Acumen GRE, GMAT, and SAT Classes and Tutoring

Acumen Home Page

www.acumentutoring.com

Overview

Hello...I have taught and tutored for over 15 years, and currently engage in teaching Test Preparation classes, writing educational test materials, and tutoring on a fulltime basis in the Washington DC and Baltimore Metro areas. I have scored in the 96th-99th percentile on my own standardized tests (usually the 98th or 99th percentile), and my tutors scores range from the 92nd through 99th percentiles; all have teaching/tutoring experience. We have been successful with students at all ages and levels, including gifted students and those with learning and emotional disabilities. We have also developed a successful format and course manuals for small group SAT (New or Old), GRE, and GMAT group study and classes of 2 to 10 students that use the same instructional methods as my one-on-one sessions.

  • One-on-one rate starts at $45/hr; Full Class fee for 5+ people is considerably less per hour per student (ex: $575 for 30 instructional hours plus online homework support.)

  • Custom classes are available, as well (Verbal Only, Math Only, Fewer Hours, More Hours, etc.) upon request and schedule availability.

  • Location: Kendra is in Alexandria, and other tutors are in various cities in the Baltimore and Washington DC Metro Areas

    Current Class Schedule as of 12/14/06:

  • One-on-one tutoring sessions for GRE, GMAT, SAT,and PRAXIS are ongoing.

  • There is a student interested in a full GRE class (Reading, Writing, and Math). Please contact me if you and anyone else you know is interested in forming an GRE class.

    A Sampling of Successes

  • A former GMAT student is finishing up his first semester at the Wharton business school

  • An SAT student gained 100 points on each of the three sections: Math, Reading, and Writing

  • Students from GRE Math class and have been working through their practice problems have seen a jump of 250+ points on their GRE math from their initial practice test to their current practice test

  • A GMAT student improved more than 100 points (score: 690) after only 2 hours of tutoring and a lot of hard work

  • Another GMAT student improved to score 710 and win full tuition to a Top 10 school

  • A GMAT student just gained 40 points with just 5 hrs. of tutoring (score: 680)

  • An SAT student gained 75 points in the verbal test after only two hours of tutoring and a lot of hard work

  • An SAT Math student increased her math score by 100 points , and the family is very pleased!

  • Undergraduate students accepted at Dickinson College, Princeton University, Davidson College, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Yale University, University of Virginia, James Madison University, Cornell University, Ohio State University, George Mason University, New York University, the University of Southern California, the College of William & Mary, Boston College, etc. Many have received scholarships that cover half or more of their tuition and board.

  • MBA students accepted Top 10, Top 25, and other quality institutions such as Duke University-(Fuqua, 2 with full tution support), Dartmouth College(Tuck), Yale University, New York University(Stern), University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), University of Chicago (with partial support), UC Berkeley-(Haas, with partial support), University of Maryland(Smith, with partial support), George Washington University, University of Virginia (Darden) etc.

  • M.A., M.S., and Ph.D. students accepted at Harvard University (Ph.D and M.S.), George Mason University (Ph.D., full tuition support), New York University (Ph.D., half- to full- tuition support), University of Illinois (Ph.D, full tution support), University of South Florida (Ph.D., full tuition support), UCLA, George Washington University, American University, Johns Hopkins University, Ohio State University, Georgetown University, etc.

    Tuition and Rates

  • Class Rates: $220 - $575 for 9- to 30-hr. classes.

  • Fees for classes should be pre-paid via check, cash or credit card (PayPal).

  • Fees for classes include coursebooks and textbooks.

  • Location depends on venue availability as well as geographic area of requests.

  • Individual Test Prep Tutoring Rate: $45-65/hr.
    Kendra’s in-home rate is $45/hr. near the King St., Alexandria Metro. Exact rate for Kendra or other qualified tutors to travel to your home in the DC and Baltimore Metro areas depends upon tutor’s experience, location, and frequency. For one-on-one tutoring, there is no set number of required hours. Frequency is determined case-by-case. For study groups of 2 or 3, add $15/hr per student, and split the total cost.

    *If there are a few or more individuals at an office or other location who are all looking to take the GRE or GMAT (or even the SAT), we can put together a class and come to your office if you have a conference room available. For a class of 5 or more, we will travel to any site within the DC metro area (a whiteboard or chalkboard would need to be available).

    We have worked with several students in one-on-one and group situations AFTER they were disappointed in their results from some of the "nationally known" test prep agencies. The point is not that everyone should come flocking to us, but that you should check out the quality of instruction and content of test prep courses before you make such a financially jarring and time-consuming decision.

    Summary

  • Tutoring tailored to your needs and strengths/weaknesses
  • Tutors/teachers with professional experience writing standardized test questions and grading standardized tests
  • Small Classes(5-8 people, on average) or one-on-one/two-on-one/three-on-one group tutoring
  • Study Guide developed by instructor is included in all one-on-one and group classes
  • Both strategies AND content review are covered, as well as what to expect, what mistakes NOT to make, etc.
  • Success with students with learning disabilities
  • Meet your target score, get into the school of your choice, and improve your mathematics and verbal skills along the way (improvement depends on hours attended and completion of assignments, as well as the number of subjects tutored.)
  • Recent SAT I, SAT II, GRE, and GMAT students have seen improvements of up to 275 points
  • Students remark that instruction is better than Kaplan or Princeton (at a much better price)



    Information on books is available on our website: www.acumentutoring.com

    Contact Information
    Kendra Ganobsik Phone: 703.867.8142
    Email: kganobsik@yahoo.com
    Website:www.acumentutoring.com

    Testimonials (on Kendra and other Tutors)
  • ”I’ve decided to go to one of my top choices, Duke University—they offered me a full scholarship. Thanks for all of your help with the GMAT!”
  • “Jaime is great! My daughter is now getting an A in her honors course, and she is really understanding the material.”
  • “We’re very pleased to have Jeff working with our son on the SAT, and we would like to continue instruction throughout the summer. Thanks for your efforts!”
  • ”Our son would not have graduated without your invaluable help and advice. Please feel free to use us as a reference at any time.”
  • ”Oh my gosh! I was going to fail chemistry for the year! Now, with your help over this last grading period for the year, I’ve managed to get a B on my final AND pass the SOL (just missed the HIGH pass range, too!) Thank you so much!!”
  • “This has been so helpful. We would like to continue tutoring during school breaks for reinforcement and to continue to get Jada ready for her upcoming college classes.”
  • ”Diana’s help on the GRE was invaluable. Thanks for your support and encouragement.”
  • “I’ve been accepted to Ph.D. program, with full tuition support that includes teaching and research assignments. All of that hard work on the GRE paid off!”
  • ”Your help on the GMAT really made the difference. Thanks for helping me get into my school. I would be very pleased to be a reference for you."
  • "My son feels that he learned a lot and had a lot fun, and he wants you to be his year-round teacher!"
  • "I scored about 450 on the GRE Math test ages ago, when my brain was still fresh from college courses. Now, with all of your help, I have scored a 600! I'm so thrilled, and may even study math on the side a bit, just for the heck of it!"
  • "Thanks for all of your wisdom and instruction in calculus; I wouldn't have made it through without you."
  • Thanks for all of this great information...I learned two or three times as much in one session with you than I did in any of my Kaplan classes!"
  • "You've helped us so in the past year...thanks for working with our son!"
  • "Jeri was able to bring her average test scores up from the D/F range to A's, and she is now challenging herself to shoot for 100 on every test..."
  • "I just wanted to let you know that due to the skills and confidence you help build in our daughter, she got a 5 on the AP Calculus exam, and now she's off to a great start her first semester at college...thanks a lot!"
  • "When can we get together to work on the Math? I'm definitely happy with my 75-point improvement on the SAT Verbal, after only 2 hours of instruction with you..."
  • "My daughter has incorporated the study skills that you taught her for her math class into her other courses, as well..."
  • "After working with you through the Verbal class, I know that I definitely want to continue on into your Math test prep class."
  • "You need to market your services to a wider audience...this class has been much more useful than national as well as other local test prep classes."
  • "Thanks for all of your help with my economics paper, and for coming through with the last minute request...I will definitely be returning for your services in the future."

    Interested in A Class?
    Please contact us if you have any questions. If you are fairly certain that you want to sign up for a class, please call or email me and provide the following information:
  • Student's Name
  • Parent/Guardian Name (if applicable: for high school and middle school students in SAT/PSAT/SSAT classes)
  • Contact Info
  • Test Date (if known)
  • Times during the evening and weekend when the student is NOT available. We will schedule the classes according to the "majority rules" in terms of availability
  • Whether you want to purchase the books via Acumen Educational Services(sometimes available)
  • Any questions and concerns
  • Recent score(s) on practice or official PSAT, SAT, GRE, or GMAT exams (percentile rankings are great – a good way to place you into the right class)

    ***If you know others who are interested in a class, please have them contact me. This is a great way to form a class.

    Class Location
  • Tutoring: At or near your home or the tutor’s home in the DC Metro area
  • In Alexandria, Virginia, close to Old Town/King St. metro, Highways. Or, if there is demand for a class in another Northern Virginia area (Arlington, Fairfax, etc.) or DC Metro/Baltimore Metro area, we will try to schedule a class in that location.

    General Overview
    All courses include a course study guide, developed by the instructor, that will review concepts as well as strategies, and which contains practice problems. The instructor has professional experience developing test items for standardized tests, and knows about the types of distractors and traps that often frustrate standardized test-takers. We review content, introduce and practice strategies and pitfall avoidance, and practice problems and questions in class. Students are asked to take at least a couple of tests at home during the course of the class, as well as one at the beginning and one at the end of class. Practice questions are assigned for homework. Part of each class is dedicated to answering questions on homework questions and test issues. Vocabulary should be studied at home on at least 5 days of the week.

    Class Sizes
    Ideally, class sizes range from 5-8 students. We may let up to 10 or 12 students in if the demand is there and students cannot take the class at another time. Study groups of 2-4 people are also available.

    Class Timelines
    Classes will run one weekend day per week, one weekday evening per week, OR two weekday evenings per week, depending on scheduling and test dates. Classes will meet for 5 - 8 weeks, for 3 - 5.5 hrs. per week, again depending on scheduling and dates, as well as class length.

    Course Highlights:
  • Strategies AND content will be covered. Instructor/course developer has a Master's degree in Math (bachelors degrees are in education and mathematics), extensive teaching experience in math and science, and current experience as a freelance editor/item writer. She has written materials for published middle school, high school, and college standardized tests. She is currently contracted by a local school to develop SSAT test prep materials.
  • Verbal only and Math only classes are available
  • Review Test Format and General Test-Taking Strategies
  • Math Strategies for Problem Solving, Grid-In (SAT/PSAT Only), Quantitative Comparisons (GRE/SAT/PSAT), Data Sufficiency (GMAT)
  • Review Math Skills;apply concepts to Test Problems
  • Reinforce Strategies as we work through the review. Topics: Number Properties, Number Operations, Fractions, Ratios, Decimals, Percents, Powers and Roots, Averages, Graphs/Data Interpretation, Probability, Combinations, Permutations, Algebra, Geometry, Word Problems
  • Building your Vocabulary and Applications to Test Questions
  • Analogies and Antonyms Strategies (SAT/GRE/PSAT)
  • Sentence Completion Strategies (GRE/SAT/PSAT)
  • Sentence Correction Strategies (GMAT/New SAT/PSAT)
  • Reading More Efficently & Reading Comprehension Strategies
  • Improving Writing for the Analytical Writing Assessment (GRE/GMAT/New SAT/PSAT)