A four-hour overview of either the SAT or ACT and the specific strategies needed to ace the exams. It will give you the tips and strategies needed to dramatically increase your scores. We’ll give you step-by-step instructions for the critical reading, the math, the grammar and the writing portions of the exam. The SAT measures content skills as well as aptitude (how well your wheels turn), so it’s essential to know how to spot and successfully unravel the slippery questions designed to trip you up. The ACT is primarily a speed exam. We’ll teach you how to pick up your speed so you can increase your score. Students generally score low on these exams because they are not test wise; once they become test savvy their scores go up.
Hours 1 & 2 – Verbal
Two hours are spent on the verbal sections of each exam. On the SAT, we’ll show you how to ace the Critical Reading, Grammar and the Essay. On the ACT we’ll do just the same for the Reading, English and the Essay. Our Crash Course will give you the tips and strategies to dramatically increase your scores. We’ll provide you with time-proven strategies for every aspect of the exam you’re prepping for and insight into how the test tries to draw you to the wrong answer choices.
We’ll help you to find the approach to the reading and grammar that best suits the way you read and write. Students generally score low because they don’t know how to approach the critical reading and the answer choices. We’ll introduce you to The 3-2 Method we created for the Critical Reading. We’ll also show you the HELPS method we created to help you write a winning essay and how to do the grammar questions. It’s a big help to know that when you see the word “more” the test is most likely looking to see if you can identify “faulty comparison.” Both the SAT and the ACT ask their own brand of questions, and we’ll show you how those questions are framed. At the close of the crash course, we’ll provide you with practice problems to do right up to test day.
Hours 3 & 4 – Math
The second two hours are spent on the math (and for the ACT, science) section. On the SAT, this involves showing the test’s most common problems and concepts and the tricks to deal with the recurring themes. Often, the SAT asks something where the best solution is something that almost no one has ever seen in school. You are taught how to take advantage of the answer choices, and how to best manage your time to achieve your goal scores.
On the ACT, timing is a larger focus- instruction time is spent efficiently answering sample Students are shown 15 questions that appear on virtually every ACT – and how to solve them. There is less of a focus on tricks, and more of a focus on how to gain the most content in the shortest amount of time. Fifteen minutes of prep can improve a student who has never seen trigonometry – one concept on the ACT but not the SAT – by two raw points.
Less time is devoted to the science than the math within the crash course because the science is simpler and easier to understand. In about 40 minutes, students will understand how the science exam works and how to look for answers efficiently. The science is a speed test – and we focus in on that goal.
I wanted to let you know that our son Austin took the SATs and got a 2220, including an 800 in writing. He turned down Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Brown and will be going to Stanford in September. Thanks for providing such a fantastic course! It definitely made a difference for Austin!
Regards,
Barbara Hack
Old Lyme, CT
Austin went to Stanford University in the fall of 2010
All crash courses are held online and taught by a live instructor in an interactive classroom.
Upon registering, student will receive an invitation by email with instructions on how to log into GoToMeeting; this is the platform we use to conduct our online classes.
Also included in the email is a link to College Planning Partnerships’ Crash Course Manual. Students will be responsible for downloading and printing this document prior to the start of class.
All students are required to have The Official SAT Study Guide or The Real ACT Prep Guide for the course. During registration you can choose to have us ship a copy of the book to you (option available up to one week in advance of class date) or purchase it on your own.
Students will have the opportunity to ask questions during the course and will be given a short break after the first 2 hours.
Books Students Get:
Students are given either the Official SAT Study Guide or Real ACT Prep Guide and our Crash Course Manual, which provides homework for each of the seven days prior to the exam. We show you how to do the test and then give you homework and practice tests to take so that you can continue to build on what you learned here.
*The 7-day at-home homework plan takes the guesswork out of what to do after you finish our crash course.
Price: $130 + cost of either The Official SAT Study Guide or The Real ACT Prep Guide.
Books may be purchased at registration or on your own.
Students can attend up to two make-up classes in a subsequent course session. If no subsequent session is available, students can pay for private tutorial(s) to make up missed class(es) at a discounted rate.
Included in the price of the class is a digital copy of CPP's SAT Crash Course and You may opt to have us ship you a copy of College Boards Official SAT Study Guide if you register at least 3 days prior to the start of class. We charge retail price for the book, shipping fees may apply.
Gary Burgard has been an educator for nearly fifty years. After graduating from Yale in 1959, he taught high school English, worked as an assistant high school principal, became Principal of Wethersfield High School, and finished his school career as Assistant Superintendent of New London Schools. More recently he has worked as a Special Education tutor at Waterford High School and as an SAT and LSAT tutor. He joined College Planning Partnerships in 2004.
Gary and his wife Cathy, also a teacher but more recently a librarian, went through the parent side of college placement with their two sons Matthew (Georgetown) and Timothy (Bucknell). Grandson Lucas and granddaughter Zoe now occupy center stage.
Gary, who was accepted at Harvard University but chose to go to Yale because of a better financial package, has an extraordinary intellect and knowledge base in all areas known to the SAT, the ACT and beyond. When there's a question - whether it's about math or grammar or science - Gary is the guy we go to. He has been instrumental in helping us to continually find more productive ways to reach our students and evaluate our programs.
Suzanne de Jongh tutors the verbal portions of the SAT and the ACT. The former New Jersey high school teacher, who now lives in Ivoryton with her husband and two children, brings exceptional insight to the writing portion of the exam. She worked as an on-line reader and scorer for the College Board. A former newspaper reporter, Suzanne brings a love of language and an exceptional ability to inform to each tutorial. She cares deeply about her students and is quick to show them how to remedy the problems they encounter. She earned her BA from Keene State College in Journalism, and her teaching certificate from Southern Connecticut State University. When not tutoring, she is busy with her children, ages 7 and 9, who are already receiving a modified version of SAT preparation! Suzanne also teaches Sunday School, volunteers in various organizations, and loves to run for exercise.
Zac is a graduate from Wesleyan University. A football player, an English major, a lover of music, Zac continues to help us to find faster and more efficient ways to bring the lessons home to students. Nearly all of our tutors are old enough to be our students' parents so it's essential that we gain a young person's perspective on how we instruct. Zac was essential in creating PowerPoint Presentations for the math that allow us to cover more ground in math in each class. Prior to this innovation there was not enough time to diagram every problem on the board. Zac was also instrumental in helping create The Essay Clinic, a self-standing online essay program. His sense of design and pace is impeccable. That, combined with his self-taught computer skills and longtime interest in teaching and business, makes for a perfect fit at CPP, and we are thrilled that he has joined us full time.
Mike is a graduate from Macalester College. He took math classes at Wesleyan University when he was in elementary school. He was ranked 15th in the nation in math in the tenth grade. Despite having more math in his little pinky that most people have in their entire beings, Mike was a down-to-earth football player in college, who also happens to be a champion scrabble player with a terrific sense of humor. He has worked with us - as Zac Rosensohn has - to help us provide the easiest and most straightforward forms of instruction for high school students. He has come up with alternative ways to solve problems that many students immediately grasp. He has helped us to develop curriculum, spot quizzes, and math assessments to determine if students learned enough Algebra I, Geometry or Algebra II in school to do well on the SAT. Mike was originally a student here (he taught us a lot) and has worked with us for over three years. When Mike speaks, we listen.
Jenny Honan Smith is a motivated, dedicated writer and teacher, who is passionate about the power of words both in literature and in writing. She helped create the content for our college essay online clinic, and as editor and writing tutor, she enjoys helping students find their voices and present their best to the admission officers at the colleges of their choice. She also instructs classes and tutors individual students in the verbal portion of the SAT. Jenny is an instructor at Albertus Magnus College, teaching classes in their associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degree programs including courses in literature, college and professional writing, and communications. Additionally, she is a freelance writer and is currently engaged in a 2-year website redevelopment project at WPI. Past freelance work has included articles for local newspapers, web projects, and curricula for high school and college courses. She received her BA in English from The Catholic University of America and her MA in English from Southern Connecticut State University. In the summers, she enjoys boating with her husband and two boys and manages the Thimble Islands Ferry Company, co-owned and operated by her husband.
A native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Emily recently returned to Albuquerque after a nine year absence. Emily attended Sandia Preparatory School and went on to Macalester College. Emily received a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in sociology and an emphasis in women’s studies. Emily graduated magna cum laude and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Emily was president of Psi Chi, the psychology honor’s society while at Macalester. Upon graduation, Emily re-located to Arizona where she earned her master’s degree in social work and was a member of Phi Alpha, the social work honor’s society. Emily worked in child welfare with at-risk children and families in Arizona until her return to Albuquerque. When not tutoring or caring for her infant son, Emily enjoys reading, the outdoors and finding grammatical errors.
Ann Louise, wife of founder Sam Rosensohn, is the chief financial officer. No business decision is made without it going by Ann Louise. She does the books, pays the bills and works to keep our fees and tuitions as low as possible. As a working mom, she understands how hard it is to keep up with rising prices in a down economy. While Ann Louise is the glue and the special ingredient that keeps our enterprise smart, welcoming, cost efficient, she is a fine arts painter by profession. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, Ann Louise shows her work locally. Nearly all of the art on the walls in our office has been done by Ann Louise. She is the mother of Zac, who also works in the business, and Trevor Rosensohn, a freshman at CU Boulder.
Thomas is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and double-majored in History and Italian.He has recently achieved his master’s degree in Global, International, and Comparative History at Georgetown University. From an early age, Thomas developed a fascination for important dates, famous figures, and historical themes. He utilizes these passions to help tutor students in preparation for the AP & SAT II subject tests in World history. A specialist in global historical concepts and transnational themes, Thomas is adept at simplifying history and making it understandable for students. Outside the classroom, Thomas loves to travel and cook.
Bill Banks, a former print and online journalist, took up teaching English ten years ago in New York public schools. Since then he has taught history and philosophy at The Wooster School in Danbury, as well as literature, film and business as a private tutor. A graduate of Stanford University, he earned a master’s degree in education at Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y. For the past eight years, he has also specialized in teaching prep for standardized tests, including the SAT, PSAT and SSAT. Bill lives in Brewster, N.Y., with his wife of twenty years and the youngest of three kids, who foolishly insists that he can wear his hair a little long if wants to.
Kathryn graduated form Georgetown University with a bachelor's degree in math from Georgetown University and went on to earn a masters degree in education at Harvard University. After teaching high school math for ten years in Massachusetts and at the acclaimed Horace Mann School in The Bronx, she settled in Ivoryton, Conn., with her husband John where they are currently raising their three children. Kathryn brings intelligence, humor, insight, warmth and understanding to each and every tutorial. When not tutoring students for the SAT or the ACT, Kathryn enjoys running and swimming, and in the summer can often be found with her family sailing on the Connecticut River. She is tireless and gives her students everything she's got - and that's a lot.
Ilana Strauss is a senior at Yale University studying English. Her recent experience with test-taking makes her a primary source of information on scoring high. In high school, she earned a 35 on the ACT (36 Reading, 36 Writing, 34 Math, and 33 Science) and a 2250 on the SAT (780 Writing, 750 Math, 730 Reading), as well as 800 in Biology M, 790 in US History, 750 in Literature. She enjoys imparting knowledge about tests like these onto high school students. Additionally, she is heavily involved in analytical reading and writing. As an English major, she spends most of her time reading books and writing essays. During summers, she has interned at various writing-related companies, such as Reader’s Digest, where she edited articles, the Scripps Howard News Wire, where she wrote features, and FX Networks, where she read and analyzed pilots, screenplays, and plays.
Alex Gopinathan scored 800 on the SAT when he took it for the first time during his junior year. Originally a student at College Planning Partnerships, Alex has worked with us for the last three years, helping us to advance our math curriculum and create the signature PowerPoints we use so students can quickly visualize how to solve both verbal and math problems. Alex is completing a five year Combined Plan Program at Fordham University and Columbia University in Electrical Engineering. Alex will earn a degree in engineering physics from Fordham and a degree in electrical engineering from Columbia. Alex, a third degree black belt in Taekwondo, enjoys participating in Mixed Martial Arts. Besides offering Alex another way to express his love for math, Alex believes that tutoring fulfills a learning experience for both the student and himself.
Malcolm McClain is a senior Black Studies major at Amherst College. A student at a liberal arts college, he has spent a significant amount of time exploring different fields such as economics, political science, Chinese, and urban planning. As a Black Studies major, Malcolm spends most days writing essays and breezing through a couple books a week. He also enjoys traveling and has spent over a year teaching English in both Vietnam and China. With diverse work experience, Malcolm has helped write proposals for multi-million dollar investment banking deals, business plans for small start-ups, and edited official documents for a U.S. Congresswoman. With all of his reading and writing experience, Malcolm truly enjoys teaching the critical reading and essay portion of the SAT.
Kate Paul is an Economics and Asian Languages & Civilizations double-major at Amherst College. Kate spent the last two summers working in China, and was thrilled to have the opportunity to go back this past winter to teach SAT prep in Dalian. Kate enjoys teaching and watching students progress, and is particularly looking forward to her next trip to Asia and working with more online students. Kate is a captain of the Amherst Women's Tennis Team, continuing a passion she has had since a young age.
Sam Rosensohn is the founder of College Planning Partnerships, a college prep company that is known for its extraordinary results and the care and attention it gives to each and every student.
Sam is a nationally recognized public school teacher. The U.S. Congress, the Connecticut State Legislature, and statewide teacher organizations have recognized Sam for excellence in the field of education.
Harvard University asked Sam to participate in a research project entitled, The College Access Collaborative. After completing a nationwide search, Yale University's School of Management chose College Planning Partnerships as a company for its graduate students to partner with.
Sam wrote a widely-read newspaper column that is entitled, College 101. The veteran public schoolteacher is a recipient of the James Madison Fellowship, issued by the U.S. Congress to one teacher annually in the state of Connecticut. The Connecticut State Dept. of Education asked Sam to help establish the standards for the statewide interdisciplinary CAPT test issued to tenth graders.
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History chose Sam to participate in their Summer Seminar at Brown University. He was selected as a fellow for the Amistad American Fellowship, done in conjunction with Yale University.
He is a recipient of the Connecticut Education Association's Presidential Award for Human and Civil Rights for directing a student effort that freed over 25 slaves in the Sudan. Governor Rowland and the Connecticut Senate recognized Sam for organizing a student movement that led to the creation of 16 bills to stem student violence.
President Bill Clinton and U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd recognized Sam and his students for influencing the Connecticut State Legislature on the Sheff vs. O'Neill case. He is a recipient of the Connecticut Celebration of Excellence Award.
Sam has written educational material for the New York Times Learning Network, Prentice Hall, Peregrine Publishers, and the Hartford Courant. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Boston University. He was a newspaper reporter for The New York Post for 10 years, taught for five years at John Winthrop Jr. High in Deep River, served as the executive editor for five Shoreline Newspapers, and was the academic director for an educational program started by Paul Newman.
When not tutoring or working on the next innovation to help students improve their SAT or ACT scores, Sam is often on his road bike or by the water with his wife of 21 years, Ann Louise Rosensohn.
Students are assigned our most seasoned and successful tutors. These tutors have helped to developed our curriculum and have spent over a thousand hours tutoring students.
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Omni Plan: Parents are advised by email after every tutorial on their child’s progress, performance, areas of concern, upcoming homework for the week, and additional tips on how to prepare for the exam.
Premium Plan: Parents are advised by email after every odd tutorial i.e. after the 1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.
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Parents are advised by email after every tutorial on their child’s progress, performance, areas of concern, upcoming homework for the week, and additional tips on how to prepare for the exam.
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Omni Plan: Parents may set up consultations with math and verbal tutors to discuss their child's progress after every two sessions.
Premium Plan: Parents may set up consultations with math and verbal tutors to discuss their child's progress after every four sessions.
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Student can opt to take our SAT/ACT Diagnostic to determine whether he/she is better at the SAT or the ACT.
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Student receives 30 minute consultation to review diagnostic’s findings.
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Practice tests that are electronically analyzed to pinpoint topics that need to be addressed.
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