“Which one do I need?” ,“Which one is better?”, and “How can I raise my score?” are only some of the questions students ask regarding standardized college entrance exams like the ACT, SAT, IELTS, and TOEFL. To help answer their questions, the Office of College Counseling hosted a special guest recently. Michelle Modest, who is an elite testing tutor and principal of DaVinci Tutoring, gave a group of 12 sophomores and juniors a crash course on how to study for these exams and specific tips to raise their scores.
Director of College Counseling Dr. Marti Kwon arranged the workshop to help alleviate some of the stress her students feel surrounding standardized test-taking and the college search. “Even though many colleges went ‘test optional’ during the pandemic, they will be looking toward reinstating test scores as a requirement for admission. Along with the ever-increasing competitiveness of college admissions overall, this places more pressure on students to perform well on upcoming standardized tests,” explained Dr. Kwon.
During the workshop, Ms. Modest explained the background and history of the ACT and SAT tests, and how they have changed over the years. She also pointed out the differences between tests, the pros and cons of each, and outlined study schedules to help students prepare. “Test prep is a lot like learning to play a musical instrument. To be successful, it requires three components – tutoring, mock tests, and homework,” she explained during her presentation.
The students were especially interested in the tips and strategies she provided to help them significantly increase their test scores, including the “halfway to perfect” rule employed by many successful tutoring companies. “I recommend that students take a practice SAT and ACT before they start their test prep journey. Unless they score much higher on the practice SAT, I sometimes recommend they move forward by taking the ACT. Due its more predictable nature, the ACT is much easier for students to improve upon,” continued Ms. Modest.
Dr. Kwon was very pleased with the workshop and the participation of the students. “With our next practice SAT exam scheduled on April 24, this workshop could not have happened at a better time. The participants really benefited from the approaches and strategies they learned from Ms. Modest. Now, my hope is see the students put them into action through the test prep activities and support we offer here at SKS,” continued Dr. Kwon.
About Michelle Modest
Michelle Modest is a graduate of Yale University, Imperial College London, and the University of California, and was a National Merit Finalist and scored in the top 1% on the SAT, ACT, and GRE. She was awarded a full scholarship to several universities as a result of her National Merit Finalist status, and was accepted into several top universities in the world due to her SAT and other standardized test scores.
She has spent the past eight years tutoring a wide range of students in New York, London, and Los Angeles, both through her own company, DaVinci Tutoring, as well as some of the world’s top companies including Bespoke Education, Arborbridge, and ESM Prep.
For more information about college placement testing, test preparation, and test dates please contact Mrs. Kwon in the College Counseling Office and look for college counseling events on the SKS School Calendar.