Los Gatos High School • SAT · ACT · PSAT
California's NMSQT cutoff is among the highest in the country. Los Gatos students with National Merit ambitions need to start preparation with enough lead time to close the gap. The PSAT happens once. October junior year, no retake. Michael's recommendation for students seeking Semifinalist consideration: start in January of sophomore year. PSAT preparation that feeds directly into the spring SAT cycle is more efficient than treating the two as separate programs.
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.
Los Gatos High School students are used to working hard without the pressure-cooker intensity that some South Bay schools carry. That is a cultural asset. It also means that the urgency around test preparation sometimes arrives later than it should for students with real college ambitions.
The PSAT in October of junior year does not wait for a student to decide they are ready. For LGHS students with National Merit ambitions, the preparation window opens in January of sophomore year, and closes in October of junior year, with no second chance. Michael's consistent message for Los Gatos families: the preparation required to reach California's NMSQT cutoff is achievable, but it requires realistic lead time and a plan built around the specific gap between the student's current performance and the California cutoff.
The SAT and ACT plan for LGHS students varies significantly based on the college list. A student considering Berkeley or UCLA needs a different testing plan than a student considering UCSC, Cal Poly, Lewis and Clark, or the University of Oregon. Michael's trial session connects the recommendation to the actual list, not to the highest score any LGHS student has ever submitted.
The digital SAT's adaptive structure and the 2025 ACT format changes are both worth understanding before selecting a test date. Michael explains both during the free trial and builds the plan around whichever test gives each specific LGHS student the better opportunity.
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.
LGHS sits in a district with a competitive NMSQT track record, and its college placement outcomes reflect genuine ambitions at competitive universities. The testing market in this corridor, adjacent to Saratoga, Cupertino, and San Jose. It is as competitive as anywhere in the country. 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.
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.