Panel of Experts

It’s time to have fun with SAT vocabulary. Last night we launched the “WordSmith Challenge” vocabulary game on ePrep. This addictive game tests your knowledge of common SAT vocabulary words in a fun, simple and competitive quiz. You can check out WordSmith Challenge by clicking on the “Vocabulary” tab above or simply here. WordSmith Challenge is an extension of our full WordSmith Vocabulary Builder which is included in all our ePrep for the SAT programs (including the free ePrep Express).

We often talk about the “long ramp” required to master vocabulary. Essentially, the argument is that unlike math or critical reading, where you can short-cut your knowledge in preparation for the SAT, vocabulary requires consistent and progressive focus over time. You cannot simply master 2000 common SAT vocabulary words in a few weeks or months. However, you can start your long ramp now and easily pick up 3 to 5 new words a day, thereby expanding your vocabulary by 1,000 to 1,500 words in only a year. Take a look at ePrep’s previous posts on SAT vocabulary:

Complete list of ePrep posts on Vocabulary

And somebody please knock me off the leaderboard of WordSmith Challenge!

Just the other day, I heard a commercial on the radio about an SAT prep course. In the commercial, the company offering the course tried to distinguish itself from other courses in only one way: It boasted that, unlike the instructors of other courses, each of its instructors received between 40 and 60 hours of training before being “certified” to teach.
Call me crazy, but 40-60 hours didn’t sound like a whole lot to me, so I asked around a bit.

• Bank tellers (the people who deposit money and cash checks) receive around 80 hours of training before they are permitted to work independently.
• Grocery store cashiers receive around 40 hours of training, which includes instruction in etiquette and the technical aspects of operating a register.
• Public school teachers, like art teachers and physical education teachers, go through pre-certification academic programs that can take between 1 and 4 YEARS(!) to complete.
• Personally, I completed a two-year master’s degree program that included 6 months of supervised student teaching before becoming certified to teach in New Jersey.

Okay, I’m not crazy. Training college kids for only 40-60 hours before sending them out to teach SAT classes is a complete joke. There is no way I would leave the SAT preparation of my three children in the hands of some unknown person with a mere 40-60 hours of in-house training.

ePrep for the SAT provides students around the world with access to yours truly, an Ivy-League educated master teacher and proven SAT expert with more than 17 years of teaching and tutoring experience. It is not really like me to toot my own horn, but I am getting tired of one-dimensional entrepreneurs in the education space. Teaching should be left to teachers.

Thanks for indulging me as I speak my mind.

As many visitors of ePrep know, I have been teaching and tutoring in, and around, Princeton, New Jersey, since 1993. Most recently, I have been helping students prepare for the SAT in person through private, one-on-one, tutoring and online through ePrep for the SAT and this free informational blog. While tutoring and ePrep keep me “crazy” busy most days, with the hope of making a meaningful differece for a few more kids, I’m ready to try something new.

Thus, it is with great excitement that I announce ePrep’s decision to host SAT classes in Princeton, New Jersey. The details of the two courses are as follows:

4 Week Course - $499 / 8 Week Course - $699

THE FIRST CLASS IS FREE! Interested students can decide whether to enroll after they have experienced the power of ePrep.

WHERE: ePrep’s offices at 340 Wall Street (Off Rt. 206 across from the Princeton Airport)

WHEN: Both courses are OPEN ENROLLMENT. Students can start whenever they are ready!

CLASSES: Students choose 2 time slots per week.

CLASS SIZE: 10 Maximum / 1 Minimum

Classes are held on M/T/Th 3:30-5:30, M/T/Th 6:30-8:00, and Sat 9:00-10:30.

Call (609) 924-2263 or email course@eprep.com to schedule your free trial class.

ePrep will supply all course materials.

One of the students who participated in last summer’s alpha test of ePrep for the SAT contacted me a couple of days ago. He shared the news that his SAT scores had gone up and he was recently admitted to Princeton University. Congratulations, Doug D. I guess we’ll be seeing each other at Princeton reunions for years to come.

Every year around this time, some people resolve to change certain aspects of their lives. “Starting January 1st, I will exercise more, eat healthier, be more patient, spend less money, etc.” Most new year’s resolutions are worth making because they involve some form of self improvement.

If your current list of resolutions includes any education oriented goals, like preparing for the SAT, I’d like to offer you some words of wisdom. DO NOT EXPECT OVERNIGHT SUCCESSES. (more…)