Do you have a teenager and want to know more about SAT or ACT prep? Recently, my 15 year old and I went to a Huntington Learning Center to be evaluated for their SAT / ACT tutoring. This is a sponsored post on behalf of Huntington Learning Center, and my opinions are my own.
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SAT Prep
When my oldest child was looking at colleges, we learned that scholarships are often tied to your SAT or ACT scores. At one public university here in Texas, there is an automatic scholarship that increases in value the higher your test scores. My son, who will be our second child to head to college, is going to need scholarships. Even though he is among the top students in his class, he’s going to need an amazing SAT or ACT score to be most competitive for some great scholarships.
Huntington Learning Center
We decided it was time to really learn more about SAT Prep to get him his best chance, and one of the closest places to do this was a Huntington Learning Center. They have been around for 42 years and have dozens of tutoring programs for students grades K – 12 such as reading, writing, math, study skills, spelling, phonics, ADHD, Common Core, test prep for ACT and SAT and more. Their mission is to give every student the best education possible and realize “I can” when it comes to school success.
First Visit
It takes two visits to get your child started on their test prep tutoring. The first visit is for a practice test. Your teen comes in and takes a practice SAT just like they would be doing it for real. They bring their own calculator, and the test takes 3 hours. They use a timer with each section and get one break between sections.
I liked that they give you a questionnaire to answer about how well your child does in school as well as extracurricular activities and interests. They also ask your child these things when they first arrived.
After the first visit, they run an extremely comprehensive report about every single question on the test in relation to your child. Our second visit was three days later.
Second Visit
The second visit is for both parents and the child to learn about this comprehensive report and decide what kind of tutoring would work best based on the results.
They encourage both parents to come with the child for this appointment so that everyone is on the same page about expectations and decisions for tutoring. This appointment ran about 45 minutes. They break down everything and can pinpoint exactly where your teen needs the most help — this way you aren’t wasting time with things they have already mastered on the test.
Test Prep Tutoring
Huntington Learning Center tutors have at least a four-year degree and many have even higher degrees, so you aren’t getting a college kid who is tutoring in their spare time. These tutors train in the Huntington method and help your teen with so many aspects of the test from weaknesses in their learning foundation to what questions to pick and skip for later.
There is a separate specialist for each portion — the math portion and the reading portion. Plus, they keep you informed with regular parent meetings to share how your student is doing.
Usually a student will come twice a week for two 2-hour tutoring sessions. There is homework after each session. They also take a new SAT practice test after every 14 hours of tutoring.
Our Evaluation
My son is only a freshmen in high school. We learned that the SAT has math questions up to Algebra II, which my son will take next year. Huntington recommended to wait until he was in Algebra II before going into SAT tutoring, which we will be doing.
His evaluation was very detailed, down to individual questions. They could see he did not know the Algebra II information but had mastered other types of math. Even though he had to skip several questions due to not knowing the course work, they could see where he had already mastered content and where he just needed a year or two more of English courses.
Our Plan for Test Prep
We discussed enrolling in test prep for both the SAT and PSAT as they include similar types of questions. Junior year is when the PSAT counts for the National Merit Scholarship Program. But it’s also when most students begin taking the SAT. So, it is the perfect time to start test prepping.
They recommended what the best option would be for my son to start test prep tutoring during the summer before junior year. I felt summer was also a good choice since he has less extracurricular activities than during the school year. Plus, by waiting until just before junior year, this will get him ready for both SAT and PSAT at the same time.
They analyzed and planned for exactly how he needs help to be successful. Often, when I sign my children up for something, it almost feels like a leap of faith because you just really don’t know how much it will help. This DID NOT feel that way at all. They gave us more information than I ever expected on how they can help him. I definitely plan for us to come back during that summer before junior year.
If you have a teen who wants to do their best on the SAT or ACT, I highly suggest you get an evaluation at Huntington Learning Center. Learn more about Huntington Learning Center and get more information HERE.