Our Test Prep Curricula

Our curricula for standardized tests – SAT, SAT Subject Tests, ACT, PSAT, FCAT, SSAT, ISEE, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, MCAT, TOEFL, GED – is unrivaled! They were designed by our founder, Judi Robinovitz, author of the College Board’s original SAT prep books and software. Judi achieved perfect 800s on all three sections of the SAT. In her 23 years’ experience with Educational Testing Service, she consulted to the College Board and developed expertise in testing and measurement – combined with current research into the psychology of test-taking – that today helps guide our work. We update and improve our test-prep materials in response to current research and changes to the test. Each student’s curriculum is tailor-made, based on a timely assessment of personal strengths, personality, and learning style.

Score At The Top makes exclusive use of actual tests, unlike some other test-preparation providers. We offer free test simulations to our SAT, ACT, and PSAT students in a classroom setting; these timed and proctored tests allow our students to get a feel for the actual examination environment. We also arrange private simulations for students preparing for these and other tests.

By teaching skills needed in the classroom and in life, our curricula go far beyond the test for which a student is preparing. For example:

• Active reading strategies help with lengthy school reading assignments, especially in English and history.

• Vocabulary we teach isn’t a long, memorized word list. Rather, we teach students how to effectively use words in conversations and written work – the better to “manipulate” parents and impress teachers and friends! Humor is part of every vocabulary lesson.

• With our emphasis on word roots, prefixes, and etymology, students learn to understand why a word means what it does, so as to remember the definition.

• Students learn to use their knowledge of Spanish or French to determine word meaning.

• We teach students to develop mnemonic devices that help them recall new vocabulary – an effective study technique for all academic subjects.

• Our writing curriculum helps students write stronger papers in school, not only improving tangibles like content, grammar, sentence structure, transitions, and vocabulary, but also increasing curiosity for ideas, connection making, and overall creative thinking.

• We teach many math shortcuts that save time and increase accuracy not just on standardized tests but on in-school tests.

• Pacing strategies help students finish and check their answers on standardized tests and in-school tests.

• Subject-specific tests reinforce what a student has learned in the classroom, with an emphasis on building long-term memory.

• Students develop increased confidence and better test preparation skills for in-school tests based on discipline and focus acquired from preparing for standardized tests.