Menlo School • SAT · ACT · PSAT
SAT, ACT, and PSAT Tutoring for Menlo School Students
The College List and Testing Context for Menlo Students
Menlo School graduates go to Stanford, the Ivies, top liberal arts colleges, and major UC campuses. Many of the universities Menlo students consider have reinstated or strengthened testing requirements since 2024. A strong test score can remove a potential question mark from a file that should be full of positive signals.
SAT and ACT Preparation for Menlo Students
The question Michael's diagnostic answers is not whether the student knows the material — they usually do — but where the gap is between content knowledge and timed test execution. The ACT changed in 2025: Science is now optional. Menlo students who previously avoided it have a clearer path now. Michael assesses both during the free trial.
How the Program Works
The Trial Session
Free Two-Hour Trial
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
The Session Format
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
Score Satisfaction 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™ and A-Game Access™
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.
The Specific Challenge Menlo Students Bring to Test Prep
Menlo School's trimester system and graduation requirements produce students who engage seriously with their coursework. The school's approach to learning — small classes, Socratic discussion, project-based assessment — builds genuine intellectual depth. That depth is real and valuable. It does not automatically transfer to timed multiple-choice performance.
The gap Michael encounters most often with Menlo students is not a knowledge gap. It is a test-structure gap. A student who can write a rigorous analytical essay in English class may take twice as long per question on the SAT's reading section as the test requires, not because they lack comprehension, but because they approach each passage with the deliberateness that Menlo rewards and the SAT penalizes. Identifying that specific pattern, and building faster, more automatic recognition habits, is where the coaching produces the most visible improvement.
The Mr. Test Prep Method™ and A-Game Access™ work together in every session. A-Game Access™ addresses a related challenge: performing in a high-stakes environment that gives no feedback, no partial credit, and no recognition of effort or process. Menlo students are used to environments where the quality of their thinking is visible to the people evaluating them. The SAT does not care. Building the mental tools to perform well in that context is a specific skill, and it is built into every session.
“He’s got an expansive arsenal of techniques and strategies under his belt that he can tailor to each student’s individual needs. For everything from reading comprehension — originally my weakest section, which Michael brought up by over 100 points — he can tell exactly what you need to work on with a simple glance at your responses.”
Anastasia W. · Menlo School 2015 · Johns Hopkins University 2019
Preparation Timelines
Common Starting Points
- January, sophomore year — particularly for students with National Merit goals.
- Summer before junior year — the period after July 4th is a common starting point for junior-year test dates.
- Summer before senior year — depending on goals and testing plans.
What the Trial Session Produces
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.
Frequently Asked Questions: Menlo School SAT, ACT & PSAT Tutoring
Is the program useful for Menlo students who are already scoring well?
Yes. The students who achieve perfect SAT scores and become National Merit Scholars after working with Michael were not students who were scoring poorly when they came in. They were students with room between their current scores and their actual ceiling, and the program helped them close it.
How early should a Menlo student start?
Preparation timelines vary based on a student's goals, starting point, and target test dates. Some students begin as early as January of their sophomore year, particularly those with National Merit goals. Many students begin preparation during the summer before junior year, with the period after July 4th being a common starting point. Students entering senior year often begin preparation during the summer before senior year, depending on their goals and testing plans. Michael's free trial session includes a diagnostic and personalized timeline recommendation based on each student's individual situation.
Explore Tutoring by School
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Related Pages
What Menlo School Families Say
13 Menlo School families have written about working with Mr. Test Prep — students and parents both. They are collected together in the full archive, alongside every testimonial received since 1997.
Book Your Free 2-Hour Trial Session
Free Two-Hour Trial for Menlo School Students
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.
