Castilleja School • SAT · ACT · PSAT
The universities Castilleja students target have largely reinstated standardized testing requirements. Harvard, MIT, Dartmouth, Princeton, and Yale now require or strongly expect scores. The UC system requires scores for merit scholarship consideration. Columbia remains test-optional. For a Castilleja student in this environment, the question is not whether to take the test. The question is how to take it in a way that reflects what she is actually capable of.
Castilleja's curriculum produces strong readers and writers. The SAT's evidence-based reading and writing sections tend to align with that strength. The math sections, particularly the calculator-off questions on the digital SAT, require a precision under timed conditions that is different from how math is approached in a humanities-rich environment.
The ACT changed in 2025. Science is now optional and does not count toward the composite score. Castilleja students who previously chose the SAT to avoid the Science burden have a different set of options now. Michael assesses both tests during the free trial and recommends based on actual performance data.
The Trial Session
The free trial on Zoom includes a diagnostic, direct work with Michael, and a follow-up call with both student and parent. Michael presents a specific recommendation: which test gives the student the best opportunity, how far their score may be able to go, a recommended training plan, and which upcoming test dates are most strategic. No financial commitment until both sides agree.
Every Session
Sessions are two hours long and combine individualized coaching, structured practice, and timed work using official SAT and ACT material. Students stay actively engaged while receiving ongoing guidance and feedback from Michael throughout the session. No homework.
The Guarantee
Students who complete the agreed program and are not satisfied with their results continue at no additional cost after the agreed session cap until they are satisfied or available testing opportunities have been exhausted.
The Mr. Test Prep Method™ builds the execution strategies and pattern recognition that transfer directly to test conditions. A-Game Access™ is the mindfulness and peak performance system built into every session — addressing the gap between practice performance and test-day performance.
California's NMSQT cutoff is among the highest in the country. The PSAT happens once. Michael recommends starting PSAT preparation in January of sophomore year for Castilleja students with National Merit ambitions, connecting that track directly into the spring SAT cycle.
A pattern Michael has observed across nearly three decades of working with high-achieving girls' school students: the gap between performance in familiar, relationship-rich academic environments and performance in the clinical setting of a standardized test. The Mr. Test Prep Method™ builds the execution habits and test-specific strategies to close the content side of that gap. A-Game Access™ addresses the mental and emotional preparation required to perform in that environment and is one of the most frequently cited factors in Castilleja-profile student testimonials at mrtestprep.com.
Preparation timelines vary based on a student’s goals, starting point, and target test dates.
Michael’s free trial session includes a diagnostic and personalized timeline recommendation based on each student’s individual situation — not a generic template.
The diagnostic produces a specific recommendation: which test gives the student the best opportunity, how far their score may be able to go, a recommended training plan, and which upcoming test dates are most strategic.
Castilleja students carry demanding schedules. The Zoom format removes commute time. Sessions are available after school and on weekends. The no-homework policy means nothing is added to the student's plate outside of the session itself.
Most do now. The shift since 2024 has been toward reinstating requirements at the most selective schools. Castilleja's college counseling office is the best source for current, school-specific policies.
The trial is a two-hour Zoom session where your student works through a diagnostic with guidance and feedback from Michael throughout. Afterward Michael calls both student and parent with a specific recommendation: which test gives the student the best opportunity, how far their score may be able to go, a recommended training plan, and which upcoming test dates are most strategic.
The trial is free with no obligation to continue.