About
Alex Smith, teacher and tutor, combines five years of classroom teaching experience, five years preparing students for the GRE, and deep knowledge of the SAT, ACT and PSAT. Contrary to popular belief, standardized tests measure skills and strategies that can be learned and mastered rather than aptitude or intelligence. Thus, Alex’s tutoring and teaching approach builds students’ underlying competence and confidence. Alex graduated summa cum laude from the University of Utah and completed his doctorate at Harvard University. As a high school student long ago, he qualified for a National Merit Scholarship based on his score on the PSAT/NMSQT.
What students say about Alex:
"Alex Smith was great! He was well organized, articulate and did a great job of motivating the class to strive for excellence. Having Alex as an instructor made the class worth every penny.
"Alex is a great, motivated, teacher"
"I really can't think of any way his teaching can be improved. He is a better teacher than 95% of instructors I have had in my life."
"Very approachable. Very strong at taking the convoluted material and simplifying it."
"He was an encyclopedia of information and quickly and effectively explained difficult problems with practical, logical explanations."
"He is very friendly and knowledgeable. Keeps class going at a good pace, and I am never bored."
"He was able to discern my weakness in reading comprehension and work with me to help fix it- individually even though it was a group class."
"Alex was a phenomenal tutor. He had a very strong understanding of the content, helped me develop an effective study plan and was able to effectively tailor our lessons together to work on my weaknesses."
"Alex was great. He was able to quickly identify my weaknesses and tailor curriculum to improve my score"
" knowledgeable, humorous, fast thinking, explains well"
"I think the course was really helpful! Alex was a great and patient instructor. I only wish I had more time to finish the coursework and keep up with everyone in class!"
"He is an excellent teacher"
"It was a really great class and I think that without it I would be significantly less prepared"
"Alex is very patient. He is always willing to reiterate a concept or talk you through an answer that you maybe don't quite understand. He also clearly cares very much about his students and his job. I really did feel like he was invested in my success. He was always enthusiastic (even when sopping wet from getting caught in the rain), encouraging and engaging. I came to the first class unsure of if I wanted to commit to the course, but after three hours with Alex, I was convinced that this course would help me succeed."
"One of Alex's strengths is that he genuinely emotes empathy. Especially during moments when a student may be struggling with material, this aspect of Alex's teaching style is received as both welcoming and nonthreatening. Another strength is his knowledge of the material."
"He is soft spoken, cordial and caring to answer questions and help me figure out what I didn't understand"
Our approach
Timing tweaks and test-taking strategies can only raise a test score so much. Building endurance for test day also plays a small, but crucial role. However, to achieve truly dramatic score improvements – the kind that unlock opportunities – students need to master the underlying skills being assessed, both those they never learned and those they once learned but have now forgotten. To do that, we also deliberately support students to develop a robust growth mindset. Our approach to test preparation combines strategy with lots of skill training, leading to improved scores through earned self-efficacy on test day and beyond.
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