UPDATED:  June 28, 2011 11:33 PM
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Local International Baccalaureate Program Graduates Take on Test Prep Industry

Are SAT Prep classes worth it? For a growing number of high school parents and students, this age-old question is becoming more and more pertinent as purse strings are tightened and living costs continue to rise. With college admissions also getting more competitive every year, many students have begun turning to a short list of pricey test prep companies to help them earn the scores they need to compete.

But the dominance of the old-school test prep giants may not be here to stay. At least that’s what two entrepreneurial college students are banking on.

This summer, Katie Ni and Victoria Chang, current students at Duke University and Stanford University respectively, have been selected to bring Revolution Prep’s Ivy Insiders programs to Rockville. Revolution Prep, an innovative test prep company founded in 2002, selects undergraduates from top colleges around the nation to run its Ivy Insiders programs during the summer.

In the past nine years, Revolution’s Ivy Insiders programs have helped nearly 10,000 students raise their SAT scores by an average of almost 300 points—results that far outpace those of most traditional test prep companies. Such unprecedented success can be traced to three unique features of Revolution’s Ivy Insiders programs: a focus on mentorship, personal attention for every student, and an intensive three-week delivery during the summer when students are free from school-year stressors.

Ivy Insiders takes a novel approach to the SAT. “We teach the test like it’s a game to be beaten,” explains Ni who scored a perfect 2400, “As seasoned players who have succeeded on the SAT ourselves and have been trained in Revolution Prep’s curriculum, we are relatable and knowledgeable instructors. The Ivy Insiders programs have been so effective at producing such significant score jumps because of the teachers. We are students ourselves, which means that we understand how to present difficult content in a way that is easy for people our age to grasp”.

While Ni and Chang are working hard this summer to help their parents foot the bill for college, the pair also has a strong social mission to make SAT test prep accessible to as many students as possible. “This is probably the most important test many students will ever take. Because it represents between 25 and 35 percent of the college admissions decision, the SAT is the best way to dramatically improve how colleges look at you. Katie and I want to help students in our community to get into their top-choice schools, and we don’t want money to be an issue. To this end, we are offering several free full-length SATs and free SAT workshops throughout the summer to help students practice. We are offering discounts and scholarships for our courses as well”, says Chang who scored a 2390 on the exam.

Chang and Ni held their first free mock exam on Saturday, June 18th, attracting a crowd of almost 70 local rising juniors and seniors. “We were thrilled by the turnout”, says Ni, “Who knew that there were so many motivated students ready to start prepping for the exam this early in the summer!”

“We are so excited to work with our students this summer,” adds Chang, “The Ivy Insiders program is one that we are extremely proud of be a part of.”

Revolution Prep will run Ivy Insiders courses and tutoring programs in Montgomery County throughout this summer. For more information, please contact:

Victoria Chang

Phone (day and night): 240-643-7096

E-mail: victoria_chang@ivyinsiders.com

Website: http://www.revolutionprep.com/ivy-programs

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