Mark earned a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. His passion for helping students led him to become an admissions coach, aiming to make the college application process less stressful and daunting. Professionally, he has served as a consultant at IBM.
Mark finds coaching to be dynamic and exciting. He believes it's enriching for both himself and the students; he helps ease their stress while they reflect, ask tough questions, and grow through the process.
As a coach, Mark compares himself to a therapist; to help students achieve success, he aims to understand each one deeply. By doing so, he can help match them with the perfect college and enable them to build a more comprehensive application narrative. If a student is involved in a club, Mike enjoys learning about what inspired that interest. If students play sports, he determines whether that interest is driven by competitiveness or a desire for community. Mark believes every application should paint a clear picture so that the admissions board gains a sincere understanding of the student.
Marks believes that inculcating a growth mindset is incredibly important. He emphasizes that nothing is permanent and reminds students that their starting point isn't fixed; improvement is always possible with effort.
In his free time, Mark enjoys going to the gym, long-distance running, recreational tennis, reading, writing short stories, and spending time with his two pet bunnies, Luna and Benny!
Eugene completed his Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. He has been a private tutor and education mentor for eight years. Eugene attributes his passion for tutoring to the amazing tutors, teachers, and mentors he had throughout his learning journey. He believes these mentors helped him become more intelligent and hardworking, which he hopes to pass on to other students. He specializes in ACT and SAT tutoring as well as math up to early college-level calculus and physics.
As a tutor, Eugene is very thorough. He takes the time to deeply understand each student's current level of knowledge to effectively plan for their future learning. Beyond academics, Eugene forges personal connections with his students, valuing them as individuals with lives outside of the classroom. He strives to grasp their interests and experiences, fostering a strong bond that enables him to be more empathetic and understanding in his approach to their education. This personal connection allows Eugene to tailor his tutoring sessions to each student's unique needs, recognizing their progress and areas for growth. With abundant patience, Eugene observes students as they apply their knowledge, gaining insight into their problem-solving methods and adapting his tutoring accordingly. He empowers students to grasp previously challenging concepts, instilling confidence in their abilities and nurturing their self-assurance.
Eugene excels at making learning fun and rewarding. Celebrating students' progress and acknowledging their hard work serves as a powerful reminder of their efforts. Witnessing improvements in their scores and GPAs can also further fuel their motivation. Additionally, when students encounter obstacles, Eugene is adept at navigating them. He employs diverse teaching methods, recognizing that there are multiple ways to approach and solve a problem. By offering various explanations, example problems, and resolutions, he helps students grasp challenging concepts effectively. Eugene also advocates for repetition in tackling similar problems, understanding that consistent practice gradually breaks down learning barriers and fosters comprehension.
In his free time, Eugene enjoys staying active by running, rock climbing, weightlifting, and playing volleyball and basketball. He is also a former gamer, making him the go-to guy for anything related to Minecraft or Valorant.
James completed his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government from the University of Iowa before also completing his Master’s degree in Journalism from the same institution. After working as a national and international news reporter for several years, he transitioned to full-time teaching, motivated by his passion for helping students achieve their academic goals. James has 21 years of teaching experience, including his current role as a Journalism and American Government Teacher at Chicago Public Schools. He also regularly conducts tutoring sessions and has tutored over 500 students.
For James, tutoring is a means to share his knowledge and help others succeed. He finds great satisfaction in witnessing the "lightbulb" moments students experience. He specializes in ACT and SAT tutoring, as well as US history, world history, American government, American literature, writing, journalism, and economics.
James' extensive teaching experience, deep subject knowledge, and empathy for today's youth distinguish him as a tutor. He is approachable, friendly, and entirely student-focused. He tailors his tutoring to each student's needs and emphasizes successful outcomes, often making uninteresting material engaging by drawing parallels with the real world and subject matter.
James excels at supporting students through learning blocks, drawing on their existing knowledge, and gently guiding them with strategic prompts, suggested skills, and relevant information to help them overcome the block or work around it.
In his free time, James enjoys gardening.
While the HSPT is similar to the SSAT and ISSE, its structure is different; students have 2 hours and 30 minutes to finish five exam sections:
Some Catholic schools may also include an additional writing test, as well as three other sections:
Your tutor will understand the test format of the Catholic school you’re applying to.
While we help students learn and retain knowledge to expertly navigate HSPT content, we also focus on helping them develop test-taking strategies they can use in high school, college, and beyond.
We welcome parent involvement and always strive to keep students, families, and tutors in the loop with our detailed progress tracker. The tracker allows families to check student progress as they work through their HSPT tutoring program.
Our matching process ensures students are paired with their best-fit HSPT tutor based on student/family preferences, goals, and needs.
The HSPT is made up of five timed sections: 60 Verbal Skills questions (16 minutes), 52 Quantitative Skills questions (30 minutes), 62 Reading questions (25 minutes), 64 Mathematics questions (45 minutes), and 40 Language Skills questions (25 minutes).
You can learn more about the HSPT by visiting the HSPT website here.
The HSPT tests students in Reading, Math, Quantitative Reasoning, and Language. Your percentile rank compares you to all other HSPT test-takers – for example, if you’re in the 75th percentile, you scored higher than 75% of test-takers. You will see a local and national percentile ranking. Stanines are reported on a scale of 1 to 9, and these scores also compare student performance to other students in a simplified way.
The HSPT is directly offered by schools – there is no national administration. Test dates can be scheduled from October to January.
The best plan for your child depends on what you’re looking for from our programs. If you’re unsure which program works best for your child, our expert team is ready to guide you – set up a call with us today to learn more!