SAT Information

The SAT and How To Prepare For It: Our Take

Why Take the SAT?

Like the IQ test after which it was originally modeled, the SAT test has been subject to a great deal of controversy over the years. Supporters of the test - very often people who did very well on it - argue that the SAT provides a useful measure of certain fundamental intellectual skills. (Here's what the College Board, the test's creator, claims that it measures.) Detractors, on the other hand, denounce the test for being biased and irrelevant.
To judge by the evidence, admissions committees at American universities lean toward the former view. With some notable exceptions, the majority of selective colleges use SAT scores to help determine who gets in and who doesn't. And that, in the end, is what matters. For the time being, the road to a good college usually passes through this peculiar test.

Why is the SAT peculiar?

The SAT is unlike any other test that one takes in high school. It is abnormal in length, distinct in format, and unusual in terms of subject matter. (Our SAT Fact Sheet gives a brief outline of the test's structure and composition.) The consequences - real and imagined - attached to the results can also make the SAT a uniquely stressful experience.

Fortunately, in spite of its strangeness - and in many ways, because of it - there is a great deal one can do to prepare effectively for this rite of passage. Our team of skilled coaches provides SAT tutoring tailored to the needs of every student.

Why are all SAT courses alike?

It is common practice for test-prep books and centers to boast of special tricks and exclusive, "available-only-here" strategies. These claims should be met with skepticism. Virtually all effective SAT test prep courses and training programs teach pretty much the same thing. The same fundamental strategies, together with vocab-study and practice testing, form the basis of every SAT preparation program out there (except for the very bad ones).

That is not to say that there is no difference between one preparation program and the next.

Why are some SAT coaches better than others?

What distinguishes premier SAT coaching/tutors from those of the more ordinary variety is their ability to effectively communicate with their students. In addition to having mastered the time-proven, fundamental techniques that form the basis of every prep course, premium SAT tutors understand how to transmit their knowledge to each and every student. They know what it takes to make Emily become a better guesser, Jason to get through the reading-comprehension passages more quickly, and Maria to substitute numbers for variables more effectively in the math section. Expert test-takers themselves, the coaches know how to ease the anxieties and hone the skills of every individual they teach. When students eventually sit down to take the test, they can expect to perform at personal peak levels.

The SAT coaches at Brownstone Tutors have all demonstrated a consistent ability to bring the best out of the students they prepare. Chosen from a wide field of candidates, they possess that rare combination of test-taking savvy and test-teaching skill that is the hallmark of premier SAT tutors. Check out some of their bios here.