is about 4 hours long. There is no guessing penalty on the ACT, however the sections have many questions in a short amount of time, so you may run out of time. Also, there is a lot of reading on the ACT. The science section does not test science knowledge as much as the reading of science material. Strong readers tend to score higher on the ACT. Students who are weaker in Math tend to score higher on the ACT. College Board has a chart comparing SAT and ACT scores for anyone who wishes to see what their equivalent scores are. You can get more information about the ACT at www.actstudent.org. | |
| What are SAT Subject Tests? | |
| SAT Subject tests, formerly known as SAT II’s, are one hour long tests given in various subjects including: Literature, Math, World History, US History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, etc. | |
| Do All Schools Require Them? | |
| Some of the Ivy League schools require 2 or 3 tests. Most state schools do not require the SAT Subject tests. The UC Board of Regents has recently voted to drop the SAT Subject test requirement for applicants who will be attending college beginning in fall of 2012. Schools who do require SAT Subject tests will require 2 tests from different disciplines. For example, you could not give them Biology and Physics or Spanish and French. | |
| What Are They Scored Out of? | |
| Each of the Subject Tests is scored out of 800. | |
| When should I take them? | |
| The Subject Tests are usually taken at the end of sophomore or junior year; May or June is ideal. They are designed to be taken at the end of a course. It is especially helpful if you have taken a corresponding AP course, as it provides you preparation for a subject test. | |
| What is the PSAT? When do I take it? | |
| The PSAT is a short version of the SAT. It gives you an idea of where you stand as far as SAT scores go. It is five sections: two Math, two Critical Reading, and one Grammar. There is no essay on the PSAT. You can take the PSAT as a freshman, sophomore, and junior if you want. It is administered through your school. As a junior, your scores are counted toward National Merit Scholar, which gives you opportunities for scholarships. Both National Merit and some university merit scholarships are based on scores from the junior year PSAT. Some schools offer the highest scorers (National Merit Semi-Finalists) automatic half or full tuition scholarships. For example, USC offers an automatic half tuition scholarship for all admitted National Merit Semi-Finalists. It is worth prepping to do your very best on the junior year PSAT! | |
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