Test Prep

CollegePrepExpress, LLC helps raise scores on the SSAT, ISEE PSAT, SAT, SAT Subject Tests, ACT, MCAS, CAPT, CMT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and many other standardized tests.
Services include:
Private, 1-on-1 tutoring in-person and phone/video chat (See FAQs for details)
Small Group Tutoring
Small, Effective Classes
Economical Guided Self-Study
Instructional Videos


SAT versus ACT, A Side-By-Side Analysis, Part 1 of 3

In March 2016, the CollegeBoard rolled out a completely redesigned  SAT, which they’d been planning and perfecting since 2012, the first year they were outsold by the ACT. Although all the changes were ultimately based on (or perhaps justified by) sound educational principles, whenever CollegeBoard representatives spoke about the specific changes or whenever articles were published about them, in almost every case they made the SAT more like the ACT, at least on the surface. These changes included the following: removing the guessing penalty; moving from five answer choices to four; replacing challenging vocabulary with simpler “words in context” and […]


Got ACT Soon? 5 Tips for Cramming

If you’re taking the ACT next weekend and haven’t been able to prepare as thoroughly as you’d like—hey, we understand, end of school, start of summer, yada yada yada—do not despair. You don’t need to spend nearly as much time prepping as you do for the SAT. The ACT is, in fact, a much more “beatable” test than the SAT, especially when time is short. There are two bodies of material you need to know: math (key topics in Arithmetic, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and ~15% of Precalc) and 10 key grammar rules. Send us a text @ 413-329-7540 […]


Summer Strategies for High School Students

With standardized test preparation, application writing, and summer reading assignments ramping up as the fall looms on the distant horizon, summer is no time to go academically soft. Just as athletes lose ground without regular practice and training, students can forget math facts and vocabulary words, or begin to slip in writing skills and study habits, if they aren’t intellectually challenged through the summer months. There are three specific areas in which students can get substantially ahead during the school break: standardized test preparation, academic (math, English, and other study) skills, and summer reading. Prepping for Standardized Tests Junior year […]


12 Hot Tips for SAT and ACT Game Day

If you’ve been preparing over weeks or months for an ACT and/or SAT, then you’ve probably spent most of your time learning and reviewing all the math and English grammar covered on them. If you’re shooting for a competitive score at the most selective colleges on your list, I bet you’ve also been taking practice tests to develop effective strategies and recognize common question types. In the end, your SAT or ACT score won’t likely correlate with any meaningful aspect of your future, but it WILL be an accurate measure of two things: knowledge of highly refined academic material and […]


Old Class, New Format, Still FREE! Mindfulness-Based Academic Stress & Test Anxiety Reduction Workshop

The format has morphed, but the class in hardly new. Resuming Wednesdays on Jan 5, 2022, Dr. Yo will present and help students practice well-researched and effective techniques to stay focused, in-the-moment, and in control of their thoughts!   Come to one, or come to one a week, always FREE.   Wednesdays nights 7-8pm ET.   Click for FREE Registration


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Don’t Make This Classic Mistake! Time-Management Tips for Fall Seniors

Year after year we see senior after senior making the same time management mistake as they play their last quarter in the college admissions game. It’s a mistake that has two negative consequences: first, it prevents them from doing their best work, and second, it inevitably leads to greater stress for them and their families. And their #1 accomplice in this crime? Their well-intentioned parents who simply want them to get their applications done… NOW! Most of the seniors with whom we work at CollegePrepExpress are busy during the fall getting the best grades they can, preparing for their last […]


4 Tips for Using Your Vacation Wisely to Prep for Winter and Spring SATs, ACTs, and SSATs

You’ve worked hard this semester—or at least that’s what you’ve told your parents ;-). You deserve a relaxing vacation, and at CPE we wish you a great time skiing, beaching, playing, hanging, reading, vegging, keeping your mask on and social distancing from others, and whatever else you like to do to unwind and recharge your batteries for the second semester. If you’re facing February-June SATs, ACTs, or SSATs (see dates here) and you’re honest with yourself, you know you can have a kick-butt vacation, do all the things you want to do, and/or spend LOTS of time doing nothing at […]


Using the Summer to Gain a Competitive Edge

What are the best three things about the school year?  Duh.  June, July and August of course!  Camp, summer jobs, new friends and relationships, and, most importantly, NO SCHOOL! The long summer break is a double-edged sword, however: very few use the summer to advance their learning or to advance their chances in the college admissions game.  Given the increasingly competitive nature of the game, summertime represents a phenomenal opportunity for ambitious students not only to enhance their education (not to mention keeping up with the international competition, who are in school 10 or 11 months out of the year), […]


Taking the ACT Next Weekend? 5 Tips for Cramming

If you’re taking the ACT next weekend, 6/9 or 6/10, and haven’t been able to prepare as thoroughly as you’d like—hey, we understand, final papers, final exams, sports commitments, nice weather, yada yada yada—do not despair. Because there’s no vocabulary on the exam, you don’t need to spend nearly as much time studying as you might think. Except for slow test-takers, who may prefer the SAT because there’s significantly more time per question, the ACT is, in fact, a much more “beatable” exam than the SAT, especially when there’s only a week or two before game day. There are two […]


Why CPE’s 4-in-1 Super-Value Math Class Is Right for YOU Right Now

   For further details on the class, visit our 4-in-1 Super Value Math page Dr. Yo’s 4-in-1 Super-Value Math Class is one of those rare classes that makes excellent sense for the vast majority of high school students regardless of their achievement and regardless of the caliber schools they’re considering or hope to consider. The problem is, most students and parents either don’t know that it exists, or they don’t immediately see how it can prove so tremendously beneficial in their particular case. The purpose of this blog post is to redress those unfortuante circumtances. The concept underpinning the class is to offer high […]


Taking the ACT this weekend? 5 Tips for Cramming

If you’re taking the ACT next weekend and haven’t been able to prepare as thoroughly as you’d like—hey, we understand, midterms, midyears, new semester starting, sports commitments, yada yada yada—do not despair. Because there’s no vocabulary on the exam, you don’t need to spend nearly as much time studying as you might think. The ACT is, in fact, a much more “beatable” test than the SAT, especially when time is short, and doubly especially compared to the redesigned SAT rolling out next month. There are two bodies of material you need to know: math (key topics in Algebra 1, Geometry, […]


Dr. Yo’s Easier/Harder Guide to the NEW SAT for March 2016

You’ve been hearing quite a bit about the substantially redesigned SAT rolling out this March (March 2 in WeHa public schools, to be specific, and March 5 nationwide). And I strongly suspect we’ll be hearing quite a bit more in the weeks to come. The bottom line is, despite the protestations of the College Board and Kahn Academy (which has had video help freely available for YEARS without any hoopla), the changes make tutors, classes, and other forms of extra help and preparation MORE, not less, important. Because the SAT hasn’t changed in a decade, everyone has some familiarity with […]


Shedding Light on the Dark Ages of Junior Year

Back when I was in school, teachers sometimes liked to call the Middle Ages the Dark Ages.  Perhaps a misnomer, the term Dark Ages was meant to suggest that during the Middle Ages—the period in Western History between Antiquity (Greeks and Romans) and the Renaissance—nothing very interesting happened as far as historians were concerned.  Hence, it was dark. By analogy, the long period in the junior year sandwiched between Oct PSATs and winter/spring SATs/ACTs might well be called the Dark Ages of the Junior year. I see it happen to well-intentioned, high-achieving students every year: not a lot going on in terms […]


Why CPE’s 4-on-1 Super-Value Math Class (for SAT, New PSAT, New ACT, & Level 1 Subject Test) Is a Great Idea

   For further details on the class, visit our 4-in-1 Super Value Math page Dr. Yo’s 4-in-1 Super-Value Math Class is one of those rare gems that makes excellent sense for the vast majority of high school students. The problem is, most students and parents either don’t know that it exists, or they don’t immediately see how it can prove so tremendously beneficial in their particular case. The purpose of this blog post is to redress that unfortunate situation. The concept underpinning the class is to offer high school students in grades 9-12 instruction and practice on the SPECIFIC BODY OF MATHEMATICAL […]