On President’s Day, MEK Review hosted our SAT Boot Camp: 1 Day to Better Scores.

We want to thank all of our staff for making this such a successful event! Thank you also to the students and parents who attended – your dedication, passion, and intelligence never ceases to amaze us!

If you couldn’t attend or just want a quick recap, read below to learn all the major highlights.

Part 1. Discovering Your Baseline Scores

Students first took a full-length practice SAT test with us. The test was an official College Board test, given in a professionally proctored environment, so students could experience exactly what taking an official SAT test is like.

This provides a crucial first step in test preparation: taking an actual timed SAT and learning your initial score.

After the test, students refueled their mental energy with lunch while our staff scored students’ tests using our signature score reporting system. Our reports go way beyond just telling students their composite score and section score. It breaks down their performance on each test topic, detailing everything from linear equations to pronoun questions.

Exam Prep Coordinator Pranav Gupta (left) and Director of Exam Prep Tony Kim (right) instruct students on test procedure.

Part 2. Learning Expert Strategies

In the afternoon, students were grouped into multiple classrooms. They met with 3 Exam Prep teachers, who are experts in SAT Writing, Reading, and Math.

During these sessions, students got a taste of a day in the life of our SAT Prep students and the methods our teachers use to dramatically boost student scores. Plus, students took away a few key strategies that they can use to improve their score right away!

Here’s what they learned:

• What to expect on each section
• Time Management strategies
• Common Mistakes students make on each section of the test
• More accurate and effective problem-solving techniques on the Math section
• Standard English Conventions important for the Writing section
• Common trap answer choices on the Reading section

Exam Prep Coordinator Rachel Erwin breaks down the Writing section for Boot Camp students.

Director of Exam Prep Tony Kim shows students the most effective problem-solving techniques.

Part 3. Designing a Careful Strategy

During the last part of the day, students were treated to a special presentation that showed them how to design the most effective and efficient SAT test prep plan.

Students discovered how to pick their goal score and target test dates by looking at key factors such as:

• How their current score compares to the other 2 million SAT test-takers
• Why test scores matter to colleges
• The 75th percentile SAT score for accepted students at prospective colleges
• How many weeks of preparation they need to close the gap between their target score and goal score

Students learned to set their target score by looking at the 75th percentiles of students accepted to top 10, top 50, and top 100 colleges. By aiming to earn a score that the top 25% of accepted students from last year earned, students boost their chances of becoming a competitive candidate.

Students also learned the 5 common test prep myths:

• I don’t need much time to prepare
• I should only take the test once
• Practice makes perfect
• More subject knowledge automatically equals higher test scores
• Careless mistakes are easy to fix

Here’s the truth:

• You need 2-6 months of preparation depending upon how far away you are from your target score and the intensity of your preparation.
• You should take the SAT at least twice. (Nationwide, students on average improve 40 points on their 2nd official test!)
• Just taking practice tests is not enough. You need to learn strategies, tailored for your performance.
• You need to learn the test – its topics, formatting, language, and patterns. Don’t waste time by learning everything under the sun.
• You can only fix careless mistakes by changing behaviors and using proven strategies.

Finally, students were shown real examples of MEK students who participated in our SAT Prep program and learned how they improved their scores 150 – 400 points!

Parent Seminar

Parents also had an opportunity during the morning to learn how to help their child best prepare for the SAT. They were treated to a special presentation and a Q&A session with our Head Academic Counselor Ann Ahn.

Next Steps

Our participating parents and students later in the week also received a personal test prep recommendation letter. This letter was tailored to their child’s current score, target score, classroom grades, and college ambitions.

It was an exciting event, and we can’t wait to see many of these students in our Spring and Summer SAT Prep classes soon.

If you missed the event, and would like MEK Review to give you the ultimate guide to achieving high test scores, here are some solutions you can try!

• Take the first step by signing up for a practice SAT test! You’ll receive a detailed score report, personal recommendations, plus access to a free, one-on-one coaching session with our expert counselors to get answers to all your questions!
• Amp up your scores with our Spring Break Boot Camp! Sign up for 1 day or all 5 to take your scores to the next level as quickly and efficiently as possible!
• Download our (free!) ultimate SAT prep checklist! This offers a guide to our proven framework, which has helped many students to achieve higher scores, paving the way for acceptance into their dream schools.

We look forward to seeing you soon!