Capstone separates its SAT preparation into the Core and Build programs. We created these two separate courses to adjust for the fact that some students simply need the knowledge and can follow up themselves, while some students need constant support from instructors to insure that practice is being done and progress is being made.

Core Program

The Core teaches all the required knowledge needed for the SATs in a 20-hour design that is ideal for students that A) have a busy schedule and/or B) are very disciplined and can do post-course practice on their own.  While our Core program is shorter than most, it covers all the key information needed to score a 700+ in all three sections of the SAT exam. Our knowledge of the SATs, the intensity of the Core, and our method of teaching provide a strong enough base for many students to do well. As a testament to the Core, a majority of our students scores 2100+ on the real SAT exam (this includes both international and local school students) within two months of completing their last lesson.

Within the Core, students take three required mock exams (one before, one in the middle and one at the end) and complete the equivalent of five+ exams in practice sets assigned in homework and class work. One major reason why we can trim hours off our course (saving students time and parents money) is because we require students to do a significant amount of practice at home before coming back to class (we don’t ask them to sit in class for two-hours to do practice sets while instructors do nothing). The Core covers both fundamental knowledge and SAT traps/tricks, necessary for students aiming to score 2200+. We do not simply just teach the short-cuts that boosts 50-100 points on your total score, we give students the tools to understand what the SAT is actually testing test-takers on and what must be done to master that knowledge.

All Core courses are personally taught by Ronald, an award winning SAT instructor from MIT who has consistently received near perfect ratings in teaching ability and SAT knowledge. As we all know, learning is three parts: student, content and teacher. At Capstone, we provide the superior content and teacher in every Core course that we run. Because Ronald designed the course himself, it guarantees that his students learn every detail of the course the way he had envisioned it to be taught. As well, and most importantly, Ronald can answer questions clearly. Ask him a question on a confusing SAT question, and he will almost always be able to break it down into a sequence of logic that students can understand and replicate in the future.

There is no shortage of SAT programs telling you why they are the best. Few will talk about guarantees, and even fewer will talk about refunds. Capstone stands behind the superiority of the Core program with a simple and unmatched refund policy. If you are enrolled in the Core and do not feel it helps you, we will fully refund your tuition as long as you have taken less than 5 hours (25% of the course!). After completing the course, if you do not improve by 200+ points (or 100+ points if your previous score was already at 2000+) versus your pre-course mock or real SAT score by the second attempt, we will fully refund your tuition.

Build Program

The Build was designed to offer a more flexible support program for SAT students. Most competing programs lump their review into the course, meaning strong and self-disciplined students paid for classes they didn’t need, and weaker students weren’t getting enough attention for their problem areas. The Build program is an ongoing course that continually assigns practice and review of SAT practice sets. This is an ideal program for students who attends class and then goes home and completely never follows up. It is also ideal for students who want to build their skills gradually by having an ongoing training session just for SATs. Students have the option to enroll in the Build program for as little as a month or for up to a year and more.

The program focuses on all aspects of the SATs and will alternate between the sections of the SAT – although more emphasis will be placed on the Critical Reading section (typically the lowest scoring section for all students). The point to stress however, is that students have access to instructors who can clarify the uncertainties students have on certain types of questions in the SAT, allowing the students to achieve a higher score when it is time to take the real SAT.

Private Programs & Younger Children

For exceptionally strong (2100+) or weak students (<1500), we encourage students to consider private sessions. While spaces for private students are extremely limited, Capstone will design a program particular to the needs and time-constraints of each individual student. We have worked with student who have already scored 22XX and need to be in the 2300+ range and also students scoring under 1500 who need to reach 1900-2000. While private sessions are certainly more costly based on an hour by hour calculation, the time being used is designed to most effectively help the private student we are serving.

For parents looking at our SAT programs as early prep for younger children (grade 9/Form 3 and younger), we suggest enrolling these students in our Vocab & Reading course. This course is designed specifically for younger students to build long-term SSAT/SAT vocabulary and reading comprehension skills.