Expert PSAT & SAT Test Prep in Florida
Increase your test scores by preparing with experienced PSAT and SAT Tutors.
Score At The Top is the name you can trust when it comes to PSAT and SAT prep courses — whether you live in South Florida or anywhere else, we can help! Discover how our qualified PSAT and SAT tutors can improve your teen’s test-taking scores and confidence.
About the PSAT and SAT
You might be wondering, What’s the difference between the PSAT and the SAT? Briefly, the PSAT is a shorter, easier version of the SAT that consists of older SAT questions that have never before been published. The PSAT helps prepare your student for the SAT, but it’s not used in college admissions. The PSAT is also used to qualify students for the National Merit Scholarship Program.
The SAT, on the other hand, is a college readiness test offered nationally every year. Most colleges and universities in the US assess exam scores in making admissions decisions. The score your student receives on the SAT will determine which colleges they can strive to attend.
Test preparation for the PSAT and SAT is very similar. The tutors at Score At The Top are well equipped to help prepare your student with proper PSAT training or SAT test prep.
Help Your Student Achieve High Scores
To ensure your teen comes out on top, our in-person and online SAT tutors provide the most innovative, creative, and strategic instruction for SAT preparation. We offer the following options for PSAT and SAT tutoring:
We offer various tutoring solutions to make test-takers more comfortable and confident with the exam experience. Interactive sessions, on the other hand, focus on specific exam familiarization, content, and test-taking strategies students need to score at the top of their potential.
We believe a comfortable but lively pace offers significant opportunity for questions and answers. So, with every prep course, our professional SAT tutors introduce the most effective strategies for each type of question in reading, math, and writing. Students use these newfound strategies to solve and then discuss questions from actual tests.
Ready to take the first step?
Call (844) 438-1600 to schedule PSAT/SAT test prep tutoring.
Instill Mastery and Confidence
There’s a lot riding on your teen’s exam scores, so our SAT prep tutors will make sure to instill mastery and confidence in your child. We will teach your teen to aim for the moon, so even if they miss, they will still land among the stars – or at a distinguished university, for that matter!
We take a long-term view, motivating students to become word conscious and showing them how to work towards improved critical thinking as well as active reading and writing skills. Also, we integrate into our curriculum a thorough review of the most commonly tested math concepts, with significant emphasis on effective computational shortcuts, time-saving approaches, and valuable answer-checking strategies. Students do homework before each SAT prep tutoring session, typically consisting of a full-length actual test or test section, vocabulary-building, math drills, and/or outside reading.
Use Expertly Made Curriculum
Our cutting-edge PSAT/SAT strategies achieve results that speak for themselves. There is no one better than Score At The Top for preparing students for the PSAT, SAT, and other standardized tests!
Our PSAT and SAT prep curricula were designed by Score At The Top founder, Judi Robinovitz. She worked for Educational Testing Service for 23 years. She also worked as a consultant for the College Board for whom she wrote its first test-prep software and strategy chapters of its first test-prep books (the Board scaled back the books because Judi’s strategies were too insightful!). With Judi on our team, no other SAT-prep provider can boast of a similar testing pedigree! Learn PSAT and SAT test-taking strategies from the experts:
Build working vocabulary and grammar skills
Become an active reader to improve reading comprehension
Review the most commonly tested algebra and geometry concepts
Learn math shortcuts to save time and improve accuracy
Learn how to write a top-scoring SAT essay
Practice with free SAT test simulations
Use our proprietary SAT workbook filled with the best test-taking strategies
Identify study time in your busy schedule
You and your family have many activities and commitments that can make it challenging to find time for SAT test prep tutoring. At Score At The Top, we offer SAT online tutoring and private SAT tutoring at one of our learning centers or in your home. These services are offered throughout the day and night to help you make the most of your teen’s busy schedule.
Connect With a Trusted Tutor at Score At The Top
Looking for “private SAT tutors near me” or “PSAT prep classes near me”? With dedicated in-person or online tutoring services, Score At The Top can cater to students anywhere in the world! Contact us today to be matched with a tutor who can help your student improve his or her SAT or PSAT scores.
FAQ
What is the SAT?
The SAT – officially known as the SAT Reasoning Test (formerly called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and the Scholastic Assessment Test; now the letters "SAT" don't stand for anything!) – is a 3¾-hour standardized test for admission to universities in the USA. The SAT is owned by the College Board and developed/administered by Educational Testing Service, where Judi Robinovitz, founder of Score At The Top, worked for 23 years. The SAT measures reading, math, and writing abilities important for academic success in college and beyond. It is designed to help predict how well a student can expect to do academically in the first year of college. The SAT was originally developed by Princeton psychologist Carl Brigham in the early 1920s, and has its roots in IQ testing. It was created as a response to a growing desire by American educators, led by Harvard president James Bryant Conant, to open their universities to the best students in the country.
The ACT, the other college-admissions test, was originally conceived as an examination of achievement. Historically, the SAT had been more popular among colleges on the East and West Coasts and the ACT more popular in the Midwest and South. However, all that has changed, as the two tests are now equally accepted by all colleges that require standardized test scores for admission. In fact, there are a number of high-profile colleges that will accept just the ACT in place of a combination of SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests.
How is the SAT organized and scored?
The SAT has five separately timed sections ― always arranged in this order:
Reading
Writing & Language
Math – No Calculator)
Math – Calculator Allowed
Essay (optional)
Scoring
Fifteen scores and subscores are generated by your performance on the SAT (excluding the optional essay). The two key scores are:
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Section Score
Mathematics Section Score
In addition to the Total Score (the sum of the above two), the remaining dozen “insight” scores may be used by colleges and you to better understand your capabilities.
Scoring your test is a complex process, but it all starts with your raw scores, the number of questions you answer correctly in each test section. There is no penalty for a wrong answer; every question you get right increases your score.
Here’s a graphical representation of the 15 scores reported for the SAT and PSAT:
If you take the optional SAT Essay Test, your essay is read by two readers, each of whom scores it in three areas, Reading, Writing, and Analysis. Reader scores in each area are added together to yield three essay scores on a scale of 2-8.
Each SAT has three unique score conversion tables created for it ― tables that convert the number of questions you get right into the various SAT scores and subscores. Each set of conversion tables reflects the difficulty level of the questions on its associated test; it’s like saying the SAT is graded on a curve. If one test is slightly harder than another, the harder test will be scored slightly more leniently ― and conversely. Because the conversion tables are different from test to test, it’s impossible to say exactly how many questions you need to get right to get a particular score.
How is the SAT used in college admissions?
For the majority of colleges, the SAT (or ACT) score is the second most important factor in college admissions, second only to the combination of a student's curriculum and grades throughout high school. Among the roughly 800 colleges that do not require a test score for admission, only about three dozen are selective liberal arts colleges (e.g., Bates, Bowdoin, Holy Cross, Franklin & Marshall, Mount Holyoke, Rollins, Sarah Lawrence, Wake Forest, to name a few). Chances are that most students will apply to colleges where test scores are vital to the admissions process. And several of these test-optional colleges require a test score for scholarship consideration.
If a student chooses to report SAT scores rather than ACT scores when applying to college, he or she must contact College Board (www.collegeboard.com) to send an official score report to each college (unless the student already did that when registering for the test). However, sending the "right" SAT score report can be tricky because of "Score Choice," introduced by the College Board in March, 2009. Although Score Choice was designed to reduce student anxiety by allowing students to choose which sets of SAT scores to send to colleges, some colleges didn't see it the same way. These colleges have chosen not to honor Score Choice, thus requiring students to send a full score report containing scores from all SATs taken in high school. Before sending an official score report to each college, students should check with those colleges to find out whether or not they honor Score Choice. Regardless of a college's Score Choice policy, virtually all colleges "super score" the SAT: they select the best reading, math, writing, and essay score from all submitted scores. By contrast, the ACT score report contains a single set of scores. Thus, the ACT is more of a risk-free test than the SAT since the student selects the single score set to appear on the official score report, automatically suppressing unwanted scores. There are, however, a few colleges that request all ACT scores and even some colleges that "super score" the ACT. Calling colleges is the best way to understand how they evaluate ACT scores.
Admission records show that a score near the top of the mid-50% range for a college's accepted students plus a strong curriculum with good grades and meaningful extracurricular commitments will significantly improve a student's chances for admission.
The SAT (and ACT) scores are used for more than just college admissions. They may be used to help determine financial aid, scholarships (like Florida's Bright Futures), admission into honors programs, and placement in freshman courses.
How do colleges use the SAT writing & essay scores?
Colleges that require the optional SAT essay use the essay score to help make admission decisions, but since policies vary widely among colleges, students should call each college in which they're interested to determine how the score is used. Some of the more popular uses of the essay score includes:
Evaluating a student's writing ability in the context of college admissions
Making placement decisions for freshman writing courses
Comparing a students' SAT essay with his or her college application essays
Interestingly, some colleges, like Georgetown, do not use the essay score at all! In any case, it is important for students to master the skills necessary to do their best on the essay portion of the test since writing is a vital skill for college and beyond. And remember: all colleges will receive the essay score if you took the essay test, even if they say they don't use it.
Recommended testing calendar: PSAT, SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests
Download our free resource: Recommended Testing Calendar
What does it take to get into a state university in Florida?
Download our free resource: What does it take to get into a state university in Florida?
When should my child start preparing for the SAT? How much test-prep is needed?
Effective SAT preparation should begin the summer after tenth grade – and continue until a student has taken his or her final SAT. There is no limit to the number of times a student may take the SAT, but he or she should prepare for each one or risk diminishing results. However, since some colleges insist that students send all their scores, we typically recommend taking the SAT no more than three times – and only when well prepared.
With all the tests your child may be taking in high school – PSAT, SAT, SAT Subject Tests, PLAN, ACT, AP, IB, AICE – it is vital to have a game plan, and the earlier it is established, the better. In fact, some families begin their 8th and 9th graders with us, building their reading and vocabulary skills with our TestWise program.
When you call Score At The Top, you'll talk to our specially trained director, your personal guide to the test-preparation process at Score At The Top. He or she will suggest a plan of action – small group, private, and/or semi-private lessons – with a timeline and program to bring out the best in your child. The action plan may also contain a recommendation for our SAT vs ACT Assessment Test that can help a student determine which is the better test for him or her, and thus avoid having to take – and prep for – both tests.
How will Score At The Top work with my child to get a "good" score?
Baseline testing provides us with excellent information about your child's needs; tutor experience brings intuitive understanding of how to help your child obtain the best test results. We carefully select the right tutor, and after measuring your child's baseline test scores, we design a test-preparation program based on a student's goals and our four-pronged approach:
Test familiarity
Test content
Test-taking strategies
Confidence-building
Your child will do an in-depth content review with one of our seasoned test-prep tutors, learn how to avoid making careless errors, capitalize on strengths and reduce weaknesses, master timing and other test-taking strategies, and develop enhanced self-confidence. You'll receive email updates about your child's progress after each tutoring session.
With more than 30 years of experience, we can tell you that test preparation can be tremendously worthwhile. At Score At The Top, we deliver your child to the door of the exam room ready to achieve a personal best, and feeling positive about facing this rite of passage. To us, and to the thousands of parents who have sought us out, this is the essence of scoring at the top!
How much of an SAT score gain can be expected with tutoring?
Most students take their first SAT as second-semester juniors. On average, for the SAT administered before March 2015, these students scored a total of 40-50 points higher on the combined reading and math sections of this SAT than on the corresponding sections of their junior PSAT; they tended to gain a total of 30 points on these sections of their senior SAT. However, some students got lower scores; in fact, 1% of test-takers dropped by 100 points or more in reading and math combined!
Most students who seriously prepared for the pre-March 2015 SAT with Score At The Top had significant score gains of 150+ points combined in reading, math, and writing – at least three times the national average score gain. And some of our motivated students enjoyed gains of well over 300 points! Here's the "double-edged sword": some of our students achieved such impressive score gains that they were challenged by the College Board and had to re-take the test to prove the legitimacy of their higher scores! While the results above reflect score gains we have observed, we do not guarantee score gains.
The SAT introduced in March 2015 is still too new to provide meaningful score-gain data for students who have taken the redesigned SAT.
What is the PSAT?
Officially known as the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test – but "PSAT" for short), the test is co-sponsored by the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT and gives juniors an opportunity to enter the National Merit Scholarship competition.
The PSAT measures:
Critical reading skills
Math problem-solving skills
Writing skills
The most common reasons for taking the PSAT are to:
Help prepare for the SAT. Since the PSAT is composed of old SAT questions, it's a great way to get a baseline before taking the actual SAT.
Use the results for an early start to college planning. By projecting a student's eventual SAT scores – and starting test prep early enough, a student is more likely to get into the colleges of his or her choice.
Gain early insight into a student's strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for success in college (reading, writing, math analysis, critical thinking) – and plan improvement steps now.
Enter the competition for National Merit scholarships (juniors only).
Receive tons of information from colleges when a student checks "yes" to the Student Search Service question on the PSAT.
How is the PSAT organized and scored?
Structure of the PSAT
The PSAT is organized quite similarly to the SAT, but without the essay. It takes almost 3 hours (with a 5-minute break after the Reading and Math No-Calculator Tests) and is organized like this:
Scoring
The SAT and PSAT use a common score scale, providing consistent feedback to help you monitor your growth as you move through high school. Because the SAT is a more difficult and longer test than the PSAT, SAT scores are reported on a higher scale than PSAT scores, as shown below.
PSAT scores are usually excellent predictors of future SAT scores.
Fifteen scores and subscores are generated by your performance on the PSAT. These two are the key scores:
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Section Score
Mathematics Section Score
In addition to the Total Score (the sum of the above two), the remaining dozen “insight” scores may help you better understand your capabilities.
Scoring your test is a complex process, but it all starts with your raw scores, the number of questions you answer correctly in each test section. There is no penalty for a wrong answer; every question you get right increases your score.
Here’s a graphical representation of the 15 scores reported for the SAT and PSAT:
Each PSAT has three unique score conversion tables created for it ― tables that convert the number of questions you get right into the various PSAT scores and subscores. Each set of conversion tables reflects the difficulty level of the questions on its associated test; it’s like saying the PSAT is graded on a curve. If one test is slightly harder than another, the harder test will be scored slightly more leniently ― and conversely. Because the conversion tables are different from test to test, it’s impossible to say exactly how many questions you need to get right to get a particular score.
When does my child take the PSAT?
The PSAT is offered in October; high schools choose between a Wednesday and Saturday test that week. (Yes, the Wednesday and Saturday tests have completely different questions, and both tests are "official.")
As a preliminary version of the SAT, the PSAT is taken by most high-school students in their sophomore and junior years. Sophomores may be given either the PSAT/NMSQT (October) or the PSAT 10 (offered only in the spring), based on their school’s policy; they are the same test, but with different questions.
Some schools, recognizing the benefits of early exposure to the PSAT, may administer the PSAT 8/9 (an easier version of the PSAT) to their eighth and ninth graders in the fall or spring. Along with providing a preview of the upper-level PSAT, the PSAT 8/9 establishes a baseline for a student’s readiness for college and career.
Research has shown that taking the PSAT more than once tends to lead to higher SAT scores.
How does the PSAT relate to the National Merit Scholarship Program?
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a privately funded academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school juniors enter the National Merit Program by taking the PSAT.
In April of their junior year, roughly 50,000 juniors with the highest PSAT Selection Index scores on their junior PSAT (Critical Reading + Math + Writing Skills scores) will qualify for recognition in the National Merit Scholarship Program.
In September of their senior year, these high scorers will be notified that they have qualified as either:
Commended Students* (34,000 students) or
Semifinalists (16,000 students)
In February of their senior year, some 15,000 Semifinalists will be notified that they meet academic and all other requirements to advance to Finalist standing.
Beginning the following month, approximately 8,400 Finalists will be selected to receive Merit Scholarship awards, which are of three types:
National Merit $2500 Scholarships
Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards
College-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards
National Merit recognition is based on a student’s Selection Index Score, which is twice the sum of his or her Reading, Writing, and Math Test Scores. For the class of 2016, Florida's cut-off Selection Index score was 217. By comparison, other cut-off scores that year were:
A low of 202 in North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming
A high of 223 in DC and Massachusetts
Commended Scholar cutoff: 209
* Commended students do not continue in the competition for Merit Scholarship awards, but some may be candidates for special scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses.
What’s the recommended testing calendar for PSAT, SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests?
Download our free recommended testing calendar
Should my child prepare for the PSAT? How much test-prep is needed?
YES! Your child needs to take the PSAT seriously. Here's the biggest complaint we consistently hear from new students: "I wish I had prepared for the PSAT." Why? Students who don't prepare for the PSAT often receive scores that don't reflect their potential, essentially scores they are so unhappy with that they begin their college-planning process worried about admissions. It's harder to succeed at the SAT under these circumstances.
Score at the Top offers a variety of ways for students to prepare for the PSAT:
Workshops that include 24 hours of direct instruction plus two timed and proctored test simulations
1-day workshop that focuses on test familiarity and several highly effective test-taking strategies
Private or semi-private lessons scheduled at a student's convenience, also including 1-2 timed and proctored test simulations
How will Score At The Top work with my child to get a "good" score?
Baseline testing provides us with excellent information about your child's needs; tutor experience brings intuitive understanding of how to help your child obtain the best test results. We carefully select the right tutor, and after measuring your child's baseline test scores, we design a test-preparation program based on a student's goals and our four-pronged approach:
Test familiarity
Test content
Test-taking strategies
Confidence-building
Your child will do an in-depth content review with one of our seasoned test-prep tutors, learn how to avoid making careless errors, capitalize on strengths and reduce weaknesses, master timing and other test-taking strategies, and develop enhanced self-confidence. You'll receive email updates about your child's progress after each tutoring session.
With more than 30 years of experience, we can tell you that test preparation can be tremendously worthwhile. At Score At The Top, we deliver your child to the door of the exam room ready to achieve a personal best, and feeling positive about facing this rite of passage. To us, and to the thousands of parents who have sought us out, this is the essence of scoring at the top!
Is it true that with maturity, my child's score will automatically increase from the PSAT to the SAT?
Only a little! On average, for tests administered prior to the PSAT/SAT redesign in 2015/2016, most juniors scored a total of 40-50 points higher on the combined Reading and Math sections of their first SAT than on the corresponding sections of their junior PSAT. Although your child will mature, the test-taking strategies needed for the SAT are not always acquired with age or taught in school: they are learned with test preparation. Before the recent redesign of the PSAT and SAT, most of our motivated test-prep students experienced PSAT-to-SAT score gains averaging 150+ points (Reading + Math + Writing). These results reflect score gains we have observed; however, we do not guarantee score gains.
Endurance is a major factor on the SAT, but not as much on the PSAT. There's a difference between a test that takes about 4 hours (SAT) and one that takes closer to 3 hours (PSAT). Even final exams in college are shorter than 4 hours! When was the last time you saw your child sit quietly focused on a written task for nearly 4 hours? Without effective test preparation, the intensity of the marathon SAT can get the best of even the most focused student.
While the PSAT is useful as a baseline, another great way to assess your child's SAT potential is to take an actual SAT in one of our simulations.