Test Prep That Shows You Exactly Which Topics to Study
Empowering Students, Parents & Teachers
Caddell Prep helps students prepare for the SAT, SHSAT, TACHS, and Regents, and helps them keep up in math. What makes our prep different is that we know which topics actually appear on each test and how often, because we went through every released practice test and categorized every question. Students work with us through live online tutoring, in-person tutoring and classes at our Staten Island office, or self-paced video courses.
- Live Online Tutoring
- In-Person Tutoring & Classes
- Self-Paced Video Prep Courses
How can Caddell help you excel?
Need a big improvement in your SAT score?
4-Week SAT Prep Classes
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How We Decide What You Should Study
Most test prep teaches everything evenly. That takes a lot longer than it needs to, because no student is weak in everything.
Glyn Caddell brought an engineer’s approach to test prep. He went through every practice test the College Board has released, categorized every question by what a student actually needs to know to answer it, and then measured how often each category appears. For the Digital SAT that comes to 32 specific topics: 17 in math and 15 in Reading & Writing.
The results aren’t even close to evenly distributed. Linear functions makes up 15% of the math questions. Words in context makes up 16.5% of the Reading & Writing questions. Some topics show up on fewer than one question per test.
You can see the full breakdown of the 17 Digital SAT math topics and the 15 Digital SAT Reading & Writing topics, including how often each one is tested and a lesson with practice problems for every topic.
That’s half the picture. The other half is which of those topics you’re personally missing. A free diagnostic SAT gives you an accurate score based on College Board scoring and an assessment showing which topics are costing you the most points. Put those two things together and most students can improve 100 or more points by studying seven topics.
SAT Prep
Students typically take the SAT in spring of junior year and again in fall of senior year. Some take it earlier, in fall of junior year. The best time to take it is when you have the most time to prepare.
SAT prep can take a month or more than a year. It really just depends on how much improvement you need to get the score you want. For more on the test itself, see our guide to the Digital SAT, and for what a score means, see how SAT scoring works.
SAT Prep Classes
SAT prep classes at Caddell Prep are always limited to eight students per class. This allows each student to ask questions and have the attention of the instructor. Small class sizes also allow the tutors to build rapport with the students quickly, which is very important for success.
Classes are available online and in-person at our Staten Island office. We offer two types of SAT prep classes: In-Depth, with 24 hours of instruction, and Elite, with 72 hours.
SAT Tutoring
SAT tutoring allows students to get 1-on-1 attention from SAT tutors, which means immediate feedback. If a student hits a wall with a question, a tutor can help him figure it out without giving away the answer.
Our tutors guide students through the strategies and think through the question with them, so a student understands it and knows how to answer a similar question next time. We normally start with a diagnostic test before beginning SAT tutoring, so we can build a plan around what the student actually needs.
On-Demand SAT Prep
On-demand SAT prep allows students to prepare at their own pace. Our on-demand courses use interactive lessons made up of short videos with questions in between, so students stay active during the lesson instead of watching one long video.
Practice tests include the same advanced assessment, so students know which topics to spend their time on.
SHSAT Prep
The SHSAT is the high school admissions test used for admission to the New York City Specialized High Schools, except LaGuardia. The test is three hours long, covers English and math, and is now adaptive.
Students typically start SHSAT prep in the summer before 8th grade. Some students start years in advance, while others only spend a month preparing. To figure out how much time you need, take a practice test and compare your score to the cut-off scores for the most recent SHSAT.
SHSAT Prep Classes
Caddell Prep offers two options for SHSAT prep classes: 70 hours of instruction and 36 hours of instruction. Both are available online or in-person at our Staten Island office. Classes are limited to eight students so students get attention from the instructor and help when they need it. Classes typically start at the beginning of July and end right before the SHSAT test date.
We also teach SHSAT classes at some junior high schools, either after school or on the weekend. Only students who attend those schools are invited to join. If you would like us to teach an SHSAT class at your school, please reach out to your principal or parent coordinator.
SHSAT Tutoring
SHSAT tutoring gives students the full attention of the tutor, which means immediate help when they’re struggling. If a student hits a wall with a question, the tutor can help him work through it without giving away the answer.
Because SHSAT tutoring is 1-on-1, lessons are tailored to what the student needs. If a student has mastered fractions but struggles with geometry, we spend more time on geometry. The goal is always to work on the topics that will boost the score the most. We normally start with a diagnostic SHSAT so we can build that plan first.
On-Demand SHSAT Prep
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TACHS Prep
Most Catholic high schools in NYC require students to take the TACHS, the Test for Admission to Catholic High Schools, as part of their application. Schools use TACHS scores similarly to the way colleges use the SAT.
TACHS prep matters because a lot is riding on the score. The TACHS can determine whether a student gets into a school, whether he receives scholarship money, and which program he’s placed into — scholars, honors, and so on. Most students start preparing during the summer before 8th grade.
TACHS Prep Classes
TACHS prep classes are always limited to eight students, so each student can ask questions and get the attention of the instructor. Small class sizes also let the tutors build rapport with students quickly, which matters for results. Other tutoring centers on Staten Island run TACHS classes with up to 30 students.
Classes are available online and in-person at our Staten Island office. Our TACHS prep classes include ten 2-hour classes plus 3 practice tests, meeting 13 times in total.
TACHS Tutoring
TACHS tutoring gives students the full attention of the tutor and immediate help when they’re struggling. Because it’s 1-on-1, sessions are customized to what the student needs. If a student needs more work on the language section than on reading comprehension, the tutor can do that.
A tutor can also focus on specific topics within a section. A student may have a low math score but specifically need help with fractions. We normally start with a diagnostic TACHS before beginning, so we can build a plan. We don’t charge for the diagnostic test.
On-Demand TACHS Prep
On-demand TACHS prep allows students to prepare at their own pace. Our on-demand TACHS course includes 11 interactive lessons made up of short videos with questions in between, so students stay active during the lesson. Two practice tests are included, along with 70 sets of practice questions.
Regents Prep
New York State requires Regents exams for graduation, and the scores appear on a student’s transcript. Regents prep is available for algebra and other subjects, through tutoring or self-paced lessons.
Many of our students start with us for a high school entrance exam and stay through high school for Regents help and then SAT prep.
College Information and SAT Score Requirements
Choosing where to apply is easier when you know what each school expects. We publish SAT score ranges, costs, and program information for colleges by major and by state, including which schools have the strongest programs in a given field.
Our most detailed breakdowns are for pre-med programs, covering the schools in each state, their SAT ranges, and what they cost.
Tutoring
Tutoring is available for a number of subjects and tests. Test prep tutoring is available for the SAT, SHSAT, TACHS, and Regents. Academic tutoring is available for grades 3 through 12 and some college classes.
Online Tutoring
For online tutoring, we use a platform built specifically for tutoring and test prep, instead of a combination of tools like Zoom and a digital whiteboard. Our platform lets us work on problems and lessons together at the same time and share notes.
Online tutoring saves parents and students the travel time to and from sessions, which makes it much easier to fit into a schedule. All of the student’s notes stay in one place on our platform for easy reference.
Tutoring on Staten Island
Caddell Prep is located in the Oakwood neighborhood of Staten Island and has been offering tutoring since 2012, though Glyn Caddell has been tutoring since 2008.
Tutoring and test prep on Staten Island is available for the SAT, SHSAT, TACHS, Regents, NYS tests, math, science, and more. Most students start with test prep for one of the high school entrance exams and stay with us throughout high school.
Free Math Lessons and Practice
We have free math video lessons and practice problems with video explanations for math fundamentals, Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2.
Every practice problem has a video explanation, so students can see how to work through it rather than just checking an answer.
Why Families Choose Caddell Prep
Caddell Prep was built by someone who took the same tests our students take and then worked out how they’re actually constructed. That’s the difference between teaching general test-taking strategy and teaching the specific topics that appear on a specific test.
About Glyn Caddell
Caddell Prep was founded by Glyn J. Caddell, a graduate of NJIT with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a graduate of Staten Island Technical High School, one of the NYC Specialized High Schools. He currently serves as president of Staten Island Tech’s alumni association.
After working in engineering as a project manager for a data center and then as an HVAC design engineer in NYC, Glyn switched paths and founded his education company. His goal has been to help students understand math as well as he does, by making connections between real life and math concepts and by building on what students already know. He teaches every lesson on this site personally.
Testimonials
Caddell Prep in the Community
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Testimonial from the Director of a Community Based Organization (CBO)
Since the implementation of the online service, our students have voiced their appreciation of it, and our educators have informed us that it was very easy to track their students’ performance.
As a parent, as an educator, and as a professional in education, I recommend Caddell Prep because not only are their services very easy, user friendly, but at the same time, they truly care about helping the students gain better academic outcomes.”