About our Courses
Thank you for your interest in our SAT / ACT / PSAT prep courses! The below information will provide you with information about our courses and will also provide guidance regarding when to enroll in the course and when to take the exams.
GENERAL COURSE SUMMARIES
Students taking our Comprehensive SAT/ACT/PSAT Preparation Course are taught both the academic content and the advanced test-taking strategies necessary to beat the test-makers at their own game. We will not pass you off to someone who was simply given a crash course in our methods; students enrolled in our course will work directly with Dr. Rothkopf, who wrote the curricula, usually attains perfect or near-perfect scores on the exams, and has been preparing students for the test for over three decades. Through their training, students learn how to master the skills needed for all sections of the SAT, ACT and PSAT exams. In recent years, our students have seen an average SAT score increase of over 200 points; the highest increase one of our students achieved (on the now-retired three-scores version of the test) was an astounding 900 points!
All of our Comprehensive Prep courses cover the same material and simultaneously prepare students for the SAT, ACT and PSAT exams. Each course offers over 67 hours of in-depth preparation; additionally, approximately once every six classes, we will offer an optional Zoom-based extra Q&A session during which students can ask for clarification or further explanation on any lessons from the course -- this should help to prevent any student from feeling like they are falling behind. You can view the schedules and reserve your space in any of our courses on our Schedules/Registration page.
We are currently taking enrollment for our 2023 Summer/Fall Comprehensive Prep course, which begins on July 12 in preparation for the October 2023 SAT, ACT and PSAT exams. The tuition for the course is $1395. All students will be required to have a scientific or graphing calculator and to purchase the most recent versions of two books: "The Official ACT Prep Guide" and "The Official SAT Study Guide".
There are two options for attending classes: (1) in person in the conference room at Comfort Suites (located 3901 SW 117 Avenue, just off the Turnpike at the corner of Bird Road (SW 40 Street) and SW 117 Avenue) AND (2) remotely through Zoom. Students/parents can choose which of the 2 formats they feel most comfortable with. The Zoom option allows both local and out-of-town students who view the class remotely to still hear/see everything clearly and to participate & interact with the instructor just as if they were attending in person; it is also available for students who normally attend in-person but who occasionally cannot attend at the in-person location. If a student is unable to attend class on a particular date through either method of attendance, the student can arrange to view a recording of the missed class on YouTube for $10.
If you already know you want to register for our course, you can click here. If you'd like more guidance, please read on or contact us (see the bottom of this page).
COURSE / TEST RECOMMENDATIONS
First, three important notes:
(1) Unlike 30 years ago, most students now take the SAT and/or ACT 2 - 4 times (sometimes more), wisely taking advantage of the widespread use of “super-scoring”. For example, if the student takes the SAT exam in June and scores a 660 in the verbal sections and a 400 in the math sections, and then that same student takes the SAT again in October and scores a 620 in the verbal sections and a 670 in the math sections, most schools (and scholarships such as the Florida Bright Futures scholarships) will combine the high verbal score (660) from June and the high math score (670) from October, leading to a 1330 score, which, beginning with the Class of 2021, has been the scoring level necessary for the highest level of the Bright Futures scholarships.
(2) Whereas some students have been advised to take their first SAT and ACT exams without preparation, "just to see how you'll do," we do not recommend this. As it says on our FAQ page, before taking their first driving test, most students enroll in a driver's education course...they would never consider taking the test without training. You should never take an important exam inadequately prepared, and getting professional training prior to your first SAT and ACT allows more time to further enhance your test-taking skills should you later decide to retake the tests. If you have ever taken the PSAT or PreACT, or if you’ve taken a published previously-administered SAT or ACT exam, you already have a feel for the tests. "Getting a feel for the SAT and ACT exams" is one of the primary benefits of the PSAT and PreACT exams, respectively.
(3) The current paper-and-pencil version of the SAT exam is going to be retired after the December 2023 test date, to be replaced with a computer-based version of the test. Within the United States, the Digital SAT will premiere in March 2024, and the October 2023 PSAT exam will be the first offering of the Digital PSAT. During the transition year, this will provide a rare opportunity. In most years, students have two college admission tests to choose from -- the paper-and-pencil SAT and the paper-and-pencil ACT. However, during the 2023-24 school year, students will have, in addition to those two paper-and-pencil exams, a third additional option to take the Digital SAT. The large majority of colleges that look at standardized tests will accept any of the three exam options, and when the SAT has been changed in past years, the Florida Bright Futures scholarships have also accepted the results of both the old and the new versions of the tests. Thus, it will be to most students' advantage to consider trying their hands at all three offerings and, if a student performs significantly better on any of those three, to submit the results of the strongest test type for the purposes of both admissions and, likely, Bright Futures scholarship eligibility.
Given the above, our recommendations are as follows:
For students who will be in, or about to enter, 12th grade in the 2023-24 school year, your primary focus should be on the ACT and the current paper-and-pencil version of the exam. We strongly urge you to enroll in our Summer/Fall course right away, while there are still spaces available. The course will prepare students for the October SAT and ACT exams; both should be admissible for all college deadlines, including early-admission deadlines, so all enrolled students should be planning to take those tests. Some students may also choose to take the SAT in August and/or to take the ACT in September - in order to capitalize on the handful of test dates still available to you, we do support and encourage you to take one or both of those tests as well, even though your training won't be completed until the October exam dates. We would also recommend that you consider taking whichever exam emerges as your strongest test one more time afterward, in November and/or December, to have more exams that could apply toward your final super-scored results. When 2024 begins, determine what your super-scored results are: If you have the scores you need for the colleges and scholarships for which you are applying, then you are finished; however, if you are either applying to colleges with application deadlines that allow for Spring test dates and need to further raise your score for those schools, or if you are still trying to reach score levels that will make you eligible for scholarships such as the Florida Bright Futures scholarships (because ALL tests taken through to the end of June of one's senior year are applicable toward Bright Futures scholarships), then you can consider registering to take the new Digital SAT.
For students who will be in, or about to enter, 11th grade in the 2023-24 school year, this is the ideal time to begin your SAT/ACT training, so we suggest you reserve your space in our Summer/Fall course as soon as possible, while there are still spaces available. The majority of the classes will meet in the summertime, when school obligations are usually minimal, and the class sessions that continue into the school year will meet on weekends only. We also recommend that you plan to register for the two additional class sessions we will be offering that focus upon applying your training toward the digital version of the PSAT exam. Aim for October to be your M.O.E (Month Of Exams) -- the course is geared toward the October SAT & ACT exams, and local high schools will be offering the Digital PSAT in October as well. We always recommend that 11th grade students should plan to sit for at least two SAT exams and at least two ACT exams during their junior year; if you want to have more than one opportunity to take the paper-and-pencil version of the SAT, make sure to schedule your additional attempts some time between August and December.
While neither the SAT nor the ACT is inherently more easy or more difficult than the other, some students will find, after they have completed practice tests during the course and taken both the SAT and ACT toward the end of their training, that they will be scoring significantly and consistently better on one test than on the other. Thus, after they have completed the course, if they wish to further raise their scores in the first half of 2024, students can continue training in the remaining months of their junior year toward the ACT and/or the new Digital SAT, focusing primarily upon the test on which they are strongest, and then can take the tests again during the spring. If students still feel they would like to further improve their scores after their junior year has been completed, they will still have at the very least the first half of their senior year to do so.
For students who will be in, or about to enter, 9th or 10th grade in the 2023-24 school year and who wish to get an early start on their SAT and ACT preparation, our Comprehensive Preparation courses are absolutely available to you, too. Note that you should not feel pressure to have to take the SAT and ACT, nor our course, during your freshman and sophomore high school years...most students don't take those exams until 11th grade and usually begin their preparation as they enter the 11th grade. However, you might want to consider enrolling in one of our courses if you are wanting to get an early start or if you believe you are already scoring high enough that, with a little more effort, you might be a contender for one of the 10th grade PSAT-based scholarships (like the National Merit Scholarship). Note that freshmen and sophomores who take our course should definitely plan to take the SAT and ACT exams immediately after the course has been completed, while the material is fresh...do not take the course and then wait several months or longer to take the tests.
----> READY TO REGISTER? GREAT!! CLICK HERE! <----
If you have questions you'd like to ask -- about the course, about payment, about the exams, or about anything else -- you can email Dr. Rothkopf at drjeff@higherstandards.biz or you can call Michele at 305-969-2012; either one of us will be happy to answer any additional questions you may have. As mentioned above, since we only have a limited number of seats for the in-person location, we strongly encourage you to reserve your space or contact us with your questions as soon as possible to make sure to secure your spot in our course.
Again, thank you so much for your interest in Higher Standards for your test prep. We look forward to working with your family!
Sincerely,
Dr. & Mrs. Jeff & Michele Rothkopf
GENERAL COURSE SUMMARIES
Students taking our Comprehensive SAT/ACT/PSAT Preparation Course are taught both the academic content and the advanced test-taking strategies necessary to beat the test-makers at their own game. We will not pass you off to someone who was simply given a crash course in our methods; students enrolled in our course will work directly with Dr. Rothkopf, who wrote the curricula, usually attains perfect or near-perfect scores on the exams, and has been preparing students for the test for over three decades. Through their training, students learn how to master the skills needed for all sections of the SAT, ACT and PSAT exams. In recent years, our students have seen an average SAT score increase of over 200 points; the highest increase one of our students achieved (on the now-retired three-scores version of the test) was an astounding 900 points!
All of our Comprehensive Prep courses cover the same material and simultaneously prepare students for the SAT, ACT and PSAT exams. Each course offers over 67 hours of in-depth preparation; additionally, approximately once every six classes, we will offer an optional Zoom-based extra Q&A session during which students can ask for clarification or further explanation on any lessons from the course -- this should help to prevent any student from feeling like they are falling behind. You can view the schedules and reserve your space in any of our courses on our Schedules/Registration page.
We are currently taking enrollment for our 2023 Summer/Fall Comprehensive Prep course, which begins on July 12 in preparation for the October 2023 SAT, ACT and PSAT exams. The tuition for the course is $1395. All students will be required to have a scientific or graphing calculator and to purchase the most recent versions of two books: "The Official ACT Prep Guide" and "The Official SAT Study Guide".
There are two options for attending classes: (1) in person in the conference room at Comfort Suites (located 3901 SW 117 Avenue, just off the Turnpike at the corner of Bird Road (SW 40 Street) and SW 117 Avenue) AND (2) remotely through Zoom. Students/parents can choose which of the 2 formats they feel most comfortable with. The Zoom option allows both local and out-of-town students who view the class remotely to still hear/see everything clearly and to participate & interact with the instructor just as if they were attending in person; it is also available for students who normally attend in-person but who occasionally cannot attend at the in-person location. If a student is unable to attend class on a particular date through either method of attendance, the student can arrange to view a recording of the missed class on YouTube for $10.
If you already know you want to register for our course, you can click here. If you'd like more guidance, please read on or contact us (see the bottom of this page).
COURSE / TEST RECOMMENDATIONS
First, three important notes:
(1) Unlike 30 years ago, most students now take the SAT and/or ACT 2 - 4 times (sometimes more), wisely taking advantage of the widespread use of “super-scoring”. For example, if the student takes the SAT exam in June and scores a 660 in the verbal sections and a 400 in the math sections, and then that same student takes the SAT again in October and scores a 620 in the verbal sections and a 670 in the math sections, most schools (and scholarships such as the Florida Bright Futures scholarships) will combine the high verbal score (660) from June and the high math score (670) from October, leading to a 1330 score, which, beginning with the Class of 2021, has been the scoring level necessary for the highest level of the Bright Futures scholarships.
(2) Whereas some students have been advised to take their first SAT and ACT exams without preparation, "just to see how you'll do," we do not recommend this. As it says on our FAQ page, before taking their first driving test, most students enroll in a driver's education course...they would never consider taking the test without training. You should never take an important exam inadequately prepared, and getting professional training prior to your first SAT and ACT allows more time to further enhance your test-taking skills should you later decide to retake the tests. If you have ever taken the PSAT or PreACT, or if you’ve taken a published previously-administered SAT or ACT exam, you already have a feel for the tests. "Getting a feel for the SAT and ACT exams" is one of the primary benefits of the PSAT and PreACT exams, respectively.
(3) The current paper-and-pencil version of the SAT exam is going to be retired after the December 2023 test date, to be replaced with a computer-based version of the test. Within the United States, the Digital SAT will premiere in March 2024, and the October 2023 PSAT exam will be the first offering of the Digital PSAT. During the transition year, this will provide a rare opportunity. In most years, students have two college admission tests to choose from -- the paper-and-pencil SAT and the paper-and-pencil ACT. However, during the 2023-24 school year, students will have, in addition to those two paper-and-pencil exams, a third additional option to take the Digital SAT. The large majority of colleges that look at standardized tests will accept any of the three exam options, and when the SAT has been changed in past years, the Florida Bright Futures scholarships have also accepted the results of both the old and the new versions of the tests. Thus, it will be to most students' advantage to consider trying their hands at all three offerings and, if a student performs significantly better on any of those three, to submit the results of the strongest test type for the purposes of both admissions and, likely, Bright Futures scholarship eligibility.
Given the above, our recommendations are as follows:
For students who will be in, or about to enter, 12th grade in the 2023-24 school year, your primary focus should be on the ACT and the current paper-and-pencil version of the exam. We strongly urge you to enroll in our Summer/Fall course right away, while there are still spaces available. The course will prepare students for the October SAT and ACT exams; both should be admissible for all college deadlines, including early-admission deadlines, so all enrolled students should be planning to take those tests. Some students may also choose to take the SAT in August and/or to take the ACT in September - in order to capitalize on the handful of test dates still available to you, we do support and encourage you to take one or both of those tests as well, even though your training won't be completed until the October exam dates. We would also recommend that you consider taking whichever exam emerges as your strongest test one more time afterward, in November and/or December, to have more exams that could apply toward your final super-scored results. When 2024 begins, determine what your super-scored results are: If you have the scores you need for the colleges and scholarships for which you are applying, then you are finished; however, if you are either applying to colleges with application deadlines that allow for Spring test dates and need to further raise your score for those schools, or if you are still trying to reach score levels that will make you eligible for scholarships such as the Florida Bright Futures scholarships (because ALL tests taken through to the end of June of one's senior year are applicable toward Bright Futures scholarships), then you can consider registering to take the new Digital SAT.
For students who will be in, or about to enter, 11th grade in the 2023-24 school year, this is the ideal time to begin your SAT/ACT training, so we suggest you reserve your space in our Summer/Fall course as soon as possible, while there are still spaces available. The majority of the classes will meet in the summertime, when school obligations are usually minimal, and the class sessions that continue into the school year will meet on weekends only. We also recommend that you plan to register for the two additional class sessions we will be offering that focus upon applying your training toward the digital version of the PSAT exam. Aim for October to be your M.O.E (Month Of Exams) -- the course is geared toward the October SAT & ACT exams, and local high schools will be offering the Digital PSAT in October as well. We always recommend that 11th grade students should plan to sit for at least two SAT exams and at least two ACT exams during their junior year; if you want to have more than one opportunity to take the paper-and-pencil version of the SAT, make sure to schedule your additional attempts some time between August and December.
While neither the SAT nor the ACT is inherently more easy or more difficult than the other, some students will find, after they have completed practice tests during the course and taken both the SAT and ACT toward the end of their training, that they will be scoring significantly and consistently better on one test than on the other. Thus, after they have completed the course, if they wish to further raise their scores in the first half of 2024, students can continue training in the remaining months of their junior year toward the ACT and/or the new Digital SAT, focusing primarily upon the test on which they are strongest, and then can take the tests again during the spring. If students still feel they would like to further improve their scores after their junior year has been completed, they will still have at the very least the first half of their senior year to do so.
For students who will be in, or about to enter, 9th or 10th grade in the 2023-24 school year and who wish to get an early start on their SAT and ACT preparation, our Comprehensive Preparation courses are absolutely available to you, too. Note that you should not feel pressure to have to take the SAT and ACT, nor our course, during your freshman and sophomore high school years...most students don't take those exams until 11th grade and usually begin their preparation as they enter the 11th grade. However, you might want to consider enrolling in one of our courses if you are wanting to get an early start or if you believe you are already scoring high enough that, with a little more effort, you might be a contender for one of the 10th grade PSAT-based scholarships (like the National Merit Scholarship). Note that freshmen and sophomores who take our course should definitely plan to take the SAT and ACT exams immediately after the course has been completed, while the material is fresh...do not take the course and then wait several months or longer to take the tests.
----> READY TO REGISTER? GREAT!! CLICK HERE! <----
If you have questions you'd like to ask -- about the course, about payment, about the exams, or about anything else -- you can email Dr. Rothkopf at drjeff@higherstandards.biz or you can call Michele at 305-969-2012; either one of us will be happy to answer any additional questions you may have. As mentioned above, since we only have a limited number of seats for the in-person location, we strongly encourage you to reserve your space or contact us with your questions as soon as possible to make sure to secure your spot in our course.
Again, thank you so much for your interest in Higher Standards for your test prep. We look forward to working with your family!
Sincerely,
Dr. & Mrs. Jeff & Michele Rothkopf