SAT Preparation

PSAT

The PSAT 8/9 is the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test for students in 8th and 9th grade who want to prepare for the PSAT 10 and the SAT exams early to become familiar with the testing format and difficulty of the questions. If taken in 8th grade, it can also be used to give you a good starting point of your weaknesses and strengths before beginning high school. The PSAT 10 (a.k.a. PSAT/NMSQT) is for students in 10th and 11th grade who want to identify specific areas and skills that they need to work on before taking the SAT. This test also allows students an opportunity to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship in 11th grade. Both tests consist of three parts: a math section, a reading section, and a writing and language section. Our PSAT prep classes here at Optimus are unique because students will take practice tests and receive specific feedback showing the exact standards and skills that they need to work on. This feedback allows them to focus their time and attention on the types of questions they need the most practice with, rather than spending a lot of time on questions they already excel at.

SSAT

The Secondary School Admission Test is used by many independent and private schools to determine whether or not to admit students grades 3-11. It measures a student’s verbal, quantitative, and reading skills with an emphasis in critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

ACT

This test is similar to the SAT, with the main difference being that the ACT measures what a student has learned in school. The ACT also has a few more components. It consists of 5 test areas: English (mechanics and rhetoric), Mathematics, Reading, Science, and an optional Writing Test (which may be required by some universities). The math section here is more advanced than the SAT math because it also includes some Trigonometry.

For this test, students are not penalized for wrong answers. This test, although more common in the Southern and Midwestern parts of the U.S., is now accepted at nearly every university as well and is a wonderful option for those students who do well in school but don’t do as well in high-pressure critical thinking situations.

AP

The Advanced Placement (AP) program was created by the College Board to expose high school students to college-level curricula and examinations. Taking these classes allows students to take an end-of-course exam for which a passing grade counts as college credit at many American colleges and universities. Getting early college credits permits these students to partially or completely bypass the equivalent college course, giving them a head start.

Winter (IB Prep) ‍

This program is offered for two weeks in December and will prepare students to pass the International Baccalaureate Entrance Exam that takes place in January. Students who wish to attend Troy High School, Sunny Hills High School, Sonora High School, or Valencia High School will need to pass this exam in order to be placed in the IB program.

SAT

The SAT is an educational aptitude test that assesses how well-formed a student’s reasoning and verbal abilities are. It is composed of 3 parts: Critical Reading, Mathematics, and a required Writing test. The math section covers Algebra, Geometry, Probability, and Statistics.

Students are penalized for wrong answers, which means that guessing can be dangerous. Students should be familiar with the types of questions that are asked because they can only score positive points from answering correctly. This test is widely used throughout the United States and is great for students who excel at problem solving and reasoning.

We teach all sections of the SAT: writing & grammar, critical reading, and math. Students can sign up for individual sections or take all three.

SAT Prep Summer Schedule

Tuition: $300 / week (Limited to 10 students/class)