Philosophy
Teach, Practice, Apply
Our in-class materials and instruction follow our Teach-Practice-Apply approach:
Teach: Each new topic is clearly introduced in handouts and then explained by the teacher. Topics are presented in clear, simple terms that allow students to understand the material and succeed on the test.
Practice: Students practice new material on exercises designed to test comprehension.
Apply: Finally, students apply skills and knowledge to test questions.
Building Blocks
From our experience preparing students for high school entrance exams, we have determined that math and language skills are often organized in a confusing and arbitrary manner. We have structured our materials in a way that best facilitates learning. Our experience and research have helped us design a syllabus that allows new topics to act as building blocks for learning more advanced topics. Students will gain confidence in their own abilities, stay engaged in the material, and want to continue learning.
Practice Makes Perfect
From our backgrounds in academics, athletics, and the arts, we have learned how to compete. Be it a tennis tournament, an orchestral audition, or a standardized test, preparing the right way is critical to success. Mastery of skills requires constant repetition over time. While students learn new content in class, weekly homework assignments allow students to review and perfect math, language, reading, and vocabulary skills.
Program Overview: Courses and Test Prep Paloozas for the academic center entrance exam (6th graders), high school entrance exams (8th graders), Algebra exit exam and the sat (10th-12th graders).
Courses for the Academic Center Entrance Exam (6th graders)
Academic Center Entrance Exam prep courses begin in November. The tuition for these courses is $505. This tuition covers all in-class instruction, paper and online material, and student feedback.
Test Prep Paloozas for the academic center entrance exam (6th graders)
Test Prep Palooza sessions are a one-day "bootcamp" practice-test and workshop sessions. Students take a full 2-hour diagnostic test to start. After the test, we take a short break and enjoy some pizza (included). Afterwards, we spend the remaining time reviewing the test (question by question) and teaching key test-taking strategies and skills. Students can ask questions about topics or problem-types they may have trouble with. Parents/students will be able to login to our online testing portal to review their full practice test results and analysis after the class.
A Test Prep Palooza session runs for 4 hours and costs $170 ($42.50/hour for instruction with pizza included). These sessions take place on the weekends and will be offered in the winter leading up to the Academic Center Entrance Exam test dates. A Test Prep Palooza is a great opportunity to take a practice test, get a refresher on key topics, learn new strategies, ask questions, and experience what an actual academic center entrance exam will feel like.
Courses for the high school entrance exams (8th graders)
High School Entrance Exam prep courses start in July , August, and September. These courses prepare students for the CPS High School Admissions Test (CPS HSAT), independent (ISEE), and parochial (HSPT) high school entrance exams. The tuition for these courses is $555. This tuition covers all in-class instruction, paper and online material, and student feedback.
Test Prep Paloozas for the high school entrance exams (8th Graders)
Test Prep Palooza sessions are a one-day "bootcamp" practice-test and workshop sessions. Students take a full 2-hour diagnostic test to start. After the test, we take a short break and enjoy some pizza (included). Afterwards, we spend the remaining time reviewing the test (question by question) and teaching key test-taking strategies and skills. Students can ask questions about topics or problem-types they may have trouble with. Parents/students will be able to login to our online testing portal to review their full practice test results and analysis after the class.
A Test Prep Palooza session runs for 4 hours and costs $170 ($42.50/hour for instruction with pizza included). These sessions take place on the weekends and will be aligned with CPS HSAT, HSPT, and ISEE test dates. A Test Prep Palooza is a great opportunity to take a practice test, get a refresher on key topics, learn new strategies, ask questions, and experience what an actual high school entrance exam will feel like.
Courses for the Algebra Exit Exam (7th & 8th graders)
Algebra Exit Exam Exam prep courses begin in April. The tuition for these courses is $305. This tuition covers all in-class instruction, paper and online material, and student feedback.
Test Prep Paloozas for the algebra exit exam (7th & 8th graders)
Test Prep Palooza sessions are a one-day "bootcamp" practice-test and workshop sessions. Students take a full 2-hour diagnostic test to start. After the test, we take a short break and enjoy some pizza (included). Afterwards, we spend the remaining time reviewing the test (question by question) and teaching key test-taking strategies and skills. Students can ask questions about topics or problem-types they may have trouble with. Parents/students will be able to login to our online testing portal to review their full practice test results and analysis after the class.
A Test Prep Palooza session runs for 4 hours and costs $170 ($42.50/hour for instruction with pizza included). These sessions take place on the weekends and will be offered in the spring leading up to the Algebra Exit Exam test dates. A Test Prep Palooza is a great opportunity to take a practice test, get a refresher on key topics, learn new strategies, ask questions, and experience what the Algebra Exit exam will feel like.
Courses for the SAT (10th-12th graders)
SAT prep courses start in January. These courses prepare students for the SAT. The tuition for these courses is $895. This tuition covers all in-class instruction, paper and online material, and student feedback..
Test Prep Paloozas for the SAT (10th-12th Graders)
Test Prep Palooza sessions are a one-day "bootcamp" practice-test and workshop sessions. Students take a full 3-hour diagnostic test to start. After the test, we take a short break and enjoy some pizza (included). Afterwards, we spend the remaining time reviewing the test (question by question) and teaching key test-taking strategies and skills. Students can ask questions about topics or problem-types they may have trouble with. Parents/students will be able to login to our online testing portal to review their full practice test results and analysis after the class.
A Test Prep Palooza session runs for 5 hours and costs $250 ($50/hour for instruction with pizza included). These sessions take place on the weekends and will be aligned with SAT test dates. A Test Prep Palooza is a great opportunity to take a practice test, get a refresher on key topics, learn new strategies, ask questions, and experience what an actual SAT will feel like.
While Test Prep Chicago students are well prepared and usually perform strongly on their standardized test exams, Test Prep Chicago does not guarantee any specific amount of improvement.
