ACT/SAT Prep: The One-to-One Difference

Barbara Farland • March 7, 2024

There are numerous resources out there that promise ACT/SAT success. From in-person cohorts to self-paced on-demand courses to textbook-driven intensives, ACT/SAT prep has become a massive and diverse industry. But there’s one option that stands out from the rest: the one-to-one private school model of Brightmont Academy.

A woman is writing on a piece of paper with a pen.

Here’s why…

Dedicated Practice Time

What’s special about Brightmont’s ACT prep package is the inclusion of supervised practice time. The first thing students do when they arrive on campus is attend Homework Studio, a quiet, fully equipped classroom for the purpose of independent study. And when we say “quiet,” we mean it—there are never more than four students in Homework Studio at one time.

Despite the independent nature of Homework Studio, a Brightmont teacher is always at the ready to assist with whatever comes up. That is the sole purpose of the teacher who oversees Homework Studio during each period of the school day. In other words, though students are “on their own” during practice time, they are always in close reach of expert instruction and coaching.

Immediate Feedback

The next stop is a one-to-one hour-long instructional session led by a teaching specialist in college testing. ACT students get 20 of these sessions in their package, and SAT students receive 16. For ACT students, this means hearing immediate feedback on the practice work they just completed in Homework Studio.

Why is immediate feedback important? For one thing, the material is fresh to the students, and any concerns or questions are front of mind. Furthermore, research shows that immediate feedback increases the likelihood that students will absorb the material in meaningful and lasting ways; lags between practice and feedback make it more difficult to connect the dots between the students’ misconceptions and the right answers.

Similarly, when students are corrected quickly, there’s less time for them to adopt and retain inaccurate information. Put another way, the longer a false idea stews, the more likely it will stick. At Brightmont, what does stick is legitimate learning and not just for the sake of test taking.

Personalized Coaching

Brightmont is known for creating highly personalized learning plans for all kinds of students. It’s no different when it comes to ACT/SAT prep. Our teachers are fully committed to respond to the unique needs of each and every individual.

Everyone comes into Brightmont with different benchmarks and goals. The first step is to gather that information (including results from pre-tests already taken) and to talk frankly about where they’re at and what they want to achieve. Some students need help with their pacing and managing their time in addressing all of the test questions. Others need help developing strategies for discerning the correct answers and eliminating the incorrect ones. Still others need help with how to use all of the equipment and other tools available to them. More often than not, students need help with all of these and other test-taking concerns—and Brightmont is able to respond with holistic, comprehensive coaching.

A person pointing at a piece of paper with a pencil on it

SAT students experience two full-length practice tests at Brightmont—one before any instructional sessions take place and another between their 15th and 16th sessions. With extensive data in hand, Brightmont instructors know exactly what areas of study need the most attention. Furthermore, the data reveals how the students can best perform “triage” during their actual tests: which questions can be completed right away with ease, which ones need the most work, and which ones might require “the bubble of the day”—picking a random but consistent answer just for the sake of submitting a completed test.

Likewise, ACT students take a full-length practice test in addition to their 20 hour-long practice sessions. The ultimate goal is to make sure students feel as confident as possible when the big day arrives—and that’s precisely why families rely on Brightmont time and time again. ACT/SAT tests are important, there’s no doubt about that. But perhaps the greatest outcome of Brightmont’s prep process is a confident, can-do spirit that will last a lifetime. That’s the Brightmont difference. Every day. With every student.

A woman with short hair is smiling in a black and white photo.

Barbara Farland is an English & Social Studies instructor at Brightmont Academy in Plymouth, Minn. She holds a master’s degree in Business Communication from the University of St. Thomas and, prior to pursuing a second career in education, worked as an award-winning public relations and communications professional in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors. As a “storyteller by nature and teacher at heart,” Barbara continues to contribute to various anthologies, among other writing projects.

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