Featured Test Prep Student: Joshua Divaker (Abington Senior HS)

Last updated Apr 15, 2021

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Josh-Divaker-test-prep Joshua Divaker, a junior at Abington Senior High School, is a motivated student. He gets good grades, and is involved in service organizations and the track team. But when it came time to study for the SAT, Josh had difficulty staying focused.

He had tried working through test prep materials on his own, but after taking a few practice SATs and being disappointed by his scores, Josh decided he was ready to commit to a structured tutoring program. His older sister had been happy with the test prep she received at A+ several years earlier, so he decided to give it a shot.

“Having a personal tutor incentivized me to do the work and prepare each week,” Josh said. “I wanted to make a good impression on the tutors.”

Using Josh’s diagnostic SAT as a baseline, the tutors set score improvement goals for him. He had the most room to improve on the Critical Reading section.

Josh struggled quite a bit with time management on the Critical Reading section, so his verbal tutor, Kathy Astrue, taught him several strategies for reading passages more efficiently. She also worked with him to strengthen his vocabulary, as well as his knowledge of word roots and prefixes.

By the second session, Kathy said, Josh had already met his score goal on the Critical Reading section. “Josh continued to flourish in the program and his practice test scores kept improving,” she said.

C. J. Sich was Joshua’s math tutor. “Josh is a hardworking student,” she said. “The positive attitude he brought to the tutoring sessions made the whole process enjoyable: I could tell that he was internally motivated to raise his score on the SAT. He always did his homework, asked questions, and came prepared to the sessions.”

With guidance from his A+ tutors, Josh approached test day with new confidence. He reported that he had much less anxiety due to all of the practice tests he had completed, and it paid off: Joshua’s SAT score increased by 200 points!

“All of the advice I got from tutors relieved a lot of stress,” Josh said. “My score went up 200 points. The tutors really helped me focus. When I tried test prep before, I was not as dedicated. With A+, since I had to do the work to prepare for tutoring sessions, I got it done.”

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   Angela Jay 
 2024-02-15
 
 
   Best Decision Ever!

A+ Tutoring proved to be a transformative experience for me, surpassing all my expectations. Without hesitation, I wholeheartedly recommend A+ Tutoring to any parent or guardian seeking academic improvement and aiming to unlock their child’s full potential.

Prior to selecting A+, I carefully researched and evaluated other services. My goals were twofold: to prepare my son for the standardized testing required for preparatory school and college applications, and to enhance his time management skills and study habits.

Mr. John’s personalized approach resonated with my son’s personality and specific learning needs. Despite my son’s demanding sports schedule, Mr. John was incredibly flexible and accommodating. The sessions were comprehensive, combining instruction, engaging conversations, and homework assignments to reinforce existing concepts and introduce new ones in advanced math, English, and science.

The tangible outcomes were apparent: not only did my son’s grades improve by at least one grade level, but he also secured early admission to prep school! Moreover, I observed a significant boost in his confidence and overall demeanor.

I am deeply grateful to Mr. John, Ms. Dorothea, and Mr. Dan for their exceptional dedication and support. They truly went above and beyond to ensure that we felt fully supported throughout the process. Their contributions have made a profound impact on my son’s academic journey, maximizing the value of my investment.
  
 
 
       
   Kenneth Greenspan 
 2023-11-28
 
 
   Extremely professional and thorough
  
 
 
       
   Leah Reinhard Peshek 
 2023-11-15
 
 
   I just wanted to thank A+ for helping my son achieve his goals. He worked with 2 instructors Andrew and Barbara for both the SAT and AP exams. Whatever they did it was magic! Not only did he get the results he wanted- he surpassed them. It was hands-off for me, he scheduled and communicated with his instructors on his own, which taught him responsibility and accountability. Yet, their lesson follow-up emails kept me in the loop. I can’t recommend them any more highly. If you decide to use them you won’t be disappointed, you will see a student who is better prepared for their studies as well as any tests they choose to take- they even seem more mature and confident. A+ I’m giving you an A+ Thank you so much, Leah Reinhard.
  
 
 
       
   Rebekka Hartwell 
 2023-10-28
 
 
   We had a great experience with A+ Test Prep and Tutoring. I appreciated that the tutor tailored the sessions around our daughter's needs and worked with her strengths. I can definitely recommend this program to anyone needing some extra support.
  
 
 
       
   Rhiannon Kelly 
 2023-08-31
 
 
   My son needed assistance preparing for an exam. We reached out to A+ test prep and they were wonderful. They were able to schedule him for tutoring without an delays. Their knowledge, assistance and guidance speaks volumes. A+ exceeded all outlets expectations. Thank you
  
 
 
       
   Andrea Emmons 
 2023-07-06
 
 
   The tutors were terrific, very thoughtful and really understood my child's needs in terms of studying. The hours worked well with our schedule and the homework assigned was super helpful!
  
 
 
       
   V Penz 
 2023-06-22
 
 
   A+ Test Prep provided superior tutoring custom-tailored to meet my son’s specific needs and learning style. His SAT score increased by 160 points with 12 hours of tutoring!!! That put him well-within range for all of the schools to which he is applying. A+ truly listened to make sure they exceeded our expectations starting with matching our son with Rob. He is an experienced tutor who set goals and developed a specialized plan. Rob taught clear, structured, organized lessons, helped my son plan his practice and homework, and taught test stress-management and relaxation techniques. These lessons also helped fill-in gaps from the pandemic.  The writing, reading and math lessons and strategies  Rob taught gave Dylan a strong foundation of critical-thinking skills which will serve him well in college, the work-force, and beyond.  A+ staff, including Rob, gave prompt, detailed and insightful feedback after each session. You will get ENORMOUS value for your financial investment with A+.  I investigated 6 other tutoring companies and am confident A+ was the best for tailoring their tutoring to a program that best fit my son’s learning style!!
  
 
 
       
   Megan Gasper 
 2023-05-26
 
 
   This tutoring program literally changed my daughters test scores by 1000 points, and they were so helpful, and communicative with me the entire time. I really recommend them for every student, whether they are trying to make their test scores better, or make their scores above excellent
  
 
 
       
   Zarah Adams 
 2023-05-04
 
 
   We chose A+ for Preparation to help our daughter prepare for college entrance exams. May daughter had Pam for the verbal portion of the exam. Pam was amazing! She asked about extra-curricular activities and demonstrated genuine interest in my daughter's role as a student in and outside of the classroom. Pam also noted how important these activities are to colleges. John was the tutor for math and science. He helped my daughter feel comfortable and confident in her skills. My daughter's ACT composite score went up 5 points! I would highly recommend A+ for Test Preparation!
  
 
 
  
 
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