I have been very impressed with both the content that they are covering and the cheerful encouragement that Julia has been receiving from her coach! As a remote parent of a child in boarding school, sometimes I don’t always have a clear picture of what is going on, so it was a welcome surprise to be able to observe this interaction.
Show what you Know!
It’s not about how much you study, it’s about how well you study.
The SAT & ACT are notorious for returning the same score, or perhaps a lower one, even after students have exhausted themselves with study. That’s because doing better on the SAT/ACT, or any standardized test, isn’t just about drilling or doing as many practice tests as possible. The essential question is this: How well do you KNOW the test?
In order to improve, you have to KNOW the test itself, understand the nuances of scoring, and learn how to perform well under time pressure. This is why, first and foremost, our coaches teach our students to become strategists and problem solvers. We show them exactly how the test is put together so they can stack the odds in their favor and play it like a game; we teach our students how to seek as many points as possible in areas of strength and think creatively to find faster, more accurate solutions to complex questions.
We meet students where they are
…because connection matters,
The rapport between student and coach makes the difference between having to study, like a chore, and actually learning a lot and enjoying the journey. We want every Knower students to see their coach as mentor and an advocate who knows them and believes in them, no matter what happens on test day.
…and continuity matters.
So, while in-person is Knower’s default model, we also realize that using videoconferencing as a tool and using it with expertise, allows us to make sure that students meet with the their coaches regularly and reliably- which is actually the #1 indicator of score increases.
In-Person Preferred Coaching™
The ultimate goal is to provide consistent coaching that fosters a positive experience, enhances learning, and leads to score improvement.
✔ Our coaches routinely come to campus.
Knower has been driving to campuses, or to local libraries and coffee shops, since 2010!
How in-person coaching works... In person is our favorite way to teach! When you register for Knower test prep, in-person coaching is included in the cost. Knower asks students to identify the times when they are available for coaching sessions. Your coach will look at that availability and identify meeting times when they can meet in person. Your coach will create and share an electronic calendar event with the day and time and location of the coaching session, which students can view from their computer. We are happy to add other family or faculty contacts to the event so they are aware of coaching times, if helpful. Having done this for so long, we’re also not naive enough to think that it’s going to be easy to fit test prep into the schedule. Our coaches are experts in virtual teaching, so we fall back on this useful tool if needed as a backup plan. How we balance in-person coaching with schedule shifts and travel... Given that in-person coaching is best, we next want to make sure that coaching consistently happens. Consistency is critical to improvement, as is finding the right coach for each student’s individual learning style and needs. So we built our in-person preferred coaching model to account for the unexpected. For instance, if New England tosses a surprise blizzard into the mix, it may be better to pivot to a virtual session, at a lower cost, to make sure we do not go too long in between meetings. The #1 factor that correlates with improved score is continuity: a strong commitment between the coach and the learner such that they meet at least once a week. A decade before COVID-19, Knower started using videoconferencing to support athletes during travel and students on medical leave. Our coaches are expert in creating an engaging and supervised learning environment for our students, complete with whiteboard, live audio/visual feed, and interactive annotation, and screen-sharing tools. If the student is unable to meet at all, but really needs to keep studying, our coaches have had a lot of success with recording custom flip classroom videos for their students. Flip classroom: teaching means that students have a go at the material themselves before they meet with their coach. Some students, usually conceptual or hands-on learners, naturally adore this format, and may actually prefer it. Other students, usually step-by-step learners, may feel like they are not sure how to get started. Either way, flip classroom is an excellent formative assessment to see how the student is progressing. After all, this is the way it will feel when they sit the actual exam. A true story: One of our snow sport athletes qualified last minute for a championship race that happened to be scheduled the weekend before his SAT test date. He had to travel to the race, missing school, and was unsure what time the race would end. Instead of skipping a critical review session, his Knower Academics coach recorded a series of quick videos just for the student and assigned timed practice sections, which they reviewed together during one final in-person session before the test date. This student performed admirably at the skiing event AND on the SAT. Pretty amazing! How in-person coaching relates to score improvement Knower Academics has been gathering data and tracking score increases for over 25 years, and we have learned a lot about how to set priorities in our coaching model. Here is what the data on score increases shows: Just for fun, we've written up our score increase tracking as an SAT/ACT analytical reasoning question. A test prep company gathers score increase data according to four coaching metrics, shown below. I. instructor fit: The coach adjusts their approach to the students learning style and specific needs, delivering relevant material in a manner that resonates with the learner II. duration: The coach works with the student over a long period of time III. format: The coach and the student meet in-person IV. continuity: The coach and student identify their work together as as shared priority, make a firm commitment to meeting, and work together every week Which of the following correctly ranks the coaching skills and practices that most reliably result in a score increase? A) II, II, III, IV B) III, III, I, IV C) IV, I, II, III D) IV, III, II, I Feel free to jump to the answer, based on our data (C) IV, I, III, II answer explanation: The correct answer is C because choice IV: continuity is the number one factor that correlates with score improvement. The expertise of the coach and ability to customize teaching methods to the learner, choice I, is also highly important. Third, the in-person format is helpful for building rapport and leads to better continuity. Choice II: Duration of coaching is less correlated with score increase than one might expect, especially if the student is already well versed in the material but mostly needs to learn strategy and techniques specific to the test. Did you know that Knower Academics began as a test prep company? When Knower formed in 2010, our first instructors had already coached the test for a decade for tutoring franchises. Knower formed because we wanted to do test prep differently, by building grassroots connections, putting students first, and relying on word of mouth referrals. We worked closely with local college counselors to understand the true importance of score increases for each student specifically. At that time, the SAT was notoriously tricky and vocabulary-focused, and the ACT was rarely an option on the east coast; we wrote our own curriculum so we could customize our preparation to student needs. Knower’s focus on strategy and creative problem solving – instead of drilling and memorization – was so effective and popular, word spread quickly. Since 2010, Knower’s original team of dedicated test prep specialists has grown and passed along our learning by building training and apprenticeship options for new instructors, using teaching models to offer students the best each of us has to offer. We have successfully seen students through the constant changes to the tests, through the pandemic, and now into the digital-testing era. Each time the test changed, we’ve made our curriculum better; our student-centered, strategic approach still sets Knower apart. Here's a look at some of the ways that Knower's approach to test prep sets us apart from test prep franchises and college board affiliates like Khan Academy. Through our holistic approach, Knower coaches help students understand the role of the tests and work with their college counselors to determine how important a score increase is to that student. This doesn’t mean our coaching is soft; it means our coaching is smart. We put the tests in perspective and get our students the best chance for score improvement, without taking away from academics, athletics, or wellness. For students applying to elite schools, having excellent grades isn’t always enough; they also need high scores on their entrance exams in order to differentiate themselves. Yet, a growing number of test-optional schools offer a refreshing alternative. This is why Knower coaches the standardized tests in the context of the whole college application process, being mindful of the impact of additional work and stress on the student’s overall goals and wellness. We treat the tests as a chance to show off the material students know best! And it works. We help students understand the role of the tests and work with their college counselors to determine how important a score increase is to that student. For some students, a top SAT or ACT score is absolutely critical to get into their top-choice schools. For other students, a higher SAT or ACT score would help, but focusing on grades is actually more important for their application picture. Thus, we coach the WHOLE student – instead of just pushing test prep. Choose your test to find out more: Plan A: Meet in person.
✔ We also have a backup plan…
Plan B: Meet virtually. We’re good at it.
Plan C: Create custom flip classroom videos and assignments.
In-person coaching is great. Great coaching is about MORE than being in-person.
More than just expert teachers, we’re veteran coaches!
…and curriculum specialists, too
Our KNOW the Test™Approach
✔SSAT, PSAT & PACT® ✔SAT® ✔ACT® ✔TOEFL® ✔AP® Exams
8 Great Reasons to choose the Knower Way!
our KNOW the TEST approach...vs what you typically get with the OTHER GUYS
#1: One-to-one Coaching Sessions Building rapport through our IN-PERSON PREFERRED format and offering a break from screens Numerous online options offer a wide range of value & price points
#2: core approach to score improvement Mastering test-taking strategies to maximize points in areas of strength Do as much practice as possible, starting with your weakest areas
#3: scope & sequence Prioritizing strategy first, then techniques & short-cuts, then content areas most commonly tested Follow a standard progression of academic content, focusing on weakest areas
#4: test-taking skills Nuanced and specific coaching on HOW to take tests, including personalized data, true guessing accuracy, and effective triage Good general advice, such as process of elimination and "if it feels hard, make your guess and keep going"
#5: practice tests & problems Teaching a curriculum that prioritizes strategy, using GENUINE practice tests and problems that have actually been used or were written by test writers Proprietary practice tests modeled after the real thing, but different enough to avoid copyright issues
#6: performance anxiety Incorporating evidence-based practice to channel adrenaline and manage anxiety around memory, processing, problem solving, etc General advice such as take deep breaths, remember you can retake the test, etc
#7: communication Coordinating with college counselor, advisor, coaches, and therapists as applicable to determine academic priorities and the importance of score increases Typically integrated only with families or contractor
#8: Scope of care Prioritizing student-first, holistic coaching that adjusts rigor based on the entire picture of course load, academics, stress, and whether the student would be better served by focusing on their grades instead of selling test prep Score-only, narrow focus may be short-sighted, singularly intent on improving score because that's their job
How important are these scores, really?
Don’t overstudy for the SAT/ACT!
…we don’t do one-size-fits-all test prep, and we will never upsell sessions