Victoria holds a Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University. As a first-generation college graduate, she understands students' challenges when navigating the admissions process. In her own experience, she was forced to find outside resources. Even in college, she networked to find alumni and professionals working in government to help her with job applications. Victoria completed approximately 100 informational interviews over four years, and now she wants to help students in the same place that she was in by becoming their guide and resource. Professionally, Victoria works at the US Department of State - Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
As a coach, Victoria’s teaching style is structured. She excels at helping students with ideas and an outline/plan without doing the work. Victoria likes to be a support system, encouraging people to do their best by being there for them when they need her and being a sounding board to make sure applicants are confident in the decisions they are making (i.e., ensuring that an essay topic is the right one, choosing what to put on a resume, etc.)
Victoria is motivated by deadlines; she finds that having a set schedule and clear expectations helps students stay motivated, too. She considers herself Midwest-friendly. She is outgoing and always happy to help or be available when needed. Victoria is respectful, positive, and realistic. She is always looking for solutions to problems and sticking to a plan.
When she isn’t working, Victoria enjoys lifting weights, watching sports (basketball, baseball) and reality TV (Housewives, Selling Sunset, Vanderpump Rules, etc.), journaling, visiting museums, and trying new restaurants and coffee shops.
Ben graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and History of Art and Architecture. Throughout his seven-year tutoring career and as a certified ESL instructor, he has held roles such as tutor, college counselor, and online educator. Ben's guidance has led over 1,000 students to success, including admission to renowned institutions such as the University of Chicago, the University of Virginia, and Cornell University.
Ben loves forming connections with students and watching them learn, blossom, and succeed. He specializes in SAT and ACT tutoring, as well as math, ELA/ESL, history, social studies, science, Japanese, and Russian at all levels, including AP and IB.
Ben’s tutoring style is student-centered. He prioritizes understanding students' interests, learning preferences, and areas of difficulty from the outset. Armed with this knowledge, he tailors sessions to address each student's individual needs effectively. Moreover, Ben ensures that he communicates with students on their level, avoiding talking down to them—a common pitfall in tutoring—thus fostering a supportive and respectful learning environment.
One of Ben’s standout traits as a tutor is his ability to help students work through learning blocks. Drawing on his extensive tutoring experience working with diverse students, he adeptly recognizes and addresses learning difficulties, restructuring sessions as needed to facilitate comprehension and progress.
In his free time, Ben likes to read, play video games, go hiking, travel, and learn new languages. He combined the latter two passions when he studied abroad in Moscow, Russia for a semester in 2018.
Abhiram has a Bachelor of Arts in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Physics from Lafayette College. His exceptional academic record and research contributions were recognized with the Excel Scholar award at Lafayette. He also completed his master's at the University of Colorado at Boulder and his postgraduate education at Columbia University. With over 5 years of tutoring experience and a background as a TA, Abhiram is driven by his passion for teaching and aspires to become a professor in the future.
Abhiram finds tutoring to be a fulfilling pursuit, as it enables him to play a role in shaping the future generation of thinkers and leaders. He specializes in ACT and SAT prep and physics, mathematics, statistics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, chemistry, and computer science at all levels, including AP and IB.
Abhiram is known for his patience, thoroughness, and hard work. He is diligent in his tutoring, providing extra support and assistance with any questions students may struggle with. Abhiram is also recognized for his approachable and easy-going demeanor, as he infuses humor into his sessions and offers words of affirmation to build students' confidence.
Abhiram excels at sparking students' curiosity to actively engage them in their learning process. He frequently incorporates real-world examples to illustrate how seemingly simple concepts are applied at the forefront of deep tech and cutting-edge research.
Outside of tutoring, Abhiram enjoys playing music and pushing his boundaries—he has even won a spicy food eating competition three times!
Yes, we help first-time test-takers and retakers ace the SSAT. The SSAT is offered eight times per year – we’re ready to help your child prepare for their next test date.
We welcome parent involvement and always strive to keep communication open between students, families, and tutors. Our progress tracker enables you to check your child’s progress, tutor comments, and next steps at any time.
Our SSAT tutor matching process ensures students are paired with their best-fit tutor based on student/family preferences, goals, and needs. A lot of the information we need to make an informed decision comes from the intake form you complete at the beginning of our engagement.
You can register for the SSAT on the EMA SSAT website here.
Excluding the experimental section (which doesn’t count toward your final score), there are four SSAT sections administered in random order. You have 25 minutes to answer all questions in each section:
Students receive percentile scores in the following areas:
You’ll also receive section scores for each of these areas; for the Middle Level, scaled section scores range between 440 and 710, and Upper Level scores range between 500 and 800.
The best plan for you and your child depends on the level of support they need, their availability, and other factors. If you’re unsure which program works best for you, our team is ready to help – set up a call with us today to learn more!
Middle Level SSATs are for students in grades 5, 6, and 7. Upper Level tests are for students in grade 8 or above.