SAT/ACT Improvement

By Dr. Wayne Adams

About this time each year, I receive many emails and calls from students and parents with some very nice “Thank’you’s.” So I would like to share several with you. “Dr. A. I just received early admission to my #1 school. Thank you so much for helping me get my SAT score way up. Can you believe it? I will have mountain views from my dorm! Got a nice scholarship too. Couldn’t have done it without you.” “After my ACT exam in September, my composite went up to a 29 but my Reading was low at 24. I kept working and doing what you showed me, and the next ACT my English jumped to a 33 and my ACT composite to 32 Thank you, thank you, thank you.” “When I took the PSAT this year, for the first time I finished each section on-time and didn’t want to throw up half-way through the exam. Felt great. Score was great too.” “Thank you so much for the four books/guides you sent us. We are going through the one about getting a good start as a family. College has changed greatly since my wife and I went. This has helped us understand the changes and get better prepared for what is to come for our student. Your Negotiating with Colleges will be particularly helpful and we see how we can better afford college by negotiating for a fraction of the posted costs both instate and out-of-state.”

As we move into December, all of the SAT and ACT Exams have been completed for fall. Seniors are finalizing applications and wondering what happens next. Juniors are breathing a little sigh of relief since the PSAT is done and soon the semester will be over. Sophomores look ahead and wonder how they will do when their turn comes.

The spring SAT and ACT Exams are scheduled as follows: ACT on Feb 6, Apr 17, and June 12. SAT on Mar 13, May 8, and June 5.

The early focus is preparing for the ACT on Feb 6, either with a once a week class schedule starting in December, or twice a week starting in early January. Some students like to get a head start with a class or two during the holidays, often starting after Christmas. SAT prep usually starts in January with once a

week classes, and February with twice a week. The combination class involves both months to be ready for the Feb ACT and Mar ACT. For seniors, many schools such as FSU, USF, and UCF use “rolling admissions”, meaning you can apply and send your applications in the spring for consideration for the next fall freshman class. This is also true for many schools outside of Florida. Also, you have until the last SAT or ACT Exam in the spring to hit the qualification scores for 75% or 100% Bright Futures. For juniors, many want to get a “head start” preparing for the exams. Often, their scores are in the range needed for their “dream schools”, so that pressure is off their senior year. For sophomores, they will be rising juniors and taking the PSAT the middle Wednesday of October when back in school. This is the only qualifying exam for National Merit Scholars and the corresponding scholarships, which usually bring additional academic scholarships because schools love to have this level of student who will perform well, and also enhance the school’s reputation.

If You Would Like To Talk More About Your Student … Please contact me at 727-253-0639 or send me an e mail at wwa0811@mykolab.com.

Dr. Wayne Adams is one of the leading SAT and ACT tutors in the country. His students normally improve 200 – 350 points on the Writing, Reading, Writing and Essay, and Math, and 4 – 7 points on the ACT composite. They have been admitted to 8 of the top 10 universities in the country, 18 of the top 25, and many schools in Florida. These schools include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, U Chicago, Duke, U Penn, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Notre Dame, Emory, UC Berkley, UCLA, USC, UNC (Chapel Hill), NYU, Northeastern (Boston), Boston College, Georgia Tech, Naval - Air Force - Merchant Marine Service Academies, Penn State, LSU, Auburn, UF, U Miami, FSU, USF, UCF, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, FIU, New College of Florida, Stetson, and Julliard – Manhattan - New England - and Berkley Conservatories of Music. Many have received academic, athletic, or music scholarships. This year, he also tutored three juniors who scored at the national merit finalist/semi-finalist levels on the most recent PSAT. He is a former Dean of a Graduate School of Business and Full Professor, and began college teaching at the University of Maryland in 1968. He has degrees and advanced studies at Harvard, Yale, Vanderbilt, Columbia International, and Luther Rice.