Everything parents want to know.
If you don't see your question here, just text or email me — both are on the contact page. I read every message myself, usually reply within a business day.
Getting started
All questionsHow do we get started?
Book a free 20-minute consultation. We'll talk about your child — current score, target school, timeline, what's working, what's not. If I'm the right fit, we schedule a diagnostic. If I'm not, I'll point you to someone who is.
The consultation is a real conversation, not a sales call. I'd rather you decide we're a fit on your own time than feel pressured.
What does the free consult actually cover?
Four things, in 20 minutes:
- Where they are now. Recent scores, which sections feel hardest, how they handle timed work.
- Where they need to be. Target schools, target score, real timeline.
- How much prep time they'll likely need. An honest estimate based on the current gap and the test date — so you know what kind of commitment we're talking about before you sign up for anything.
- Whether I'm the right fit. Some kids need a different approach. I'll tell you honestly.
When should we start?
It depends on the score jump you're targeting and your kid's grade. A few rules of thumb:
- 3 months out is the sweet spot for juniors — enough time to build the foundation, teach the test, simulate real conditions, and peak on test day without burnout.
- 8 weeks is enough for a 100+ point jump, if your student is focused and the gap to the target is manageable.
- Longer timelines are better for 200+ point jumps — that level of improvement takes both content work and habit change, and those don't compress well.
- Sophomore year is the right start for top-score targets. If your kid is aiming for a 1500+, beginning in 10th grade removes the stress of having to nail a specific score in a short window, and gives them room to retake if needed.
Do you take students from outside Boston?
Yes — anywhere. My schedule works for students across the US and internationally, including the UK, UAE, Asia, and Latin America. The online version of the program is just as effective as in-person.
Online sessions use a shared whiteboard plus screen share. The texting/Loom workflow between sessions is identical to what in-person Boston-area students get.
Do you offer trial sessions?
Yes. A trial session is $200 for a full 60-minute 1-on-1 session with me — the same format as a regular session in any of my programs — plus a week's worth of practice resources for your student to work through afterward.
It's the best way for a student to actually experience how I teach before committing to a package. If after the trial it's not the right fit, no follow-up pressure — and you've only paid for the one session.
Start with a free 20-minute consult — it's quick, and it means the trial session is spent teaching rather than diagnosing.
How sessions work
All questionsWhat happens in a typical session?
Sessions are 60 minutes. A typical one looks like this:
- 5 min — review the week. What did they study? Where did they get stuck?
- 25 min — teach the week's focus topic with worked examples.
- 20 min — coach drill: clean up small misunderstandings and teach the micro-skills your kid hasn't learned yet, working at Easy → Medium → Hard difficulty.
- 10 min — set up the week's homework. Specific. Targeted. Usually 30–45 min/day, a few days a week.
What does a typical week of work look like outside of sessions?
Roughly 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week, of targeted homework. I assign exactly which problems and what to focus on — pulled from my expert-crafted question library, not AI-generated filler — and never "do another full practice test." The point is depth on the weak spots, not volume.
Plus weekly check-ins by text — your kid can text me from a homework set and I'll send back a Loom video answering their question, usually within a few hours.
Can my kid text you between sessions?
Yes. Every student has my number for the duration of the engagement. They can text screenshots, questions, panic moments — and I'll respond same-day with either a quick answer or a 1–2 minute video walkthrough.
How are sessions structured over time?
The first stretch is foundation work — building up the most fundamental topics in parallel and making sure your student can hit Easy, Medium, and Hard questions under 90 seconds each. That's the speed-and-accuracy base everything else sits on.
Once that foundation is solid, we keep working through the rest of the topics — but practice tests get added to the mix on a regular cadence. The practice tests build stamina, build familiarity with the test format, decrease anxiety, and keep everything we've already covered fresh.
Long timelines stretch each phase. Short timelines compress them.
Do you assign full-length practice tests?
It depends on where we are in the timeline. As a general rule, I assign half-length practice tests through most of the program — long enough to build stamina and surface real weaknesses, short enough not to burn your kid out. Full-length tests get assigned closer to the actual test date, when stamina and pacing under real conditions matter most.
Every package now includes 8 additional mock tests on top of the standard practice tests, plus access to my expert-crafted question library — every question written or curated by me, none of it AI-generated. That matters: a lot of "practice" being sold right now is machine-generated and doesn't match how the real test is built.
How do I know my kid is making progress?
I don't ask you to take my word for it — I let the practice tests do the talking. Once your student has built up a base level of knowledge, they start taking practice tests on a regular cadence, and those scores are the key metric I report back to you. Real numbers, tracked over time.
You're also welcome to sit in on the first session and any time after that. Most parents don't, but the door's open.
Scores & results
All questionsWhat kind of score gains do students typically see?
Most students gain somewhere between 150 and 350 points over the course of a program. The biggest gains tend to come from students in the 1000–1300 starting range, where there's the most strategy to unlock.
Students starting at 1450+ usually gain 100 or so. A smaller absolute number, but harder-won at that level.
See the results section on the home page for the full breakdown.
Do you guarantee a specific score?
No — anyone who guarantees a specific score is selling you something. What I do commit to: by week 4, your child should be on track. If they're not, we sit down together to figure out the underlying issue and adjust the approach.
It's worth noting — accommodations and specialized approaches are available for students with disabilities, and for students whose first language isn't English. Just bring it up on the consult and we'll build it in.
What if my child plateaus?
Plateaus happen. They almost always mean we've maxed out the current level of difficulty and need to either (a) push to harder problems, (b) work on pacing under the timer, or (c) shift habits and study skills that aren't quite landing yet.
We diagnose which it is, and the plan adjusts. The cost doesn't.
How does scoring work on the new Digital SAT?
The new Digital SAT is adaptive — the second module of each section gets harder if you do well on the first. This means pacing strategy now matters even more than on the old paper test. We cover this in detail in the free 12-page Digital SAT guide on the resources page.
Pricing & billing
All questionsWhat does this cost?
Four packages, all 1-on-1 with me. The right one depends mostly on when the test is:
- Sprint — 8 sessions ($1,600 · $200/session), for retakes and last-minute prep when the test is 4–8 weeks out.
- Full Program — 12 sessions ($2,280 · $190/session, save 5%), the standard 3-month arc. Best fit for summer prep.
- School Year — 20 sessions ($3,800 · $190/session, save 5%), spread across the school year with a lighter weekly load.
- Monthly — 4 sessions per month ($800/mo · $200/session), for long timelines or pay-as-you-go.
If you'd rather not commit to a package, you can book one session at a time for $200 per session, as you go. The first one can be a trial session if you just want to see how we work together first. Need something more intensive? A Boot Camp — up to two sessions a day for up to seven days, usually Reading or Math — is $200 per session. Need more than 20 sessions? Custom packages get 7.5% off when spread over a normal timeline — intensive schedules (say, 20 sessions in two weeks) stay at the standard $200 per session. Full details on the pricing page.
How do payments work?
Card, Zelle, PayPal, or Apple Pay — whichever's easiest. Sprint and Full Program are billed in two equal installments (half up front, half at the midpoint). Monthly is billed monthly.
If a payment plan would help, just ask — I've split engagements multiple ways for families before. I'd rather work it out than have a student not get the prep.
Do you offer financial aid or sliding scale?
I reserve 2 spots per cohort for families who need a reduced rate. No long application — we just talk on the consult. If I have a spot open, we'll figure it out.
What's your refund policy?
No refunds for sessions that have already occurred or for missed sessions.
Are there any hidden fees?
No hidden fees. All materials (worksheets, practice tests, study guides, the texting workflow) are included in the program price.
Logistics & scheduling
All questionsWhere are sessions held?
In-person sessions happen at your child's home, available in Boston and nearby towns. There's a small travel fee depending on location — I'll share specifics on the call.
Online sessions are over Zoom with a shared digital whiteboard. Most of my out-of-state and international students are online-only.
How often do we meet?
Standard cadence is once a week, 60 minutes. For short-runway Sprints, we go to twice a week. For long runways (6+ months), we sometimes do every-other-week.
What if we need to reschedule?
Reschedule any session up to 24 hours in advance, no charge. Within 24 hours, the session counts unless it's a real emergency — in which case we just figure it out.
What about during school breaks and holidays?
I take a few weeks off per year (early August, late December). Otherwise sessions continue through breaks if your kid wants to keep momentum — and most do, especially in the simulate phase.
Student fit
All questionsWhat if my kid isn't motivated?
Most aren't, at first. SAT prep is rarely the highlight of a kid's week. My job is to make the work feel doable, manageable, and to show them progress fast enough that motivation builds on itself.
The good news is that most of my students end up finding the sessions genuinely engaging — and even enjoyable. A lot of that comes down to the working relationship. When the teacher-student dynamic is real and productive, motivation comes a lot more naturally than when a kid feels like they're being lectured at.
After years as a mentor, coach, tutor, and classroom teacher, I've learned that the best way to get the most out of a student is to treat them like the successful adult they're becoming — and meet them there. Most kids rise to it.
Do you work with kids who have ADHD, dyslexia, or other learning differences?
Yes — frequently. My licensed-teacher background trained me in differentiated instruction, and I'd estimate 30–40% of my caseload has some kind of learning difference. Sessions adapt to how your kid actually learns.
If your kid has 504 or IEP accommodations on the SAT (extra time, breaks, etc.), we incorporate those into the simulate phase so test day matches practice.
What if my child gets nervous on test day?
Most test-day nerves come from the format feeling unfamiliar. By the time your child sits for the real SAT, the timer, the pacing, and the question types should already feel like something they've done a dozen times before — that's why simulated practice is built into every program.
For students dealing with more significant test anxiety, I work alongside whatever counselor or therapist your family already has — I'm a tutor, not a clinician, and I know my lane.
Is this only for kids aiming for top schools?
No. About a third of my students aim for top-30 schools, a third for solid state and regional schools, and a third are working on getting from "won't get into anywhere they want" to "will get into somewhere they want." All three groups deserve real prep.
Do you tutor for the ACT?
Yes — I have experience tutoring the ACT, and I'm happy to take ACT students when it's a good fit. That said, the SAT is my preferred test. It's where I've taught the most students, built the deepest material, and where I do my strongest work. If your kid hasn't committed to one or the other yet, I'm glad to talk through which test plays to their strengths on the consult.
Math and science support is available as well.
Just ask. Real human, real answer.
Text or email Ricardo directly. Most parents get a response within a few hours. No call required, no commitment, no follow-up sales sequence.
Ask Ricardo a questionOr skip the questions —
just book the consultation.
Free. 20 minutes. We'll cover the things you're wondering and the things you didn't know to ask.
Book a consultation