Sacred Heart Preparatory • SAT · ACT · PSAT
Georgetown, Notre Dame, Boston College, and similar universities that SHP students frequently consider have all maintained or reinstated testing requirements. The UC system requires scores for merit scholarship consideration. For SHP families, a strong test score strengthens applications to every school on a typical SHP list.
SHP's curriculum provides strong preparation across humanities and sciences. The ACT changed significantly in 2025. Science is now optional and does not count toward the composite. This is worth reconsidering for SHP students who previously avoided it. Michael assesses both tests 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.
California's NMSQT cutoff is among the highest in the country. SHP students who want Semifinalist consideration have one preparation window: before the October junior year PSAT. Michael recommends starting in January of sophomore year. The PSAT track feeds directly into spring SAT preparation.
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.
Michael’s free trial session includes a diagnostic and personalized timeline recommendation based on each student’s individual situation — not a generic template.
Michael is based in Palo Alto, five minutes from Sacred Heart Prep. He has worked with SHP families for nearly three decades. The Zoom format means sessions happen from the student's home without commute time.
SHP's college list includes a high proportion of schools with active testing requirements. Georgetown, Notre Dame, Boston College, and the UC system among them. A strong test score is a meaningful differentiator in a competitive applicant pool.
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.