As of October 2026. Every number below is sourced; the list is at the end.
As of October 2026, most families pick the same Test Prep Gurus program. It is 24 hours of one-on-one work: one 2-hour session a week for 12 weeks, 2 to 3 hours of homework a week, and at least five full-length practice SAT or ACT exams. Among students who finished with 12 or more instruction hours and 80% or more of the homework, those who began at 1350 or below gained an average of 190 SAT points (results).
The belief that costs families the most
Most families picture prep as a push at the end. Grab a book in March, sit the test in May, hope. I get the appeal.
It also fights the way memory works. Cramming builds a score that holds at the kitchen table and falls apart in a timed section. Our rule is 6 to 12 weeks of prep. The 12-week version exists because twelve weeks is long enough to forget things on purpose and get them back.
The forgetting is the point.
Before week 1: two tests and a conversation
Every program opens with two free diagnostics, one SAT and one ACT. The two exams reward different students. If your child already has an official score, the PSAT included, we can use that instead. Then we sit down and read the results with you, section by section.
That meeting sets the plan and the test date. The date shapes everything after it.
Weeks 1 through 12
Here is the shape of the twelve weeks.
| What you get | How much |
|---|---|
| One-on-one session | 2 hours a week, 12 weeks |
| Homework | 2 to 3 hours a week |
| Full-length practice exams | at least five |
| Extra practice exams | no charge |
| What each sitting covers | the whole SAT or ACT, never one section |
We do not set a week-by-week list of topics in advance. Your child's diagnostic sets the order. That is why we read it with you before week 1.
Why that order and not another
Three findings carry the design. Retrieval practice: pulling an answer out of memory beats re-reading the page. Spacing: a topic you revisit, as you start to forget it, lasts longer. Interleaving: mixing problem types feels worse in the moment and works better later. All three are summed up in Make It Stick (Brown, Roediger and McDaniel, 2014). That is why the homework is 2 to 3 hours every week, not crammed into one weekend.
Two hours once a week, twelve times over, is spacing built into the calendar.
A tutor who only re-explains is using none of this.
What the gains add up to
Among completers, students starting at 1350 or below average 190 more SAT points. That is 1210 to 1400, the 77th percentile to the 93rd. 63% gain 200 points or more, and 20% gain 300 or more. On the ACT, students starting at 27 or below average 5.7 more points. That is 22 to 28, the 69th percentile to the 90th. Students already at 28 or higher average 3.4 more points. The same numbers sit on our Reach results page.
Those are our own students, not a controlled study. Individual results vary. The 80% homework line is in the definition for a reason. So is the hiring rule: instructors score in the top 1% on anything they teach.
Twelve weeks of ordinary weeks beats one heroic month.
The move
Book the two free diagnostics this month. Then pick a test date at least 12 weeks out. We will read both results with you and say which exam fits your child. Free mock SAT and ACT: prepgurus.com/frequently-asked-questions, or call 949.229.5359.
Questions parents ask
How many hours a week will this take my child?
One 2-hour session a week plus 2 to 3 hours of homework, for 12 weeks. That is the 24-hour program most families pick.
Do we have to decide between the SAT and the ACT before we start?
No. Every program begins with two free diagnostics, one SAT and one ACT, and we read the results with you before picking one.
How much do scores actually move?
Among students who finished with 12 or more instruction hours and 80% or more of the homework, those starting at 1350 or below gained an average of 190 SAT points, and 63% gained 200 or more. Individual results vary.
Written by Nick Standlea, founder of Test Prep Gurus. Updated October 2026.
Sources
- Test Prep Gurus - program structure, diagnostics, instructor standard — https://www.prepgurus.com/frequently-asked-questions
- Test Prep Gurus - score-improvement results — https://www.prepgurus.com/results-at-test-prep-gurus
- Reach - Test Prep Gurus results and the Make It Stick methodology (retrieval practice, spacing, interleaving; Brown, Roediger & McDaniel, 2014) — https://highschoolreach.com/test-prep-results