Get your kid a top SAT score
Arka Academy has taught 450+ students across Texas using The Manda Method™, with an average gain of 180 points. I take 15 students a semester myself. Apply now to claim a spot for Spring 2027.
Apply nowMy students were admitted to
My practice scores sat at 1390 for three months before I started with Arjun. I scored a 1540 on the real test.
We spent almost a year at a tutoring center in Frisco and our daughter moved from 1240 to 1280. Arjun did a single diagnostic and found she was losing most of her points in the first math module, not on the difficult questions as we had assumed. Eleven sessions later she scored 1470. I only wish we had started with him.
Worth it for anyone stuck in the 1300s. The pacing strategy alone was worth about sixty points for me.
I was not excited about this at first. My parents signed me up after my PSAT. In our first session Arjun asked what I do outside school, and when I mentioned that I repair and resell old laptops, he said it was more compelling than anything on my activities list. That became my main essay. I also finished with a 1510, which I did not expect. If you are unsure about it, it is worth giving a real try.
After every session I received a short summary of what they covered and what our daughter needed to practice before the next one. As a working parent, that level of communication meant more to me than anything else.
A friend who was admitted to Rice recommended Arjun. My score went from 1210 to 1420 in about three months.
The first-module strategy made the biggest difference for me. I had been rushing the opening questions and missing two or three every time without realizing it.
What does the SAT actually test?
The SAT is scored out of 1600: 800 for Reading and Writing, 800 for Math. Here is what makes up each half. Hover over any part to see what is in it and what tutoring covers. Tap any part to see what it covers.
What is in it
What tutoring covers
Point values are approximate, based on the College Board's published share of questions in each section. The Manda Method™ starts by finding which of these parts is costing your kid the most.
The Manda Method™
Every family has a way to prep for the SAT. Almost none of them are built around how the digital test is actually scored.
Khan Academy and free practice tests show your kid the questions. They cannot show them why they keep missing the same ones, so the same mistakes carry from one practice test to the next.
Tutoring centers teach to the middle of the room. A class of twelve moves at one pace, and it is almost never the pace where your kid is losing points.
Online tutor marketplaces are a gamble on who you book. Scoring high on the SAT is not the same as knowing how to raise someone else's score.
- 01 Arjun's tactic 1
- 02 Arjun's tactic 2
- 03 Arjun's tactic 3
- 04 Arjun's tactic 4
Where is your kid right now?
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8th grade or freshman
The strongest position to start fromWhat matters now: Math fundamentals, reading habits, and a first diagnostic to see where things stand.
What you get: A baseline score and a plan that builds toward junior year instead of cramming it.
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Sophomore year
The best time to start real prepWhat matters now: A full diagnostic and steady weekly work, well before the first real sitting.
What you get: Weekly sessions aimed at a target score, with room left for two sittings later.
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Junior year
Where most families startWhat matters now: Sit the SAT at least once, ideally twice, and push toward the target.
What you get: Test prep to the target score using The Manda Method™, with a written recap after every session.
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Senior fall
Last sitting, and still very workableWhat matters now: One more sitting before early deadlines, aimed only at the points still available.
What you get: A short, narrow plan built around the exact question types still costing points.
Starting earlier means more to work with. Starting later means the work gets sharper and faster. Either way it starts with the same call.
Apply nowBook your free 30-minute call
Pick a time. We go over where your kid is now and what score is realistic. 15 spots for Spring 2027.
SAT tutoring questions
What score can my kid realistically get?
I will tell you after the diagnostic, not before. The honest answer depends on where they start and how much time is left. The average student I take gains 180 points, and you get a target and a session count in writing before you commit to anything.
How many sessions does this take?
Most students need somewhere between ten and twenty, spread across a semester. The diagnostic is what makes that a number rather than a guess.
Is online as good as in person?
For test prep, yes. The digital SAT is taken on a laptop, so working through real questions on a shared screen is close to identical. Plenty of my students are online only.
When should we start?
Sophomore spring or the summer before junior year leaves room for two sittings without cramming. Junior fall is the busiest stretch and fills first.
Do you work with students who are already scoring high?
Yes, and the work is different. Above about 1450 the remaining points are concentrated in a handful of question types and in timing, so the sessions get narrower and shorter.
What if we also want help with applications later?
Most families do. Students who tutor with me in junior year usually carry on into applications in senior fall, and by then I already know the kid well enough to skip the discovery that normally eats the first month.