ACT, SAT, PSAT, and College Application Prep

ACT & SAT/PSAT Mastery Classes:

The Seeley Test Pros Mastery Class is a 12-hour class offered over four weeks, meeting once a week. Students will review all areas of the test, alternating weeks between English/reading and math/science. Students will receive all relevant content necessary to study and review, for example, math handouts/formulas and English grammar flashcards.

Students will be given a thorough overview of all strategies and techniques for each section of the test. Students will be given assignments to review and complete in between each class session in order to ask specific questions relevant to their individual needs. Students will be provided with three official ACT tests. Mastery Classes are available in-person or on Zoom by request.

ACT & SAT/PSAT One Day Workshops:

The Seeley Test Pros One Day Workshop is a six-hour session offered in one day that will review all areas of the test. Students will receive all relevant content necessary to study and review, for example, math handouts/formulas and English grammar flashcards. Students will be given a thorough overview of all strategies and techniques for each section of the test. Students will be provided with two official ACT tests. Workshops are available in-person or on Zoom by request.

ACT & SAT/PSAT Seminars:

All Seeley Test Pros Seminars are one hour in length and focus on one particular area of the test. Students will receive all relevant content necessary to study and review for that topic, including handouts and sample questions. Seeley Test Pros- ACT, SAT College Prep Testing Each seminar is independent of all other seminars. Seminars are previously recorded sessions that can be purchased and viewed multiple times. Register for one or all 17 topics! Seminar topics include:

English

Punctuation Pyramid

For any student who has ever confused the difference between a “;” and a “:” or the difference between “its” and “it’s,” this seminar could be critical to their success. Both the ACT and SAT expect students to identify the correct use of punctuation. These questions can contain commas, dashes, semi-colons, colons, periods, or apostrophes. “Punctuation Pyramid” will help students identify how to correctly and confidently use each piece of punctuation on the ACT and SAT tests.

Production of Writing Questions

The English section of the ACT often expects students to differentiate between a “correct” answer and the “best” answer. Because these questions are outside the realm of grammar or punctuation, most students struggle to identify what exactly the test considers “best.” This seminar will introduce students to the types of writing questions and concepts they’ll encounter on the test and provide them with strategies for each type. Students will no longer need to worry about what to do when asked whether the author should “keep or delete a certain sentence” or has to choose between moving a sentence to “Point A, B, C, or D.”

What’s In A Sentence?

Do the words “subject,” “verb,” or “dependent clause” mean anything to you? When was the last time you had to identify whether something was a complete thought or idea? Unfortunately, it may be harder than it seems on most writing tests. High school students rarely review some of the basic concepts behind sentence structure because most teachers are relying on what the student learned in middle school. This seminar easily breaks down sentences into terms that any student can understand. No need to break out the grammar textbooks for this one—just get to know the 4 simple parts of a sentence for any sentence structure question on the test.

Top 10 Grammar Errors

Most students don’t know that the ACT and SAT Reading/Writing sections are testing them on the most common grammar errors students make. Errors that we all see and hear every day start to sound so normal that most students can’t tell what’s right or wrong. This seminar will describe the top 10 grammar errors that appear on the test and demonstrate how to correct those errors. We’ll cover errors that range from punctuation to verb usage to transition statements. These 10 errors alone cover more than 50% of the test’s English questions and you don’t need to be a grammar wiz to learn them!

Math

Top Five Math Strategies

Strengthening your accuracy in Math could be as simple as counting the fingers on your hand! Using your five fingers as an example, we’ll describe the top 5 Math strategies a student can use while taking the ACT or SAT. This seminar will include real test questions to describe and demonstrate how those five strategies can be utilized. These tips and tricks can help students with questions across arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and even statistics! We’ll even prepare a “worst-case scenario” plan in case students come across Math questions they don’t understand.

Geometry Review

Around 40% of Math questions on the ACT are testing students’ knowledge of Geometry concepts. For most students testing in their junior or senior year of high school, it can be overwhelming to recall a significant amount of Geometry content if it’s been several months or years since they first took the class. Our “Geometry Review” will provide students with the knowledge and strategies they’ll need for the Geometry questions on the ACT and SAT. Students will learn what Geometry formulas and rules they’ll need to memorize for the test, and they’ll get a chance to see what types of Geometry questions the tests repeatedly use.

Probability & Statistics

For most students taking an ACT or SAT, the most intimidating word they can hear is “probability.” Whether your student HATES or LOVES Math, the ACT’s “Probability & Statistics” section may affect their score more than they realize, but luckily, they’re some of the easiest questions to learn. This seminar simplifies probability and average questions by translating them into identifying terms that any student can memorize. We’ll provide an overview of content knowledge, as well as strategies for students who struggle with test-taking.

Strategies for Word Problems

“A train leaves Chicago at 7:00 am traveling 55 mph at the same time a train leaves St. Louis traveling 65 mph…” Do questions like that make your brain go haywire? In each “Strategies for Word Problems” seminar, we’ll use official ACT and SAT word problems to teach students how to tackle these questions. In addition to our Three Core Math Strategies, we’ll also teach students the most common ways the test will try to trick them. Students will receive a review packet full of practice problems to use in our session and at home on their own.

Reading

Time Strategies

The #1 concern we hear about the Reading portion of the ACT is ” My son/daughter can’t seem to finish the section in time.” Most students have the ability to finish the section in time, but they don’t know what strategies to use in such a short time period. Our “Reading: Time Strategies” seminar will provide students with five core strategies to use when taking a Reading test. Students will receive the tools and inside information they need to move more quickly through Reading passages, while also increasing their reading comprehension.

Question Types

Did you know that the Reading section of the ACT only ask 7 different types of questions? For most students, understanding what they’ll need to answer is the best way to know how to read the passage in front of them. Unfortunately, most students approach answering questions by merely looking for the answer that has the same words they saw in the passage. This seminar provides each student with an overview of the 7 Question Types and practice passages to identify each type. We’ll spend the seminar getting to know strategies for each question type, and then practice on an official Reading test.

What Makes Wrong Answers Wrong

Sometimes it’s not about finding the one right answer, it’s about finding the three WRONG answers. The Reading section of the test often uses the same tactics in creating their three wrong multiple choices. We’ve compiled the most common identifiers of wrong answers and are here to share them with students who have trouble with the process of elimination. In this seminar, we’ll walk through eight possible examples of wrong answers they will encounter on the test and demonstrate how to eliminate them. Understanding what kinds of wrong answers to eliminate will save you time and make you more accurate.

Structure of a Reading Passage

Do you know what subject areas the ACT and SAT put into their reading tests? Or how a narrative passage will differ from a scientific passage? These are the exact types of questions we answer in our “Structure of a Reading Passage” seminar. Understanding the genre and structure of each Reading passage not only helps a student’s comprehension but also assists them in moving more quickly through the test. We’ll review the subject area of each passage and explore how that informs our understanding of the questions and answers. Understanding a passage’s structure can also tell a student where some of the answers are likely to be found.

Science

Breaking Down Science Passages

The most unpredictable section of the ACT for most students is the Science section. While not actually testing scientific knowledge, the Science section expects students to analyze and interpret a science experiment in a few minutes. Our “Breaking Down ACT Science Passage” seminar will teach students how to quickly assess what a science passage is going to expect of them and where they are most likely to find answers to their questions. We’ll discuss the three types of science passages and explain how each type will quiz them with official ACT practice passages.

Understanding Experiments

Students taking the ACT probably won’t ever see the words “independent variable” and “dependent variable,” but that doesn’t mean they’re not testing experimental design. Understanding how an experiment works is often fundamental not only to answering the questions but answering them quickly. Most students will spend a minute reading the experiment’s description, retaining very little when they could learn everything they need to know from the tables and figures. This seminar reviews the basic components of an experiment with students then uses real ACT Science passages to translate how ACT questions will test hypotheses, variables, and control groups. Once you crack the code on the ACT’s language in Science passages, understanding their experiments comes easily.

How to Read A Science Question

If you talk to a student who’s taken the ACT Science section, they will probably articulate some confusion about what exactly the questions are asking. The ACT Science chooses experiments and graphs that they know most students are unfamiliar with in order to test skills like data interpretation and evaluation of models and inferences. Being able to read a Science question and comprehend what it’s truly asking is a skill many students lack. This seminar teaches students how to read each question and what to look for while they’re reading. Most questions will provide the student with “locator” words they can use to quickly find the answer in the passage, and this seminar introduces what words qualify as “locators.”

Types of Science Questions

The Science section of the ACT can present a unique challenge to many students who are unfamiliar with different ways to interpret data and analyze experiments. This seminar helps students identify and dissect different types of questions they’ll encounter on the Science test. Using both strategies and scientific reasoning skills, students will learn how to work through the test’s 40 questions, often without having to read any of the passages’ written explanations. Students will be provided with categorized example questions, study handouts and notes to review in the future, and official ACT Science section

College Application Prep:

The Seeley Test Pros College Application Prep is a 9-hour course which will guide students through all of the essential elements of the college application process. Even for students who haven’t begun their college research, this prep will help introduce them to the best tools for discovering the best fit for colleges. Find out what happens on the other side of admissions as soon as you click the “submit” button on your applications! We’ll also discuss Early Action vs. Early Decision vs. Regular Decision, as well as test-optional policies. Susan Emmerich will provide college advising services, including assistance with college applications, essays, and the college search. Susan served as the Director of College Counseling at St. Joseph Academy for the last 20 years and has assisted students in all aspects of their college preparation process, including testing, resumes, essays, the Common Application, campus visits, financial aid, and the transition to college. College Application Prep will: