David

Tutoring Experience

I spent over two years teaching the SAT and ACT full-time, tutoring over 60 students across the whole range of the tests.

On average, my ACT students averaged an 8 point improvement, and over half of them scored 32 or more. For the SAT, students generally improved by around 250 points, almost all of them scoring 1400 or higher, with many of them in the 1500s.

I have tutored Oxbridge admissions (and university applications more broadly) on and off for the last seven years, focussing mainly on Oxford PPE applications, mentoring students as they prepare their applications and personal statements, tutoring them for the TSA, and conducting mock interviews.

Tutoring Approach

For the ACT and SAT, I start by getting the student to do a past paper to serve as a diagnostic of areas of weakness, and to serve as a baseline for future improvement.

Depending on the student’s needs, I either work on the specific areas where improvement is needed, but I also offer a comprehensive service which thoroughly covers all aspects of these tests. In classes, I aim to make them as interactive as possible, so that the student is actively practicing skills and staying engaged. Homework reinforces what’s been done in class, and regular mock tests help keep track of progress and encourage the student as they see their scores improve.

For university applications, my goal is to draw out the interests of the student, and explore ways in which they can explore those interests (reading, work experience, volunteering etc.), and how to evidence and explain those interests when it comes to personal statements and interviews.

With the TSA, I find the best approach is for the student to do past papers, and then for us to review those questions where there is room for improvement.