For high school students, preparing to take a standardized test can be daunting.
There are thousands of vocabulary words to master, mathematical equations to memorize and the stress of knowing that the outcome could make or break admission to one’s dream school.
But Akshay Buddiga and Lorena Rincon-Cruz are striving to help students overcome that anxiety this summer by offering an SAT prep course.
The two college students are managing a Colorado Springs branch of Ivy Insiders, a national SAT and ACT prep program from Revolution Prep.
Unlike other test programs, the three-week course is instructed by students from America’s top colleges who aced the test themselves.
The course launches July 12 with another session planned for August. Classes will offer in-depth and personalized instruction, such as test-taking strategies and exactly what graders look for.
“Their success on the SAT can be a tool they use to their advantage instead of a weight that holds them back,” said Buddiga, a 2008 graduate of Rampart High School and a biomedical engineering senior at Duke University.
Buddiga and Rincon-Cruz, a 2010 graduate of Pine Creek High School and a biology sophomore at Stanford University, scored within the 99th percentile on the SAT.
They both studied independently, but said they wished they had the help of an affordable and personalized prep program.
“The test was nerve-wracking for me,” said Rincon-Cruz, who started preparing after her sophomore year of high school. “I feel like if my parents hadn’t ingrained in me the fact that I had to be self-disinclined, I don’t think I could have done it.”
The program includes 38 hours of class time. Classes meet twice a week for three hours, with a four-hour practice exam on Saturdays. Each session only has space for seven-to-10 people to assure that students receive assistance that caters to their strengths and weaknesses.
According to the Ivy Insiders website, the course boosts students’ SAT scores by an average of 250 points — a significant increase given that the test is out of 2400 points and standardized tests account for 25 percent of the college admission process, Buddiga said.
“It’s a great opportunity because students don’t feel like they’re in complete control over the test,” Buddiga said, adding that students often put a lot of effort into grade point averages and extracurricular activities. “It’s such a big part of the college admissions process.”
Since they were hired by Ivy Insiders, the pair has turned the job into an entrepreneurial venture by promoting on Facebook and in local stores.
The course costs $599, but there are freebies, too, like a practice test at 10 a.m. Wednesday at New Life Church and a college admissions seminar that they hosted Saturday.
For Buddiga and Rincon-Cruz, managing Ivy Insiders is a chance to help the community, as well as a test-drive for a potential career in business.
“I’m considering being pre-med, but this opportunity to start up your own small business just seemed so compelling,” Rincon-Cruz said. “I’m torn.”
Though the pair is competing with standardized test prep course giants like Kaplan and The Princeton Review, they said their personalized attention makes Ivy Insiders unique.
“It’s not so much about them getting a perfect score, but getting to where they want to be and setting reasonable goals for themselves,” Rincon-Cruz said.
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