1^st lesson free

Allen

5 (6 reviews)

Rate $100
Response 1h
Students
Number of students Allen has taught since their arrival at Superprof
30
Number of students Allen has taught since their arrival at Superprof

5 (6 reviews)

$100/h

1^st lesson free

Mathematics
Statistics
College / University Preparation

Experienced tutor in Mathematics in Potomac, Allen offers private lessons tailored to your needs.

Mathematics
Statistics
College / University Preparation

Lesson location

- At Allen's house: Potomac
- online
- at your home or a public place : will travel up to 20 mi. from Potomac

About Allen

I own and teach verbal lessons at a private ACT/SAT Test Prep company in the Potomac, MD area. My mentor worked in this business for 35 years, and we have had students at this location coming from elite private schools, including the former presidents' daughter, and who go on to every Ivy League you could name. Our focus on one-on-one, in-person lessons allows us flexibility in scheduling around the often-busy schedules of 10th and 11th-graders, and in adapting our instruction to each individual student. I like to think that my lifelong enthusiam for reading, writing, and teaching tends to come through in way that makes it easy to connect with and motivate students.

My job every day is to try and engage with and do my best to influence the way my students think about reading and writing - I love that it requires both structure and adaptability, and am grateful to have the opportunity to influence them at such a key time in their lives.

I have a strong humanities background nearly 20 years’ experience tutoring –traveling to students’ homes for private lessons, mentoring gifted high-schoolers and helping them find and share their passions, giving 7am ESL lessons to executives at companies like Google, McKinsey and Accenture, and supervising bachelors and masters students as they completed their thesis work.

I was a National Merit Finalist after placing in the 99th percentile on the PSAT, and scored a 34 on the ACT (36 in Reading). A a result was offered a full academic scholarship to the Honors College at Michigan State University where I majored in Psychology, Philosophy, and History (BA-Interdisciplinary Humanities).

After graduation I moved to Spain where I completed TESOL/TEFL certifcation and worked independently as an English-language tutor for the next 3 years, until enrolling in a two-year Research Masters in Social Psychology at the VU University, Amsterdam. There I continued to teach private students in the expat community as well as university-level courses while completing both my MSc and PhD.

About the lesson

The 60 ACT vs. SAT Assessment. This assessment consists of 11 either/or questions based on the tests format and content.

The 90 Second ACT and SAT Skill Set Assessment. These assessments ask students to self-rate the relevant skill sets required to score well on the SAT and ACT. After completing both, students are able to get a better picture of which test they are most likely to succeed at.

What Type of Learner is Your Teen? Breakthrough has identified and described six types of learners based on how they approach learning.

The Parent and Student Profiles. These provide us the information we need to best advise you and your teen. It includes information such as GPA, current and past courses, personal interests (i.e. how much time they have away from sports), and future goals such as target schools or programs.

We focus on intensive, one-on-one tutoring sessions in and around the area of Potomac, MD. A majority of our students are looking to improve their potential score range to enter extremely competitive, Ivy-league level universities and most find that the money invested in improving their entrance exams more than pays for itself in merit scholarships.

As a sophomore or junior you're more than capable of taking practice tests and grading them yourself. Take a few (they're free) as soon as you're considering tutoring, time yourself, and keep track of the questions you get wrong. A good tutor should be able to do more than just correct your mistakes - they should be helping you identify patterns, giving you specific feedback on problem areas, and exercises to improve those skills. You just don't have time to go back and review years of grammar rules or math equations in a few months.

What you CAN do is learn to focus more on what you know than what you don't know. Stop getting hung up on what you think you should know, and use the time you have as efficiently as possible. Your mindset and an understanding of how the test is structured can make a MUCH bigger impact than you think.

Recommendations

Recommendations come from relatives, friends and acquaintances of the teacher

Susan

Allen and Charles were more than helpful in determining that the SAT was the best choice for my son. He really seemed to enjoy his lessons! The instruction and motivation definitely paid off, he was able improve his score by 140 points!
Read more

S
Susan
Allen and Charles were more than helpful in determining that the SAT was the best choice for my son. He really seemed to enjoy his lessons! The instruction and motivation definitely paid off, he was able improve his score by 140 points!
Ashish

Superb
Read more

A
Ashish

Superb
Bob

Ms. Broder's expertise in test preparation is unmatched in DC. She is a great resource to her students.
Read more

B
Bob

Ms. Broder's expertise in test preparation is unmatched in DC. She is a great resource to her students.
Francisco

I highly recommend Breakthrough Test Prep.! My daughter decided to switch schools and needed to take the SSAT exam with very little time to prepare for it. Harriet Broder turned out to be a lifesaver - she went out of her way to put together a condensed study plan for my daughter and made herself available for private one-on-one sessions. Harriet's coaching proved invaluable, not only with regards to the substance of the test, but also with regard to mastering test taking techniques. My daughter went into the test with less uncertainty and more confidence. This undoubtedly helped with the final outcome - my daughter applied to two schools with selective admissions, and was accepted to both. Highly recommended
Read more

F
Francisco

I highly recommend Breakthrough Test Prep.! My daughter decided to switch schools and needed to take the SSAT exam with very little time to prepare for it. Harriet Broder turned out to be a lifesaver - she went out of her way to put together a condensed study plan for my daughter and made herself available for private one-on-one sessions. Harriet's coaching proved invaluable, not only with regards to the substance of the test, but also with regard to mastering test taking techniques. My daughter went into the test with less uncertainty and more confidence. This undoubtedly helped with the final outcome - my daughter applied to two schools with selective admissions, and was accepted to both. Highly recommended
Felicia

Harriet and Charles of Breakthrough Test Prep are truly the best. Harriet and Charles tutored our older daughter on SAT prep and our younger daughter on SSAT prep. Harriet helped us determine which test, the SAT or ACT, would work best for our daughter based on her skills (without her having to take both of them!). Under Harriet and Charles' tutelage - Harriet for reading and Charles for math, both girls raised their test scores hundreds of points. Harriet and Charles have proven strategies that truly work, and they know how to reach each student individually, helping them to achieve their potential. Harriet is organized and prepared and keeps the students calm, positive, and on track. She continuously remains current on the newest tests and scoring methods and keeps parents and students apprised with regular newsletters and updates. She and Charles are a pleasure to work with, and I would highly recommend them. I wouldn't go to anyone else for SAT or SSAT prep. We already have them signed up for our next child!
Read more

F
Felicia

Harriet and Charles of Breakthrough Test Prep are truly the best. Harriet and Charles tutored our older daughter on SAT prep and our younger daughter on SSAT prep. Harriet helped us determine which test, the SAT or ACT, would work best for our daughter based on her skills (without her having to take both of them!). Under Harriet and Charles' tutelage - Harriet for reading and Charles for math, both girls raised their test scores hundreds of points. Harriet and Charles have proven strategies that truly work, and they know how to reach each student individually, helping them to achieve their potential. Harriet is organized and prepared and keeps the students calm, positive, and on track. She continuously remains current on the newest tests and scoring methods and keeps parents and students apprised with regular newsletters and updates. She and Charles are a pleasure to work with, and I would highly recommend them. I wouldn't go to anyone else for SAT or SSAT prep. We already have them signed up for our next child!
Christine

Super happy with Harriet and team. My son invested a lot of time one on one with another firm with limited success. Harriett put together a thoughtful and aggressive plan which made all the difference for my son. His score using the skills the Harriett helped him develop went up 7 points on the ACT which is a considerable improvement. I am grateful to Harriet and team and highly recommend them. Worth the investment!
Read more

C
Christine

Super happy with Harriet and team. My son invested a lot of time one on one with another firm with limited success. Harriett put together a thoughtful and aggressive plan which made all the difference for my son. His score using the skills the Harriett helped him develop went up 7 points on the ACT which is a considerable improvement. I am grateful to Harriet and team and highly recommend them. Worth the investment!
View more recommendations

Rates

Rate

$100

Pack rates

5h: $500
10h: $1000

free lessons

This first lesson offered with Allen will allow you to get to know each other and clearly specify your needs for your next lessons.

online

$100/h

Details

Our standard tuition packages can be found here: (concealed information)

Our rates are based on expert, one-on-one tutoring in our Potomac learning center. However, we are committed to making our services available to a broader audience - especially given the disruption caused by COVID - if you're looking for instruction (and especially if your teen is motivated!) don't hesitate to get in touch.

Experienced tutor in Mathematics in Potomac, Allen offers private lessons tailored to your needs.

Lesson location

Recommended

About Allen

About the lesson

Recommendations

Rates

Rate

Pack rates

free lessons

online

Details

Other tutors in Mathematics

Arthi

SpiderSmart

Dolores

David

Sam

Bianca

EDDIE

Nadine

Desirel

Adin

Evie

Eknoor

Edna

Mike

Alisa

Mira

Ryan

Amanda

Damon

Hunter

Experienced tutor in Mathematics in Potomac, Allen offers private lessons tailored to your needs.

Lesson location

Recommended

About Allen

About the lesson

Recommendations

Rates

Rate

Pack rates

free lessons

online

Details

Other tutors in Mathematics

Arthi

SpiderSmart

Dolores

David

Sam

Bianca

EDDIE

Nadine

Desirel

Adin

Evie

Eknoor

Edna

Mike

Alisa

Mira

Ryan

Amanda

Damon

Hunter

Share

Verified teacher profile

levels

All languages in which the lesson is available

Review

Évaluations

Recommendations

free lessons

Report this posting