Test Prep Programs

Preparatory classes are provided by Total Academic Center for common standardized tests. Over the course of a full session, students will review the entirety of the material presented and learn new test-taking strategies and study habits to prepare them for test day. Students will learn to use reasoning and critical thinking skills to solve problems and take full advantage of their own potential in improving and increasing their personal score.

Students will take a full diagnostic before the session begins. Through contact between TAC staff, the student, and the parents, a suggested curriculum will be arranged to be the most beneficial to the student’s personal needs.

TAC provides the following test prep programs:

▪ SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test) is the main entrance exam for private high schools. The SSAT tests comprehensive academic skills and their proficiencies in school material. If students plan to apply to top private institutions such as Philips Academy, Choate Rosemary Hall, and the Hotchkiss School, they will need a high percentile score (approximately 90% or better) to gain admittance. 

▪ The SAT I Reasoning Test is taken by high school juniors and seniors in preparation for college admission. The SAT tests students for their aptitude and level of preparedness for the rigors of college studies and is a particularly important part of the process through which college review boards base their selections for incoming students.

▪ SAT II Subject Tests are one-hour timed tests centered on twenty specific academic areas. Most top-tier universities and liberal arts colleges require at least two or three subject tests as part of their admissions requirements. Engineering schools typically require the Chemistry, Physics, and/or Math II tests. Students should confirm what subject tests may be required by the institutions to which they are applying.

▪ TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is used to measure the English language proficiency of non-native English speakers. TOEFL scores are required by many colleges, government agencies, businesses, licensing boards, and scholarship and exchange programs as part of their application requirements.

▪ The CMT (Connecticut Mastery Test) measures student achievement in Connecticut public schools. The assessment focuses on content that is reasonable to expect students at each grade to master. The CMTs are administered in the spring to all CT public school students in grades 3-8.