Planning

A successful test prep program always begins with a diagnostic test to determine your student's current abilities.

Vertical Prep offers free diagnostics for both the SAT and ACT exams. We can also use your student’s PSAT or PreACT score if they’ve taken one through their school to advise on which test might be better for your student.

Once your student completes the diagnostic test(s), we will schedule a ~20 minute call to review their results and learn more about your student's academic strengths and support areas.

• Click here to schedule a free consultation call or to request instruction for how your student can complete a free SAT and/or ACT diagnostic test with Vertical Prep.

Program Proposal

After our consultation call, we will choose a test, help your student set a score goal, and recommend a prep program based on your student's needs, timeline, and budget.

We highly recommend planning for 3 targeted test dates so that your student has the best chance to achieve their goal score.

A typical program will begin with 1.5 hour-long sessions once per week over the course of ~2-3 months leading up to their first take of the exam.

• The best time to begin prep for the SAT/ACT will depend on your specific student’s circumstances, but we typically recommend beginning the summer before Junior year leading into the school year.

Prep Sessions

All sessions are conducted virtually over zoom with one of our Expert Educators.

The first lesson

During the first session, your student’s educator will spend time getting to know them personally so that they may better understand their strengths, areas to support, and how they might respond to various teaching styles.  Our educators want to learn more about your student in order to be as productive, efficient, and effective as possible with the delivery of all future lesson material. We want your student to leave their first lesson knowing that their educator is now fully invested in their success.

During the first lesson, your student and their educator will also review the results of your student's diagnostic test together. The educator will give your student the opportunity to voice their concerns about the test and to speak about which sections came easier for them and which were more difficult. The educator will begin building a profile for your student that will inform the trajectory of their program.

The remaining time will be spent completing a "test overview,” where your student’s educator will break down each section of the test into question types and review several sample questions that your student missed from each section.

The rest of the program

From the next session on, utilizing a set of proprietary teaching materials and practice assessments, your student and their educator will begin systematically working through all topics tested on the SAT or ACT: Reading/Writing and Math for the SAT, or English, Reading, Math, and Science for the ACT. Your student’s educator will prioritize material that is unique to your student’s needs; they will present the material in a way that resonates with your student’s personality; they will be patient and respectful with your student, making certain that your student feels comfortable and confident with a concept before moving on; they will do all this while applying their deep understanding of the nuances of the tests, so that your student spends their time learning exactly what they need, not only to succeed on their test, but to master and retain the material they are learning for life.

• There is an expectation that 1-2 hours of assigned homework be completed between lessons. It is essential that your student complete assigned practice work independently in order for the program to be effective.

• For a more detailed overview of our methods for instructing the individual sections of each exam, please fill out the form below, or contact us by text or email at:

  (484) 639-9855 // info@verticalprep.com. We look forward to working with you!