Is Prep Expert Legit? Fact-Based Analysis of SAT & ACT Program
When evaluating test prep companies that promise to raise your SAT or ACT score, it’s prudent to validate claims with facts. One fast-growing provider in the SAT prep industry is Prep Expert. But is this company legit? Understanding the evidence behind any organization offering admissions coaching is key.
With the current wave of services offering SAT and ACT prep courses, it can be hard to tell which prep course is legitimate and which is just a money grab. This analysis will examine Prep Expert’s background, instructor quality, prep materials, curriculum, and results reporting to gauge if their programs credibly improve exam performance. We’ll provide carefully curated answers to the question, “Is Prep Expert legit?”
Founded By a Renowned SAT Perfect Scorer
Prep Expert was created in 2012 by Shaan Patel, an early Yale graduate who achieved a perfect SAT score–one of the few perfect SAT scores nationally. After being waitlisted despite his academic profile, Shaan attributed getting into Yale at the last minute to acing the SAT.
Seeing affordable SAT prep courses as providing access to opportunity, Shaan set out to transform the coaching model. He partnered with local Los Angeles test prep center administrators to launch Prep Expert, backed by ABC’s Shark Tank billionaire Mark Cuban. They focused on three elements:
- Hire only tutors in the 99th percentile or higher for SAT/ACT with 4+ years experience
- Offer unlimited class repeats with updated, optimized materials
- Build superior digital platforms and lock solid pricing
This strategic foundation, forged by an authority in SAT success, lends credibility as Prep Expert scales nationally.
Rigorously Vetted Instructors
Far too many test prep companies claim perfect scorers and elite tutors without verification. But Prep Expert implements a 7-step screening process to validate instructor competence:
- Take a timed, full-length practice test graded by the Intelligent Assessment platform
- Oral examination and presentation on teaching techniques
- Submit official score reports directly from College Board/ACT
- Trial sessions with manager evaluations
- Video interview assessing knowledge, communication skills, and relatability
- Reference checks on past teaching performance
- Criminal and credential verification background checks
Such meticulous vetting yields a tutor network in the top 1% nationally based on objectively measured expertise. Prep Expert also publicly publishes the bios and scores of all instructors to confirm their legitimacy.
Curriculum Focused on Sustained Outcomes
While quality instructors matter, even the best teachers rely on an optimized curriculum. Prep Expert utilizes an internally developed, evergreen training methodology called The ScoreBooster System, which focuses on reusable mental models over rote content memorization. Students learn foundational principles that enable durable score gains year after year as tests evolve.
Course delivery formats balance self-directed learning with weekly progress tracking. There is also a strong emphasis on maintaining student motivation and confidence. Between the curriculum design and support structures, students are equipped for sustainable success on college admissions exams.
The Prep Expert course flow imparts efficient test-taking strategies through live online classes, video lessons, and SAT course practice tests.
Prep Expert’s pedagogy centers on elevating average students to high achievers rather than pushing already advanced students to attempt perfection. This pragmatic approach, tilted toward sizable score improvements for more students, seems sensible compared to extreme score chasing.
Proof Through Verified Score Increases
Does Prep Expert’s methodology actually translate into dramatic performance gains, as advertised? The Prep Expert SAT prep course claims students achieve, on average, a 198-point increase on the PSAT and a 215-point SAT increase; the ACT course boasts a 5-point ACT increase.
Prep Expert verifies these metrics through confirmed student score reports both pre- and post-program. Over 12,000 exam score improvements have been officially validated, ensuring their published average gains are accurate.
The Verdict: Legitimacy in Improving Admission Exam Scores
In conclusion, analysis shows Prep Expert implements a research-backed curriculum, screens the top 1% of instructors intensely, and verifies advertised score increases. Combined with its founding by an authority in ACT/SAT perfection, Prep Expert offers fact-based legitimacy as a coaching provider demonstrably equipped to strengthen admission exam performance.
