Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cost of this program?

The tuition is $999 per student. Some of our partner schools subsidize all or a portion of the tuition, so you may be eligible for a discount on this and other Playbook prep programs.

What are the qualifications of the instructor?

Our course instructor is renowned in test preparation and has sterling academic credentials: he is Ivy League-educated, earned a National Merit Scholarship in high school, and has earned dozens of perfect scores on the quantitative sections of the SAT, GMAT, and GRE. But much more importantly, the instructor who will be leading the program is patient, funny, nurturing, and 100% dedicated to his students. Since 2006, he has coached thousands of students to reach their highest potential on the math sections of the SAT.

How many students are in each session?

The course averages 15 students per session. Participants benefit not only from the expertise of our instructor, but also from one another’s questions, comments, and insights.


What is the average score improvement?

Students whose starting scores in math range from 500 to 550 average 130 points improvement. Students whose starting scores range from 560 to 600 average 100 points improvement. Students whose starting scores range from 610 to 650 average 80 points improvement. Students whose starting scores range from 660 to 700 average 60 points improvement. We do not recommend this course for students whose starting scores are at or above the low-700s.

What if I haven’t taken the SAT yet?

That’s not an issue. Many course participants have yet to take an official SAT exam, though the majority have at least taken a practice test to gauge their current score levels in Math and Verbal.

What age group is this course intended for—rising juniors? Seniors? How about rising sophomores?

Historically, half of the participants are rising juniors. Rising sophomores and seniors evenly comprise the other half of the participants. The rising tenth graders who take this program tend to be academically precocious and are looking for a major head start on their test preparation.

How do you go about helping students who have never done well in math their whole life?

To us, the best way to help students improve their score – and overall math ability – is to lead them to insights about their own mistakes. There are far, far too many math tutors who are highly gifted in math but ineffective teachers. Such teachers simply cannot comprehend how students can possibly misunderstand math questions whose answers seem so evident to them. Of course, math teachers need to have mastered the concepts they’re teaching, but teaching math doesn’t come down to being gifted in math—it comes down to being able to nurture students toward understanding and confidence. We break down every problem that students are guaranteed to encounter in easy-to-remember steps so that students can head into the exam feeling assured they have a plan in place for every question they’ll face.

Jul 24 - Aug 23 Schedule

Class 1: MON, JUL 24, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 2: WED, JUL 26, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 3: MON, JUL 31, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 4: WED, AUG 2, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 5: MON, AUG 7, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 6: WED, AUG 9, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 7: MON, AUG 14, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 8: WED, AUG 16, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 9: MON, AUG 21, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 10: WED, AUG 23, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM ED

Jul 25 - Aug 24 Schedule

Class 1: TUE, JUL 25, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 2: THU, JUL 27, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 3: TUE, AUG 1, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 4: THU, AUG 3, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 5: TUE, AUG 8, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 6: THU, AUG 10, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 7: TUE, AUG 15, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 8: THU, AUG 17, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 9: TUE, AUG 22, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Class 10: THU, AUG 24, 2023, 09:00 AM – 11:00 AM EDT

Jul 24 - Aug 23 Schedule

Class 1: MON, JUL 24, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT

Class 2: WED, JUL 26, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT

Class 3: MON, JUL 31, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT

Class 4: WED, AUG 2, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT

Class 5: MON, AUG 7, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT

Class 6: WED, AUG 9, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT

Class 7: MON, AUG 14, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT

Class 8: WED, AUG 16, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT

Class 9: MON, AUG 21, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT

Class 10: WED AUG 23, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT

Mar 26 - May 21 Schedule

Class 1: SUN, MAR 26, 2023, 04:30 PM – 06:30 PM EDT

Class 2: SUN, APR 2, 2023, 04:30 PM – 06:30 PM EDT
 
Class 3: SUN, APR 16, 2023, 04:30 PM – 06:30 PM EDT
 
Class 4: SUN, APR 23, 2023, 04:30 PM – 06:30 PM EDT
 
Class 5: SUN, APR 30, 2023, 04:30 PM – 06:30 PM EDT
 
Class 6: SUN, MAY 7, 2023, 04:30 PM – 06:30 PM EDT
 
Class 7: SUN, MAY 14, 2023, 04:30 PM – 06:30 PM EDT
 
Class 8: SUN, MAY 21, 2023, 04:30 PM – 06:30 PM EDT

Mar 15 - May 3 Schedule

Class 1:  WED, MAR 15, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT

Class 2: WED, MAR 22, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT
 
Class 3: WED, MAR 29, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT
 
Class 4: WED, APR 5, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT
 
Class 5: WED, APR 12, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT
 
Class 6: WED, APR 19, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT
 
Class 7: WED, APR 26, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT
 
Class 8: WED, MAY 3, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT

Jan 17 - Mar 7 Schedule

Class 1: TUE, JAN 17, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EST

Class 2: TUE, JAN 24, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EST
 
Class 3: TUE, JAN 31, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EST
 
Class 4: TUE, FEB 7, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EST
 
Class 5: TUE, FEB 14, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EST
 
Class 6: TUE, FEB 21, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EST
 
Class 7: TUE, FEB 28, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EST
 
Class 8: TUE, MAR 7, 2023, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EST

Oct 30 - Nov 29 Schedule

Class 1: SUN, OCT 30, 2022, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT / 06:00 PM – 08:00 PM CDT
Class 2: TUE, NOV 1, 2022, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EDT / 06:00 PM – 08:00 PM CDT
Class 3: SUN, NOV 6, 2022, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EST / 06:00 PM – 08:00 PM CST
Class 4: TUE, NOV 8, 2022, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EST / 06:00 PM – 08:00 PM CST
Class 5: SUN, NOV 13, 2022, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EST / 06:00 PM – 08:00 PM CST
Class 6: TUE, NOV 15, 2022, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EST / 06:00 PM – 08:00 PM CST
Class 7: SUN, NOV 20, 2022, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EST / 06:00 PM – 08:00 PM CST
Class 8: TUE, NOV 29, 2022, 07:00 PM – 09:00 PM EST / 06:00 PM – 08:00 PM CST

July 5 - Aug 23 Schedule

Class 1: Tuesday, July 5, 2022, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET

Class 2: Tuesday, July 12, 2022, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET

Class 3: Tuesday, July 19, 2022, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET

Class 4: Tuesday, July 26, 2022, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET

Class 5: Tuesday, August 2, 2022, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET

Class 6: Tuesday, August 9, 2022, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET

Class 7: Tuesday, August 16, 2022, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET

Class 8: Tuesday, August 23, 2022, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET

DEC 18 - MAR 8 Schedule

Exam 1: Saturday, December 18, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET at TMLA.

Class 1: Tuesday, January 4, 2022, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. ET (Live-Online). 

Class 2: Tuesday, January 11, 2022, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. ET (Live-Online). 

Exam 2: Saturday, January 15, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET at TMLA.

Class 3: Tuesday, January 18, 2022, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. ET (Live-Online). 

Class 4: Tuesday, February 1, 2022, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. ET (Live-Online). 

Exam 3: Saturday, February 5, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET at TMLA.

Class 5: Tuesday, February 8, 2022, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. ET (Live-Online). 

Class 6: Tuesday, February 15, 2022, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. ET (Live-Online). 

Exam 4: Saturday, February 26, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET at TMLA.

Class 7: Tuesday, March 1, 2022, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. ET (Live-Online). 

Class 8: Tuesday, March 8, 2022, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. ET (Live-Online). 

Oct 27 – Nov 20 Schedule

Class 1: Wednesday, October 27, 2021, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET

Class 2: Saturday, October 30, 2021, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET

Class 3: Wednesday, November 3, 2021, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET

Class 4: Saturday, November 6, 2021, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET

Class 5: Wednesday, November 10, 2021, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET

Class 6: Saturday, November 13, 2021, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET

Class 7: Wednesday, November 17, 2021, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET

Class 8: Saturday, November 20, 2021, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. ET

100 THINGS MOST TEENAGERS WOULD RATHER DO THAN PREP FOR THE SAT OR ACT

1. Visit the orthodontist. 2. Watch PBS. 3. Go an entire week without rolling their eyes at their parents. 4. Watch C-SPAN. 5. Retake their AP Chem final. 6. Intern at a local CPA’s office. 7. Turn off their cell phone. 8. Mop the kitchen. 9. Clean their bathroom. 10. Renounce social media. 11. Write a 10-page history paper. 12. Get a bunch of allergy shots. 13. Wait in line at the post office. 14. Watch the Weather Channel. 15. Be abducted by aliens. 16. Attend a clarinet recital. 17. Tour a Soviet-era nuclear plant. 18. Eat a healthy and nutritious dinner. 19. Do calisthenics. 20. Bake snickerdoodle cookies for that guy who’s always loitering by his van. 21. Watch a black-and-white foreign film without subtitles. 22. Clean out the rain gutters. 23. Pretend they’re 42 and recently divorced. 24. Listen to NPR’s Weekend Edition. 25. Read a newspaper. 26. Visit the DMV. 27. Eat crispy fried tarantulas (considered a delicacy in Cambodia). 28. Serve as a “breath odor evaluator” for a toothpaste company. (Yes, this job actually exists.) 29. Go on a double date with their parents. 30. Undergo dental surgery. 31. Babysit their annoying stepbrother. 32. Empty Mr. Whisker’s litter box. 33. Take out the trash. 34. Clean the rain gutters. 35. Tell their parents they’d like to sit down to discuss the Birds n’ the Bees. 36. Stare at a blank television screen for several hours. 37. Be fitted for orthodontic headgear. 38. Organize their closet. 39. Vacuum their entire house. 40. Eat that substance their school cafeteria claims is Sloppy Joe. 41. Kiss Tucker Carlson. 42. Make origami turtles for the residents of a local nursing home. 43. Do a few hundred burpees. 44. Try Uncle Morris’s beef stew. 45. Watch Hillbilly Handfishin’ on Animal Planet. 46. Eat “bird’s nest” soup, which sounds kind of scrumptious unless you know the broth is made from bird SALIVA. 47. Set up an Facebook account for Grandma. 48. Start a backyard garden. 49. Dust home furnishings. 50. Do an exercise known as the “Bulgarian Split Squat.” 51. Help Dad trim his back hair. 52. Hunt for spare change between the sofa cushions. 53. Hunt for leftover Cheez-Its between the sofa cushions. 54. Mow the lawn. 55. Learn how to knit. 56. Research Wikipedia’s entry on the history of Q- tips. 57. Count how many times they can blink in one hour. 58. Compose a haiku. 59. Do one of the American Dental Association’s oral disease-themed jigsaw puzzles. 60. Watch televised bowling. 61. Give Grandpa a foot massage. 62. Give Grandma a foot massage. 63. Play tea party with their six-year-old stepsister. 64. Read The Red Badge of Courage. 65. Browse Burlington Coat Factory’s fall collection. 66. Floss. 67. Listen to The Scarlett Letter on audiobook. 68. Watch televised bowling. 69. Lie really, really still and pretend they’re deceased. 70. Join their twelve-year-old sister and all of her friends for a dance party!!! 71. Wash their parents’ minivan. 72. Journal about their feelings. 72. Give themselves a haircut. 73. Make homemade kombucha. 74. Learn to crochet. 75. Get a head start on their LinkedIn profile. 76. Watch a black- and-white movie marathon. 77. Visit the library. 78. Run a relay race. 79. Eat slimy san-nakji, which is considered a delicacy in Korea. 80. Eat khash, a traditional dish in Southeastern Europe that is so disgusting you’re just going to have to Google it to find out what it’s made of. 81. Eat the Swedish delicacy blodpättar, which kind of sounds like what it is. 81. Eat bat soup, a traditional dish in Micronesia. 82. Eat harkarl, rotten shark meat that is considered a delicacy in Iceland. 83. Eat the Scottish dish known as haggis. 84. Eat escamol, a Mexican dish that kind of looks like it’s made of rice but definitely isn’t. 85. Eat “Rocky Mountain Oysters,” which, despite the name, may not be from the Rocky Mountains and definitely are not oysters. 86. Wrestle an alligator. 87. Be a “professional apologizer,” a person whose actual full-time job is to apologize on behalf of other people. 88. Be an ostrich babysitter, which is apparently something people do in South Africa. 89. Ponder what life would have been like if they had been born in Kazakhstan. 90. Take a transatlantic flight on Biman Bangladesh Airlines, widely considered the worst airline in the entire world. 91. Eat fugu, a potentially lethal blowfish. 92. Do a form of running exercise known as “laps of misery.” 93. Walk the neighbor’s dog. 94. Clean their room. 95. Frolic naked through the mall. 96. Do a handstand on two fingers. 97. Do one-armed chin-ups. 98. Do a form of exercise known as a “flying human flag abdominal crunch.” 99. Watch the 2011 movie Tree of Life. (Trust us, it’s booooring.) 100. Use sock puppets to practice their future networking skills.