ACT Archives - Westside Tutoring & Testing Services

Rock Your Entrance Exam: Begin Your ACT and/or SAT Prep Today!

June 22, 2013 admin 1 Comment

Test Anxiety? Well, Our ACT and SAT Prep Students Rock the House!

Rid Yourself of Test Anxiety Once and for All!

Call 216-712-7004 Today!

Whether this is your first time taking the ACT or SAT (many of our students do, in fact, take both more than once), or your second, third, fourth, or seventh* time through…the Westside Tutoring and Testing Services ACT/SAT Prep Course will help you attain your ultimate Goal Score!

Guaranteed!**

Westside Tutoring and Testing Services offers:

2 and 4 Week Intensive ACT Prep Course (4 one-on-one, 90 minute sessions weekly and at least 1 practice test)
2 and 4 Week Intensive SAT Prep Course (4 one-on-one, 90 minute sessions weekly and at least 1 practice test)
6 and 8 Week Intensive ACT Prep Course (4 one-on-one, 90 minute sessions weekly and at least 2 practice test)
6 and 8 Week Intensive SAT Prep Course (4 one-on-one, 90 minute sessions weekly and at least 2 practice test)
12 and 16 Week Intensive ACT Prep Course (3 one-on-one, 90 minute sessions weekly and at least 4 practice tests)
12 and 16 Week Intensive SAT Prep Course (3 one-on-one, 90 minute sessions weekly and at least 4 practice tests)
WTTS’ Fully-customized ACT/SAT Prep Course [3-4 one-on-one, 90 minute sessions weekly and at least 3/3 (6) practice tests]

Similar test prep (entrance, proficiency, and placement) course structures are available for the GRE, LSAT, ASVAB, AP, CLEP, GMAT, etc.

All Westside Tutoring and Testing Services test prep course and tutoring programs are one-on-one. We do not believe in offering anything less than the very best in individualised, one-on-one instruction. The classroom approach to test prep is, in our view, a complete and utter failure. Sadly, it is what most students are subjected to and it is why we see most of our students after they have taken the ACT, SAT, GRE, or LSAT two, three, four, and five times.

It is fundamentally impossible to reach 30 to 40 students effectively and simultaneously with a prepared (read: canned) script that fails to offer much, if any, wiggle room for questions and interaction.

Westside Tutoring and Testing Services’ ACT and SAT Prep Course students succeed while others fail, relatively speaking, because every WTTS test prep program is designed with our student’s needs in mind. Our primary concern is one student….the student we are working with (i.e., tutoring, coaching, mentoring, teaching, etc.) at that specific moment in time. We do not have to teach to the class average. Or, worse yet, we do not have to teach to the lowest common denominator.

Every WTTS test prep course is fluid, measured and adjusted constantly in order to assist just one individual…the client seated across from the instructor!

Every Westside Tutoring and Testing Services Student is #1!

Additionally, academic tutoring is also offered in only one way: Individualized, one-on-one sessions for no more than 90 minutes (read: The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz; and, The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working by Tony Schwartz). Both are excellent books and should be required reading for every teacher, tutor, coach, mentor, employer, etc. In fact, they should be required reading for anyone interested in peak performance.

When all is said and done, we are interested in little else at Westside Tutoring and Testing Service…given the proper structure and guidance, of course!

Ask us for answers to the following questions when we meet for our first, free, 90 minute consultation and assessment:

Why doctoral (Ph.D.) level instruction for all of our students?
Why do our all of our students require and receive individualized, one-on-one instruction?
Why do all of our students require and receive a program built, and constantly monitored and adjusted just for them…and for no one else?
Why are our tutoring sessions never more than 90 minutes in length (with the unfortunate exception being practice exams)?
Why do we have to teach our students how to take the ACT and/or SAT?
Why is more time spent on test taking strategy, and less on academics (although both receive more than their due)?
Why do many of our students remain with us for months and, in some instances, years beyond their initial contact?
Why does Westside Tutoring and Testing Services specialize in tutoring, teaching, coaching, and mentoring students challenged by and diagnosed with ADD or ADHD?
Why do we also have a program for students labeled specifically as Gifted…and often in Gifted programs on taking Gifted courses?

Please know that WTTS also has a very substantial and thriving tutoring practice filled with students not fighting through the label labyrinth…at least not yet! Labeling can be difficult and destructive…it is seldom productive; and yet, it is entirely human!

Once again, Westside Tutoring and Testing Services offers a myriad of standardized entrance, proficiency, and placement exam prep courses for students in almost every age bracket and at virtually every academic level.

Here are just a few of the WTTS test prep course examples:

High School Sophomores – PSAT
High School Juniors and Seniors – SAT, ACT, and OGT
High School Juniors and Seniors (primarily) – AP and CLEP
High School Graduates – ASVAB
Adults – GED
Undergraduates and Graduate Students – PRAXIS
College/University Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors – GRE, MCAT, GMAT, LSAT
Nursing Students (university based, hospital based, and others) – NCLEX-PN or the NCLEX-RN
Adults in their thirties and forties (non-traditional students) – Math and/or English proficiency exams prior to returning to school after years away

Over the past 5 years we have assisted well over 150 students, all 1-on-1, prepare for that most important of days!

Incredibly, the above-mentioned list doesn’t begin to touch the absolute number of requests we receive for test prep and academic assistance (i.e., tutoring, mentoring, coaching, etc.) annually from, as previously mentioned, students of all ages and at every level.

Westside Tutoring and Testing Services is very careful to take on only those students (and parents when appropriate – because it is a joint venture) who:

Really need our help – either test prep or academic tutoring (this trumps all else – the latter over the former) – this is #1, always
Are committed to doing (supporting in order to accomplish) whatever may be required in order to achieve the student’s goals
Agree, along with Westside Tutoring and Testing Services, to a specific goal, timeframe, and framework for its accomplishment (completion is program dependent)
Finally, the student’s goal becomes WTTS’ goal and we are well on their way to “Making it so!”

If, after sorting through this article/blog post/promotional piece, you would like to ask us a few more questions, and perhaps discuss your Goal Score?

Or perhaps, more simply, your goals?

Please give us a call today

440-821-7018

Serving Northeast and North Central Ohio for Over 30 Years!

Professor John P. J. “Jack” Zajaros, Sr.
Westside Tutoring and Testing Services
440-821-7018

*We are in awe of this student, an incredibly bright and determined young man who, after taking several of the canned presentation and big name test prep courses (for a lot more money!), and falling just short of his Goal Score 7 times, he came to us. Incredibly, after completing the WTTS 8 Week Intensive Program for the required proficiency examination in his area of concentration (3 sessions weekly, 1-on-1 for 90 minutes), he blew away his previous scores and achieved his Goal Score, and more. This was, without a doubt, one of the highest points in my 30+ years of teaching, tutoring, coaching, and mentoring young people. In a lifetime filled with high points, we were all so happy for him because he went all-in and, in the process, learned so much about himself, what he is capable of, and what he can do with the proper mindset…and the right assistance (i.e., coach, mentor, teacher, tutor, etc.). And he’d also become part of the WTTS family!

**Your success is our success and we won’t stop working until you (your son or daughter) have achieved the desired outcome. The Goal Score is just one measure, of course; and naturally, your son or daughters’ measure, including the Goal Score, will be agreed upon in advance…after the free consultation and assessment is completed. Call today! 440-821-7018

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The Emergence of the Professional Tutor and Academic Success

April 18, 2011 admin 2 Comments

Academic Challenges in Today’s Challenging World

ADD, ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s Asyndrome, Traumatic Brain Injury

ACT, SAT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, or MCAT

Many students and parents have a very limited idea of what tutoring is all about in the 21st Century. The days of the $5 an hour high school-aged tutor coming in after school for a bit of homework help are behind us.

Today’s pre-school, elementary, middle school, high school, college, graduate, and professional school students’ needs have grown exponentially over the last two or three decades. In an era that demands specialization, particularly in math and science-related areas (to include computer science), many students lack even basic communication skills. Significantly, the “video generation” is falling behind in a number of key academic areas…and there seems to be little hope of a remedy any time soon.

Interestingly, our education system appears to be floundering under the weight of increased class size, an emphasis on standardized testing, and a lack of funding. The focus on specialization, instead of emphasizing creative thought and the ability to write well, is having a profound impact on today’s youth…and it is not positive. I am afraid we will end up with a generation of specialists who are unable to think creatively, read and write well, think outside the box, to use a gobbledygook word, and see the big picture. In other words, we will be left with a generation, if not several generations, of specialists unable to think holistically and perform creatively.

Frankly, the thought frightens me…I hope it frightens you!

Tutoring has grown into a profession over the last decade and most professional tutors offer everything from disability services, education-related counseling, online academic services, standardized test preparation, and various forms of student support.

Not only do today’s professional tutors offer access to state of the art computers, desktops and laptops, as well as the associated software, they also invest in and offer access to relevant, education-related membership sites. Additionally, the professional tutor and/or tutoring service must also invest in and offer a substantial library of supplemental material (e.g., textbooks, literature, periodicals, etc.). The investment of time is crucial. Time is most precious and it routinely takes 2-3 hours to adequately prepare for a properly planned tutoring session.

Aside: Fortunately, many teachers still insist their students conduct research offline and a professional tutor will have a myriad of textbooks, periodicals, and relevant material at his or her disposal for their students’ use.

A qualified professional tutor will undoubtedly have an undergraduate degree. In many instances, a professional tutor will have an advanced degree. Optimally, a qualified professional tutor will be comfortable across a wide variety of academic disciplines. It is often the case that students require support across a number of disciplines (i.e., courses, subjects, etc.) and for more than one academic period.

The cross-discipline support is particularly necessary when working with students dealing with such learning disabilities as ADD, ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, traumatic brain injury (TBI), etc.

Hiring a tutor unfamiliar with the demands related to disability services for such students is almost always a waste of time and money and may be costly to the child’s well-being, as well.

The Alphabet Soup of Academia:
GED, PSAT, SAT, ACT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, MCAT, TOEFL, PRAXIS, USMLE, ASVAB, etc.

Unfortunately, standardized testing seems to be here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. Consequently, talented educators at every level are forced to teach to test, an unsatisfying and unproductive endeavor, at best. Teachers are held to an unrealistic standard and test results are often tied to wages, job security, and tenure (the topic of another article). Students’ performance on standardized tests for everything from overall proficiency to the right to graduation (i.e., OGT—Ohio Graduation Test) means there is often little time for anything else…anything other than teaching the canned test taking techniques, that is.

In my opinion most of these tests are set to an arbitrary standard, culturally biased, and absolutely unfair.

The GED, PSAT, SAT, ACT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, MCAT, TOEFL, PRAXIS, USMLE, ASVAB, and so on were once considered appropriate, even cutting edge. The tests listed above are an alphabet soup of tests created to measure intelligence, proficiency, aptitude, and ability. The tests listed above are, in almost every instance, no longer even purported to do what was once claimed. The GED is arguably the only test listed above with some redeeming value…a second chance at a high school diploma.

The pre-college, college, professional school, and graduate school entrance tests (i.e., PSAT, SAT, ACT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, and MCAT) are now an industry in and of themselves and the acronym is now the test’s sole name. The SAT is no longer the Scholastic Aptitude Test; it is simply the SAT…and so on.

Aside: Interestingly, when the State of California’s university system considered no longer requiring the SAT as part of their admissions process, the SAT writing segment was born. Talk about pull and a purely business decision!

All that being said, the ACT, SAT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, and MCAT are part of the admissions process for colleges, universities, graduate schools, and professional schools across the nation. In order to prepare for the appropriate entrance test, whether it’s the ACT, SAT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, or MCAT, a professional tutor is a must.

With intense competition for admission to the nation’s best schools, and equally intense competition for financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants, assistantships, and fellowships, an investment in a professional ACT, SAT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, or MCAT, as stated above, tutor is a must. Selecting the right tutor is an investment that will pay dividends for years to come.

In fact, even the classroom-type test preparation is better than nothing…but just barely!

Ultimately, a private and completely individualized program, a one-on-one program tailored to the specific needs of the student is ideal. A program offering the above-mentioned features and focusing specifically on the appropriate test is optimal (ACT, SAT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, or MCAT).

Tutoring has come a long way from the days of the high school student who just wanted to make a few extra bucks after school or the housewife who was “pretty good” in English a few years ago and is trying to supplement the household income. The professional tutor of today must be a well-educated, well-rounded expert. The professional tutor of today must be comfortable working with people under myriad conditions and across any number of different situations.

Finally, the professional tutor must be comfortable with a stressed-out, gifted middle school student going down in flames in advanced geometry, a medical student about to fail gross anatomy, a high school athlete in need of an “A” in chemistry to achieve the required GPA for a full ride to Ohio State and he’s failing 12 weeks from the end of the year, and the high school junior with a 282 on the Critical Reading section of the SAT and has to do better to get into the school of his dreams.

Follow up: The gifted middle school geometry student scored a 100 on his first test after starting working with Westside-Tutoring…and hasn’t looked back! The medical student is now called Doctor by his patients. The high school student needing an “A” in chemistry decided on another Big 10 school, “that one up North!” And the high school junior with the 282 on the Critical Reading section of the SAT? Well, he got a 610 on the Critical Reading section of the SAT on his first try after joining us!

There are so many stories like these, it is truly wonderful!

Are there disappointments? Certainly!

But then…that’s life!

I will say this, any student willing to put in the time and the effort, and blessed with parents willing to allow the process to unfold, as it always does, will succeed. That is, if they are fortunate enough to find a professional tutor, the right tutor able to make it all happen. It can be amazing…and I’ve been doing this for over 30 years!

Tutoring is a wonderful calling, and it is a calling, incredibly challenging and heartbreaking. I wouldn’t do anything else!

For information about the services offered by Westside-Tutoring and Educational Services contact us anytime.

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
Westside-Tutoring and Education Services
Serving Northern Ohio for Over 30 Years!
440-821-7018 (private live)