PSAT Tutoring Online in California

HOW DOES GREEN ACADEMICS HELP?

The PSAT introduces a student to the standardized tests test prep process that will culminate with the SAT during the following 12 months. As an expert private PSAT tutor with nearly two decades of tutoring experience, I provide private tutoring that helps students achieve their best PSAT score and then later their best SAT score.

My PSAT prep online tutoring recognizes that the individual student is unique, and I shape my teaching style in order to become just the right tutor for him or her. I bring 17 years of teaching and tutoring experience to our tutoring sessions, including many years as a tutor of advanced math including calculus and other subjects.

Many of my students begin the test prep tutoring process in the summer before 11th grade, so that they are ready for the PSAT test day in October. My private PSAT tutoring guides test takers through a detailed prep plan that covers specifics of the PSAT math, PSAT reading, and PSAT writing (grammar).

As a private PSAT tutor, I aim to have students improve both quickly and fundamentally. Many of my highly motivated students perform well enough to be candidates for PSAT NMSQT. SAT preparation and the SAT test logical follow afterwards–such as in December or March of 11th grade.

As a math tutor and math teacher myself for many years, I transition from PSAT tutor today to SAT tutoring tomorrow. As a language expert with a degree in linguistics, I also communicate the rules of grammar and patterns of vocabulary clearly throughout tutoring for each SAT program. If you are looking for private PSAT tutoring in San Mateo, CA, please Contact Green Academics to learn more about my teaching.

What is the PSAT?

The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, administered by the College Board, is the first official standardized test many high school students will take. Most high school juniors in the country will sit for the PSAT on a single school day in October of junior year.

The PSAT critical reading test (first) and writing and language test (second) combine the reading skills and language arts experience the student developed during middle school and high school.

The math questions on the PSAT test similarly aggregate what students have learned up to and including the 11th grade school year, including some slightly more advanced math that may be required for those eventually seeking a bachelor’s degree in STEM.

Just like on the SAT, there is no penalty for incorrect answers, so students should not leave any questions blank. Hopefully, online PSAT training with a private tutor has taught the student such procedures since he or she began working on a prep plan.

What about the PSAT 10 and PSAT 8/9 ?

These test names are versions of the PSAT given to students even earlier and on a range of dates instead of a single day. However, while tutors can prepare you for these and tutoring works equally well, these shorter versions do not qualify you for National Merit recognition or for college scholarships. They are therefore mainly just practice tests that have no bearing on college admissions.

Their questions are slightly easier than those on the normal (11th grade) PSAT. For example, the math section includes fewer of the difficult concepts from pre calculus.

How is the PSAT scored?

All three versions of the PSAT calculate their scores by combining the results from the reading and writing section and the math portion. For the PSAT 8/9, the score range is 240-1440. The range for the PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT it is 320-1520.

How do I compare a PSAT score to a score on the full SAT?

The uneven content of exams and different total scores make it difficult for tutors to provide a perfect comparison. However, an approximation can be seen on this link: https://toptieradmissions.com/resources/psat-to-sat-score-conversion

What does the PSAT count for?

For the majority of students, the score does not matter for college admissions and simply counts as a practice test that will lead them to the SAT.

But for top students, an outstanding PSAT score will qualify you for some level of recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. (This is why the PSAT is referred to as the PSAT/NMSQT–the second acronym standing for National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.)

In the first phase, some 50,000 out of 1,500,000 students receive recognition, based on an index that varies by state and from year to year.

From here, approximately 34,000 will receive commendation but proceed no further.

The remaining 16,000 will become semifinalists in the National Merit process.

Eventually, most of these semifinalists–15,000–will become finalists.

About half of the finalists–7,500–will receive scholarships, usually for $2,500.

Note that you must use the PSAT test from the second-to-last year of high school in order to qualify for the National Merit program. Therefore, expert PSAT tutors will advise you that even if you take the PSAT test in 10th grade you must normally take it again in 11th grade for it to count for the recognition that will help you.

Achieving such goals can make a crucial difference in impressing top colleges. I myself was a National Merit finalist, and this clearly helped me gain acceptance to Harvard University in early 2001.

You can read about the National Merit program here: https://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/interior.aspx?sid=1758&gid=2&pgid=424

Can I arrange for a practice PSAT?

Absolutely! I offer proctored tests every Saturday morning at 9 AM. You can take one of these for a small flat fee with no further obligation. You will receive your results in PDF form marked with the correct answers and your score.

Will you prep me for the PSAT?

If you would like me to be your tutor and provide one-on-one PSAT coaching we should schedule a 30-minute consultation with your family. PSAT prep will be a significant commitment, but I am one of the best PSAT tutors, and the most committed to running my own business as a matter of personal pride, you can find. There are other online tutors, PSAT tutors, and expert tutors, but few Ivy League graduate SAT ACT tutors with decades of teaching experience who work in this field full time and will tutor you despite your busy schedule. I offer flexible scheduling options so please reach out to me for tutoring today. Let me work around your family’s schedule and prove that I am the right tutor for you.

Testimonial

I come from a non-traditional educational background, having gone directly to the US Air Force out of high school, only to stare down my UC undergraduate applications at the age of 29. Chris helped calm my nerves during the entire process. Chris is patient and has a unique talent of channeling your talents with the best possible outcome. He reassured me that my uniqueness had value. He got me talking about my achievements, made me feel proud, and helped me coalesce my thoughts into an essay that won me acceptance to Cal. In fact, after my acceptance into Cal, the admissions team asked if they could publish my personal statement to help other prospective students.

Chris has a gift. He can really help your child through the entire college testing and application process. First, my son needed tutoring for the SAT, the SAT Subject Tests, and then the ACT. Chris's expert instructions gave my son the knowledge and the confidence to perform well. Next, Chris helped my son with the college application process. There is so much to consider, not just the college essay. In the end, my son is so happy at UChicago. It wasn't his first pick, but it ended up to be the best fit for him.

Chris is a gem. He was highly recommended by a friend whose four boys had previously worked with him. While my son genuinely wanted to increase his SAT score, he was not making attempts to do it on his own. I was initially hesitant to work with a tutor if my son wasn't going to put in the effort on his own first. What I came to realize was the testing and application process is daunting and sometime paralyzing for certain individuals. My son was not only challenged by Chris to increase his math score but he actually, and most importantly, learned how to learn. He claims he gained more knowledge about math from Chris than any previous teacher.

As a U.S Army veteran and student at Cal, I still found it challenging to articulate my life into paper. But, with the help of Christopher Green, I was able to craft eloquent essays for top MBA programs. I felt confident in my applications to graduate school after my essays have impressed the likes of Berkeley professors. Working with Chris was fun, fast, and easy, as he is highly intuitive, intelligent and easy to talk to. I was amazed of his ability to make accurate inferences of my life and ambitions, in order to add valuable details in my essays. Additionally, his ability to correct grammar, offer articulated sentences, and produce coherent essays in a short amount of time was impressive.

I received ACT test prep and college essay tutoring from Chris back in 2012. Testing was always difficult for me but Chris gave me the tools and support I needed to succeed. I particularly struggled in math, but Chris would never get frustrated with me even when I got the answer wrong multiple times. He kept finding different strategies to get through to me and in the end it paid off. By my test date my practice scores had improved dramatically, and I felt confident in myself. With my scores I was accepted into every school I applied to. I ended up going to UC Santa Cruz and graduating with a BA in Biology.