Adam S.
New York, NY
Advanced Tutoring and Test-Prep for Discerning Students
The New School
LiteraturePace University
Graduate CourseworkCUNY Graduate Center
Master'sAbout Adam
I am a passionate and friendly tutor who has been doing this for the past 11 years with tremendous success. I've worked for big test-prep companies, including a stint with Kaplan where I helped design curriculum, train teachers, and was awarded Manhattan's Teacher of the Year award for 2007; I then taught online test prep for two years with a
Policies
Cancellation
8 hours notice requiredContact me for discounts on group tutoring or pre-paid multiple-hour packages
Travel Radius
Travels within 20 miles of New York, NY 10031"Brilliant, vastly knowledgeable, focused precisely on test, but also fun!"
- Julie, New York, NY on 2/14/17Ideal for a high-speed learner (probably for others too: I suspect he's tailored his approach to what works best for my daughter). Manages to slip in real intellectual content while staying focused on her goal (acing the test). My daughter is loving her sessions and learning so fast: couldn't ask for more!
Approved subjects are in bold.
Approved subjects
In most cases, tutors gain approval in a subject by passing a proficiency exam. For some subject areas, like music and art, tutors submit written requests to demonstrate their proficiency to potential students. If a tutor is interested but not yet approved in a subject, the subject will appear in non-bold font. Tutors need to be approved in a subject prior to beginning lessons.
ACT English
The ACT English section is about two things: very strict grammar rules and comfort with the style of ACT questions. I've been a professional proofreader and am an expert at all the grammar rules (including comma rules) tested on the ACT, and I know exactly what is and isn't tested. I worked not only as a tutor at Kaplan but as a curriculum developer, so I've edited and written ACT-style English passages. As a result I'm extremely comfortable with exactly how the ACT thinks about its questions, and I can teach you how to be equally test-savvy.
ACT Math
The ACT Math section is about two things: high school math and comfort with the style of ACT questions. I've been a math tutor for the ACT and other tests for 7 years, and I know exactly what is and isn't tested. I worked not only as a tutor at Kaplan but as a curriculum developer, so I've edited and written ACT-style Math questions. As a result I'm extremely comfortable with exactly how the ACT thinks about its questions, and I can teach you how to be equally test-savvy.
ACT Reading
The ACT Reading section isn't, of course, about reading; it's much more about learning what the ACT "thinks" is the right way to read and answer questions, even if you don't naturally read that way (which almost none of us do!). I always struggled with Reading Comp, even though I was an English major and an excellent reader, until I learned the right approach on standardized tests, and now it is my favorite thing to teach to others who, like me, are sure that all the answers are always wrong. I worked not only as a tutor at Kaplan but as a curriculum developer, so I've edited and written ACT-style Reading passages. As a result I'm extremely comfortable with exactly how the ACT thinks about its questions, and I can teach you how to be equally test-savvy.
Algebra 1
Math is difficult but I strongly believe not boring. The NYS Algebra curriculum is a mixture of a number of different concepts, sometimes put in a very confusing order, and a classroom environment only works for some people -- as a teacher I know that, in a class of 35, you're lucky if you're really teaching 20 of them in the most effective style for those students. However, the Algebra 1 material isn't difficult, and with a bit of focused attention it can even be fun to learn how to see a problem, quickly identify the right way to think about it, and follow the steps to a solution. I think learning math will do more than improve your Regents score; it will make you a better analytical thinker in a wide variety of circumstances. Let's do it together and try to have fun with it!
Algebra 2
Math is difficult but I strongly believe not boring. The NYS Algebra 2 & Trig curriculum is a mixture of a number of different concepts, sometimes put in a very confusing order, and a classroom environment only works for some people -- as a teacher I know that, in a class of 35, you're lucky if you're really teaching 20 of them in the most effective style for those students. However, the Algebra 1 material isn't difficult, and with a bit of focused attention it can even be fun to learn how to see a problem, quickly identify the right way to think about it, and follow the steps to a solution. I think learning math will do more than improve your Regents score; it will make you a better analytical thinker in a wide variety of circumstances. Let's do it together and try to have fun with it!
American History
I'm a PhD student in History and I've taught and tutored history at the high school and college level. It's really a lot more than a collection of facts, but a story, and told as a narrative all the details are far easier to keep in place. History is one of the richest and most exciting fields to study, and we can step outside the drone of the textbook into a lush and exciting world of true-life stories that define everything about our world. Once we're done, the Regents or SATIIs will seem like child's play, because we'll know the story backwards and forwards. I can't wait to go through it all again with you!
Elementary Math
Math is difficult but I strongly believe not boring -- in any case it's necessary because we require it in school up through adolescence. Unfortunately, a classroom environment only works for some people -- as a teacher I know that, in a class of 35, you're lucky if you're really teaching 20 of them in the most effective style for those students. However, math really doesn't have to be all that difficult, and with a bit of focused attention it can even be fun to learn how to see a problem, quickly identify the right way to think about it, and follow the steps to a solution. I think learning math will do more than improve your grades; it will make you a better analytical thinker in a wide variety of circumstances. Let's do it together and try to have fun with it!
European History
I'm a PhD student in History and I've taught and tutored history at the high school and college level. It's really a lot more than a collection of facts, but a story, and told as a narrative all the details are far easier to keep in place. History is one of the richest and most exciting fields to study, and we can step outside the drone of the textbook into a lush and exciting world of true-life stories that define everything about our world. Once we're done, the Regents or SATIIs will seem like child's play, because we'll know the story backwards and forwards. I can't wait to go through it all again with you!
Geometry
Math is difficult but I strongly believe not boring. The NYS Geometry curriculum is a mixture of a number of different concepts, sometimes put in a very confusing order, and a classroom environment only works for some people -- as a teacher I know that, in a class of 35, you're lucky if you're really teaching 20 of them in the most effective style for those students. However, the Geometry material isn't difficult, and with a bit of focused attention it can even be fun to learn how to see a problem, quickly identify the right way to think about it, and follow the steps to a solution. I think learning math will do more than improve your Regents score; it will make you a better analytical thinker in a wide variety of circumstances. Let's do it together and try to have fun with it!
GMAT
I have been a GMAT teacher and tutor for Kaplan, Knewton, and now on my own, since 2005. I have a number of reviews and postings on BeatTheGMAT.com, and I'm one of the acknowledged expert tutors in New York. I scored a 780 on the GMAT in 2010. I tutor Math and Verbal alike, and can tutor the new IR section as well. My approach is very strategy-based; I believe without adding too much new content, you can dramatically improve your score simply by being more disciplined in how you approach the questions and how you figure out what they're "really" asking. The challenge of Data Sufficiency and Sentence Correction is much more about the way the GMAT words things than it is about math or grammar. That being said, I'm also very happy to teach you the formal math and grammar rules, down to the last detail, if you lack that knowledge and want to be an expert on the rules. I've developed content, written dozens of practice questions of my own, and composed full-scale lessons for all the sections of the GMAT. If you're really serious about improving your score on this test, I'm your man -- let's get started!
GRE
Let's not mince words: the GRE is an annoying hurdle on the way to a graduate degree that, more likely than not, has nothing to do with anything on the GRE. The new test format scares a lot people unnecessarily and the math, for those of us who haven't done math since high school, is a seemingly impossible task.
The good news is that the math is all easy, once you relearn it, and the new format actually makes the Verbal questions far more reason-based instead of memorization-based. If you've never really mastered the whole Standardized Test thing before, rest assured, I can help you do that. I've taught and tutored the GRE (as well as GMAT, LSAT, SAT, etc.) for Kaplan and other companies since 2005 and I'm an expert on the GRE, the best test-taking strategies, and most importantly, how to make all of its seemingly-complex questions open up and reveal themselves as eminently doable.
ISEE
I've been tutoring for ISEE, through WyzAnt and on my own, since I was trained to teach and tutor the test for Kaplan and Kaplan Premier in 2006. I've had dozens of ISEE tutoring students over the years and have helped all of my students reach their goals for admission to private school. I am also very familiar with all the retail products that students will have to use to prepare for the ISEE and help guide them toward the correct practice materials (of which there is, sadly, a paucity in the marketplace). In essence, the ISEE is a very ordinary standardized test, so my experience teaching SAT, ACT, SSAT, SHSAT, and other tests for graduate schools, along with my 6+ years of experience working at leading test-prep companies, has well-prepared me to coach anyone to ISEE success.
Prealgebra
Math is difficult but I strongly believe not boring. Being good at prealgebra is the key to success in math from here on, but a classroom environment only works for some people -- as a teacher I know that, in a class of 35, you're lucky if you're really teaching 20 of them in the most effective style for those students. However, algebra really doesn't need to be all that difficult, and with a bit of focused attention it can even be fun to learn how to see a problem, quickly identify the right way to think about it, and follow the steps to a solution. I think learning math will do more than improve your grade, or even your grade in all future math classes after mastering the basic concepts of algebra; it will make you a better analytical thinker in a wide variety of circumstances. Let's do it together and try to have fun with it!
Precalculus
Math is difficult but I strongly believe not boring. A precalculus curriculum is a mixture of a number of different concepts, sometimes put in a very confusing order, and a classroom environment only works for some people -- as a teacher I know that, in a class of 35, you're lucky if you're really teaching 20 of them in the most effective style for those students. However, the material isn't difficult, and with a bit of focused attention it can even be fun to learn how to see a problem, quickly identify the right way to think about it, and follow the steps to a solution. I think learning math will do more than improve your test scores; it will make you a better analytical thinker in a wide variety of circumstances. Let's do it together and try to have fun with it!
Regents
I specialize in helping students to pass who have failed the Regents before. I grew up in New York and took (and passed with high marks) all the major Regents Exams. In the subjects I tutor, I have researched the exams going back 10 years and can do better than simply revisit the material from your high school class -- I can tell you exactly what will be on the test and exactly how they'll ask you questions. These tests are extremely repetitive and predictable and preparing for them can be as fun as it is direct. My background in test prep and my academic excellence in math, social studies, and English makes me extremely confident that I can help you pass your Regents. I am an expert at the Algebra, Geometry, Algebra 2 & Trig, Global History & Geography, and US History & Government Regents Exams; I have also tutored Living Environment, Chemistry, and Physics, and although they are not my specialties in terms of content, my test-prep perspective can and will help you on those tests, as well.
SAT Math
The SAT Math section primarily tests middle-school math, but does so with unusual wording and confusing problems. Once you learn how to see through the way they ask questions, you can see the "easy" math inside almost every SAT Math question.. I've been a math tutor for the SAT and other tests for 7 years, and I know exactly what is and isn't tested. I worked not only as a tutor at Kaplan but as a curriculum developer, so I've edited and written several SAT-style Math questions. As a result I'm extremely comfortable with exactly how the SAT thinks about its questions, and I can teach you how to be equally test-savvy.
SAT Reading
The SAT Critical Reading section isn't, of course, about reading; it's much more about learning what the SAT "thinks" is the right way to read and answer questions, even if you don't naturally read that way (which almost none of us do!). I always struggled with Reading Comp, even though I was an English major and an excellent reader, until I learned the right approach on standardized tests, and now it is my favorite thing to teach to others who, like me, are sure that all the answers are always wrong. I worked not only as a tutor at Kaplan but as a curriculum developer, so I've edited and written several SAT-style Reading passages. As a result I'm extremely comfortable with exactly how the SAT thinks about its questions, and I can teach you how to be equally test-savvy.
SAT Writing
The SAT Writing section is about a very specific subset of grammar and usage rules, and as a result it's not an exercise in perfect grammar (in some ways, it's even harder!). I can help you learn not only what the rules are, but exactly what rules are and aren't tested. I worked not only as a tutor at Kaplan but as a curriculum developer, so I've edited and written several SAT-style Writing questions. As a result I'm extremely comfortable with exactly how the SAT thinks about its questions, and I can teach you how to be equally test-savvy.
SSAT
I've been tutoring for SSAT, through WyzAnt and on my own, since I was trained to teach and tutor the test for Kaplan and Kaplan Premier in 2006. I've had dozens of SSAT tutoring students over the years and have helped all of my students reach their goals for admission to private school. I am also very familiar with all the retail products that students will have to use to prepare for the SSAT and help guide them toward the correct practice materials (of which there is, sadly, a paucity in the marketplace). In essence, the SSAT is a very ordinary standardized test, so my experience teaching SAT, ACT, ISEE, SHSAT, and other tests for graduate schools, along with my 6+ years of experience working at leading test-prep companies, has well-prepared me to coach anyone to SSAT success.
Trigonometry
Math is difficult but I strongly believe not boring. The NYS Algebra 2 & Trig curriculum is a mixture of a number of different concepts, sometimes put in a very confusing order, and a classroom environment only works for some people -- as a teacher I know that, in a class of 35, you're lucky if you're really teaching 20 of them in the most effective style for those students. However, the Algebra 2 material isn't difficult, and with a bit of focused attention it can even be fun to learn how to see a problem, quickly identify the right way to think about it, and follow the steps to a solution. I think learning math will do more than improve your Regents score; it will make you a better analytical thinker in a wide variety of circumstances. Let's do it together and try to have fun with it!
World History
I'm a PhD student in History and I've taught and tutored history at the high school and college level. It's really a lot more than a collection of facts, but a story, and told as a narrative all the details are far easier to keep in place. History is one of the richest and most exciting fields to study, and we can step outside the drone of the textbook into a lush and exciting world of true-life stories that define everything about our world. Once we're done, the Regents or SATIIs will seem like child's play, because we'll know the story backwards and forwards. I can't wait to go through it all again with you!
Other New York, NY Tutors
Adam S.
New York, NY
Advanced Tutoring and Test-Prep for Discerning Students