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Scared of the new SAT? No need, try Mr D test prep

August 2, 2016 Ticia 6 Comments

I remember in high school both the SAT and ACT were given this frightening precedence for college acceptance.  Then in my graduating class, I had one person score a perfect score on the ACT and another on the SAT, and they weren’t even the valedictorian of my class.  Really, there was no pressure to do well.  People were taking test prep classes left and right.

I know it’s a few years before I have to worry about this for my kids, so I asked my homeschool mentor friend about test prep, and she said “I have no idea what is a good product.”

SAT test prep with Mr D

Not helpful, so the two of us got together, and her daughter is trying out one of Mr. D’s math classes.  I’ve been listening to other bloggers rave about these for years, but it’s for older kids.  However, I got a chance to tag along as Miss G took the class.

{This post is sponsored by Mr D’s Test Prep course, all opinions are mine, and any bad grammar is also my fault)

Meet our test subject for the test prep class

our Mr D test prep test subject

When I was talking with my friend, we were brainstorming who would be the best test subject.  She has two teens all set to start taking the SAT and ACT.  We decided on her oldest daughter, the artist.

my own personal family portrait

Someday, I will own a picture book written and illustrated by Miss G.  Right now, I’ve got a family portrait hanging on my wall illustrated by her (completely from her own memory, not from a group picture).

I sent Miss G a series of questions on the class, and here’s what she had to say.

An almost unschooler’s opinion on Mr. D’s Test Prep course (with a few extra notes from me)

1.  What is your experience with online classes before this?

I have used Veritas online and done their Omnibus courses online.

2.  How hard was it to get your Mr D test prep class set-up and started?
getting ready for Mr D test prep

It took me a bit to figure it out because it was a new system to me but once I figured out where everything was it was simple to navigate. {The picture up above is how to get into lessons}

3.  What is the best feature for you as a non-techy student?

The format is simple so it’s easy to understand.  I like that I could rewatch video segments when I needed to so that I knew that I really understood it. {The video up above is a sample video of the SAT test prep class, Future Ticia 2022 says that video is now set to private}

4.  What kinds of standardized tests have you taken before working on this class?

Standardized tests in elementary school up to the 3rd grade.  Our homeschool is very classical and also rooted in life experience so standardized tests were never a part of my academic experience after the 3rd grade when I started homeschooling. {I’ll add these last few years their homeschool has been largely unschooling, and interest-led, Miss G started learning Japanese because of her interest in Anime}

5.  How did this prepare you to take the SAT or ACT?  What helped you the most?

The biggest benefit is that I have more confidence.  As a student unused to standardized tests, I have been very nervous about the SAT but the Mr. D test prep course has helped with that. {I wandered around the class, and I printed off the writing rubrics to use with my kids, they’ve got some amazing middle and high school writing rubrics}

6.  Is there anything else you’d like to tell me about Mr. D test prep?

I also did a book-based SAT prep course but the videos in the Mr. D test prep program do a MUCH better job of covering/explaining the problems and concepts!  Even if you use a book-based program to prep for the SAT, the Mr. D test prep program is a great resource to have.

There you have it straight from the high schooler’s mouth, well keyboard.  Mr. D test prep is much better than a book.  I have to admit, I’ve been eyeing the pre-Algebra class for my kids in a few years.  I’d like them to have experience with different teaching styles before they go off to college.

Curious to learn more about Mr. D math?

You can get a good feel for their company from their Facebook page and their Twitter feed.

reviews high school

Comments

  1. Almost Unschoolers says

    August 2, 2016 at 9:53 am

    We’re in the heart of this stage of life now – so this is extremely useful. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      August 2, 2016 at 1:05 pm

      Glad to help! I also like it because depending on the type of class you take, you can use it with all of your kids. Some of the classes are interactive, and so obviously require registering several, but many are not, so they can all watch the videos together.

  2. Nicole @AlwaysReiding says

    August 3, 2016 at 7:59 pm

    This is a very considerate interview. So many times we just want results from our kids, we don’t think about tools that might help them–this is great. Thank you so much for posting!

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      August 4, 2016 at 9:41 am

      I was happy to post it. It was a fun collaboration between the two of us.

  3. maryanne says

    August 9, 2016 at 12:32 pm

    Sounds interesting! I never took any test prep classes, but still got a near-perfect score on the SAT – which ironically eventually earned me a (short term by my choice) job teaching test prep classes. I do think that familiarity with the test helps a lot, and knowing what to expect could reduce test taking anxiety.

    Reply
    • Ticia says

      August 9, 2016 at 12:39 pm

      I didn’t take any test prep classes in high school either. I took the PSAT, but in Texas we were taking a standardized test every year, so we were all rather used to it.

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Ticia Adventures in Mommydom Hi, I'm Ticia! This is the adventures of my family in life and learning. Follow along with us as we share our adventures. We're having a lot of fun and learning as we go.

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