Los Altos High School • SAT · ACT · PSAT
Los Altos sits in the middle of one of the most competitive testing markets in the country. Mountain View, Palo Alto, Cupertino, and Menlo Park are all within a few miles. The SAT and ACT scores that represent strong performance nationally are median scores in this zip code.
Michael's trial session helps calibrate this. 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 digital SAT's adaptive format rewards students who understand how Module 1 performance affects Module 2. The ACT changed in 2025. Science is now optional. For Los Altos students who previously chose the SAT to avoid the Science section, the ACT is worth reconsidering. Michael assesses both during the free trial.
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 Altos High School sits inside one of the most competitive testing markets in the country, but it carries a different internal culture than the schools in Palo Alto or Cupertino. LAHS students tend to be ambitious without being relentlessly competitive in the way that some neighboring schools can feel. That makes for a healthier environment, and sometimes means the urgency around test preparation comes later than it should.
The students who come to Michael from Los Altos are typically capable and often underscoring relative to what their academic record suggests. The diagnostic identifies where the gap is: is it a pacing issue on one section, a specific content gap in math, a pattern of overthinking on reading passages, or a performance anxiety issue that shows up on test day but not in practice? Each of these has a different fix, and identifying the right one is what the trial session is for.
The documented outcome of a Los Altos student who enrolled at Pitzer College reflects what is achievable when a student with the right academic foundation gets preparation calibrated to her specific gap. Pitzer is one of the Claremont Colleges, a consortium that the most selective private universities in California participate in. Focused preparation helps a capable LAHS student present stronger, more consistent testing evidence when those scores are useful for admissions, scholarships, or placement.
Preparation timelines vary based on a student’s goals, starting point, and upcoming 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.
This depends entirely on the college list. The Claremont Colleges, which several Mr. Test Prep testimonial students attended, typically expect strong testing evidence when scores are submitted. UC Berkeley and UCLA remain highly competitive for in-state applicants, while UC scores are used for merit scholarship consideration and placement rather than admissions. Michael's trial session produces a recommendation specific to each student's actual goals.
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.