ISEE, SSAT, SAT & ACT Math Prep: Built Around Your Test Date
I tutor the math sections of the SAT and ACT one-on-one over Zoom, along with the ISEE and SSAT for high school entrance only. My students come from Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond, Sammamish and the rest of the Eastside. Each plan is built around the test date on your calendar, not a generic multi-month course.
How I Teach
The format is simple: your student takes a real practice test on their own time, then we meet to go through it together. We correct mistakes, fill conceptual gaps, and work on the strategies and time management that decide how a test goes.
How Test Prep Works
Take a practice test. Your student takes a real, current practice test at home, on their own time.
Review it together. We meet over Zoom, go through every missed question, and fix the underlying gap rather than just the answer.
Learn the strategies. Pacing, question order, and (on the digital SAT and ACT) Desmos, practiced on timed sections until they hold up under pressure.
Every session starts with a quick check-in on where things stand against the test date.
What Test Prep Covers
ISEE math (high school entrance only)
SSAT math (high school entrance only)
SAT math, including the digital format and Desmos
ACT math, including the digital format and Desmos
Review of real practice tests, question by question
Pacing and strategy practiced on timed sections
Plans are built around your registered test date, and cover the math sections only.
Private High School Entrance: ISEE and SSAT Math Tutoring
Many independent and private high schools in the Seattle area require the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) or the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT). Both are offered on many dates across the school year, in several formats: at test centers, at schools, and at home. Check ERB (ISEE) and SSAT for the current calendar. Summer is a great time to prepare, but starting any time before your test date helps.
My ISEE and SSAT tutoring is for high school entrance only. I don't work with students preparing for the Lower or Middle Level tests.
The best way to start is to have your student take one practice test of each and see which format feels more comfortable. That is when the tutoring begins. I know the best, most up-to-date resources for practice tests, so I can point you to the right ones. Students take them on their own time, then we meet to make corrections, fill in conceptual gaps, and practice the strategies and time management tools that make the difference on test day.
What a plan looks like
One practice test of each (ISEE and SSAT), taken at home
A first session to compare results and pick the format that fits your student
Regular sessions: correct mistakes, close gaps, practice timed sections
Pacing and strategy built around your registered test date
Students prepping for high school entrance with the ISEE or SSAT often overlap with Algebra 1 and Geometry.
College Entrance: SAT and ACT Math Tutoring
Not all colleges require the SAT or ACT anymore, and more than 2,000 U.S. colleges are “test optional.” Even so, a strong score is a feather in the cap of your student's application. There is no risk in taking a formal SAT or ACT exam, because students choose whether to send the score in. Many of my students take the test several times over the span of a year and send in the best score.
I tutor the math section of the ACT the same way I tutor the SAT: a real practice test, a careful review together, and practice with strategy and pacing. The ACT is now also offered digitally, with Desmos included, so the graphing calculator skills below apply to both tests.
Two things about today's digital tests are worth preparing for specifically:
Desmos. The digital SAT and the digital ACT both provide the online graphing calculator Desmos. Students who know how to use it answer many questions faster and more accurately, so I teach it as a core skill.
Adaptive modules (SAT only). The second math module gets harder if your student does well on the first, and easier if they do not. Harder questions, answered correctly, count more toward the final score, so doing well early matters.
Study notes. Looking for something to review between sessions? Check out my hand-drawn math study notes.
Older students prepping for the SAT or ACT often overlap with Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus and Calculus.
What Parents and Students Say
“I wanted to take a moment to thank you for working with our daughter. When we began working with you our daughter's ACT score wasn't quite high enough to get into her top choice school. When she just recently took the ACT again after working with you her score improved by 6 points, and made it possible for her to apply with confidence to her top choice school!... I also appreciated your weekly summaries you sent to me as well so I knew what you had worked on.”
— Stacey C, Sammamish, WA
“Marga knows the material and she makes good use of time. She also connects with her students and is patient and kind! She is an excellent tutor. I am so glad we found her for SAT prep.”
— Ann M, Snohomish, WA
Common Questions About ISEE, SSAT, SAT & ACT Tutoring
Which should we prepare for, the ISEE or the SSAT?
1
Check which test each school on your list requires or prefers, since policies vary. If you have a choice, have your student take one practice test of each and see which format feels more comfortable. That result often settles it, and it's where we start.
When should we start preparing?
2
As early as you like. Summer is a great time because there's no school-year homework competing for time, but starting any time before the test date helps. Test dates are offered across the school year, so the best plan works backward from the date you choose.
Should my student take the SAT or the ACT?
3
Colleges accept either one. As with the ISEE and SSAT, the best way to decide is to have your student take one practice test of each and see which format feels more comfortable.
Is the SAT or ACT worth taking if my student's colleges are test optional?
4
Usually yes. There's no risk in taking either one, because your student decides whether to send the score. Many students take the test several times over a year and send in their best result.
What does Desmos have to do with the SAT and ACT?
5
The digital SAT and the digital ACT both include the Desmos graphing calculator. Students who know how to use it can answer many questions more quickly and accurately, so I teach it directly.
SAT vs. PSAT: What's Actually Harder?
6
The SAT and PSAT test the same skills, but the SAT moves faster, covers slightly more advanced content, and carries real stakes for admissions and scholarships. Most students find it harder because of the pressure and pacing, not the material, so timed practice transfers directly.
Do you help with the verbal, reading, English or science sections?
7
I tutor the math sections of the ISEE, SSAT, SAT and ACT only. I don't tutor the verbal, reading, English or science sections.
Do you tutor younger students for the ISEE or SSAT?
8
No. My ISEE and SSAT tutoring is for high school entrance only, so I work with students applying to grades 9 through 12. If your student is applying to middle school or earlier, I'm not the right fit.