Frequently Asked (Test Prep) Questions: 

head-with-questions-smallerQ: How much does this all cost?

A: Our tutors range in price from $175 an hour to $350 an hour. A tutor's rate depends on demand and the tutor's schedule. Sessions can be paid for by cash, check or with a credit card (Mastercard, VISA, or AMEX).

Q: What are your packages?

A: Our packages are designed to give you an incentive to pay for our services up front, by rewarding you with bonus sessions. We have a basic package that gives you 13 sessions for the price of 12, a standard package that gives you 20 sessions for the price of 18, and a premium package that would offer you 41 sessions for the price of 36. We ask for package payment at the beginning of your child's work with one of our tutors. Packages, are however, not required, and you can pay session by session.

Q: How long will my child need to work with a tutor?

A: This will depend on your child's strengths, weaknesses, and goals. Typically, A-List tutors spend most of the school year working with a student.

Q: When should my child take the SAT/ACT?

A: For students beginning work in the fall of their junior year, we prepare students to be ready to take their first SAT in either January or March of their junior year and April for the ACT. For the ACT, we have had students improve as much as 9 points.

Q: What kind of score improvement can we expect?

A: We cannot guarantee any score improvements, as this will depend heavily on a student's ability and work habits. Over the last 4 years, we have typically found that hard working students improve about 300 points on average. We have however, worked with students that have improved by as much as 700 points.

Q: Should my child take the ACT or the SAT?

A: Some children benefit from taking the ACT instead of the SAT. This is something that will not be known until after several weeks of work with a tutor. If you are concerned about getting a sense of whether or not the ACT is a more appropriate test, we can have your child take a diagnostic ACT to help decide whether or not one test is more appropriate than the other. The strategies and content that we teach for the SAT apply to the ACT also. In other words, the work your child does with us for the SAT will definitely help for the ACT also. Many of our students work with us on the SAT through the fall and winter, and make a seamless transition to ACT work to prepare for a spring ACT.

Q: Do you offer practice tests?

A: Yes – we feel that practice tests are the best way to gauge a student's improvement and to effectively prepare him or her for an actual test. Practice tests are offered in Manhasset, Plainview, Manhattan, and Westchester. A-List offers practice tests most weekends over the course of the school year. Visit our Practice Test page for a full test schedule.

Q: Do we have to pay for practice tests?
A: Yes and no. We do not charge for students to sit for practice tests. However, we do ask that you pay for the actual tests. A-List does not use proprietary materials or our own materials to test our students. Instead, we go straight to the source and have students take tests from the College Board. The College Board offers students online access to 10 practice tests for $69.95. Your child will take these tests over the course of the school year. For the ACT, we use the practice test available on ACT.org and ask that you buy The Real ACT Prep Guide for additional practice tests.

Q: How do I register for the College Board's Official SAT Online Course?

A: This is a long one. For complete instructions see below:

Please note that in order to purchase items from the CollegeBoard.com website you are required to have a CollegeBoard.com online account. If you order a copy of "THE OFFICIAL SAT STUDY GUIDE" at the same time as you subscribe for the online course, you are eligible for a $10 discount; simply put both items into your Shopping Cart.

  • College Board homepage: http://www.collegeboard.com/
  • Click on "Store" in the upper right corner of the screen
  • Click on "The Official SAT Online Course"
  • Click on "Add to cart"
  • Click on "View Cart"
  • Click on "Check Out"
  • Fill in User Name and Password
  • Fill in billing information
  • Verify billing address and fill in credit card information
  • Type in the random characters you see in the picture. Uncheck the box below the characters if you don't want product update emails from the College Board.
  • Continue at the bottom of the page to confirm order
  • The order has been placed. You will receive two confirmation emails.
  • Print out either email and give it to your tutor for confirmation.

To receive the $10 discount for The Official SAT Online Course, if you have already purchased The Official SAT Study Guide (The Blue Book), then follow these steps:

  • Go to http://www.collegeboard.com/satonlinecourse
  • Click on "$10 off online course!" (located under "For Book Owners")
  • You will be prompted to enter your College Board user name and password.
  • Answer the question on the next page. (The question will direct you to The Official SAT Study Guide and ask you to enter a particular word from a page in the book.)
  • It will then apply the $10 discount to Online Course and proceed to the checkout.
  • Enter billing and credit card information as you would normally.