How did I become an SAT/ACT tutor?
The simple answer to the question above is a combination of a poor job market, a very wise college professor and being an undeniable math nerd.
After originally studying finance, I decided to pursue a career in math education. During that pursuit, my advanced calc professor strongly encouraged me to become an SAT tutor for one of the large corporate firms because of how difficult it would be to find a full-time teaching position. His advice was to receive training, work for a period of time and then eventually go out on my own. After gaining my certification and graduating, that's exactly what I did.
I've always excelled on standardized exams. All of my Regents exam grades in high school were 95% and above (98% and above on the three math tests). My SAT and ACT math scores were also very high. I've always attributed this to an ability to get inside the test makers' heads when taking these exams and being able to recognize traps and trends/patterns. One of my AP science teachers in high school claimed he could pass any standardized test even if he never learned any of the subject material. Believe him or not, there is some truth to his claim. Many students have the ability to answer a question, however, they lack the ability to recognize what's being asked. This, along with anxiety, is responsible for the bad test-taker phenomenon in which an A-student can't seem to get equivalent grades on state exams. Much of my focus is spent on showing students how to recognize certain problem types, avoid traps and use strategy for when they get "stuck".
I thoroughly enjoy working one-to-one with students who truly care about increasing their scores and getting into a better college. A student's motivation is contagious. It constantly motivates me to do as much as I can to put them in a position to achieve their goals.
