Pinnacle Prep at the 2012 IECA!

We are honored to have been selected to present the following seminar on SAT / ACT test planning and myth busting at this year’s Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) Annual Conference:

Do Green-Eyed Children Score Higher on the ACT?
Deconstructing Test Plan Myths and Strategies

Whether we like it or not, we are inundated with conflicting theories from newspapers, online discussions, friends and relatives about how to plan for the SAT and ACT. Sadly, much of this advice is based on second-hand anecdotes or even flat-out speculation.

In order to cut through the myths, we need to have answers to the big questions we all have. How many times should students take the SAT? Should students take both the SAT and ACT or just pick one? Is there a certain type of student who does better on the ACT? How big is the score boost from SAT superscoring?

In this workshop, we’ll challenge some popular SAT/ACT assumptions, backing up our conclusions with case studies, in-depth analysis, and performance data from hundreds of test prep students. We’ll also suggest evidence-based test planning strategies that optimize students’ chances to succeed on these crucial tests.

If you would like to arrange to have us present this seminar at your school, or if you are an IEC and would like us to present this seminar with you, please let us know at 800-665-PREP (7737).

Score Improvement

Pinnacle Prep is proud to be an industry leader in student performance:

• the average increase of Pinnacle Prep students is over 360 points per student
• 95% increase 100 or more points on at least one section
• 93% increase 200 or more total points
• 30% increase 200 or more points on at least one section
• 70% increase 300 or more total points

Statistics are drawn from all Pinnacle Prep students over recent years (who did the majority of their homework, a minimum of 10 hours tutoring, and followed our recommended test plan) and are calculated by comparing the most recent test students took prior to working with Pinnacle Prep to the last test they took after working with Pinnacle Prep. Our results have been comparable on all tests, including the SAT, ACT, Subject Tests, and graduate school and high school entrance exams, such as the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, SSAT, ISEE, and SHSAT.

How much Tutoring Should I do?

One of the first trends we noticed with our students was that the number of hours of tutoring correlates to performance. Pinnacle Prep students who receive 50 or more hours of tutoring increase 437 points on average; those who receive 30-50 hours of tutoring increase an average over 370 points; and those who work between 10 and 30 hours average approximately 310 points. Here is a complete breakdown:

Pinnacle Prep has found that there are diminishing returns as students exceed 80 hours. Some of our top performers, numerous students who increased 530 to 700 points, had in the range of 60 hours of tutoring, but those with more than 70 do not show better results. Our sample size of students who received over 80 hours of tutoring is tiny, because we just don’t believe in doing that much tutoring, but we also have found that it’s not necessarily going to dramatically increase the student’s chances of reaching his/her best score.

Recommendations

Of course, every student is unique, so we arrange an initial session to introduce basic concepts and see how the student responds. From that initial session, we are able to construct a test plan (what tests to take, and when) that makes sense for the student and a preparation plan that will not interfere with academics or extra-curriculars. We also gain a sense of the student’s strengths, weaknesses, and personality, which helps us match a tutor who will be a good fit. We typically recommend programs in the 40-60 hour range that start prior to the PSAT and carry students through the ACT, SAT, and Subject Tests.