Through our rigorous and individualized tutoring programs, students gain the skills, strategies, and poise needed for test day. Whether preparing for the ACT, SAT, or other standardized tests, students can be assured they will receive the right guidance from our college test prep experts at Galin Education.
And the benefits last beyond test day. Through our programming, students’ track their own progress, challenge themselves, see the growth in their skills, and leave our program more confident and ready to tackle the next academic challenge.
Students deserve a meaningful college test prep experience, and we’re excited to provide it.
”We were extremely happy with our tutor. You should clone him if you could. 🙂 He is the best! We can't say enough wonderful things about him. He was so courteous, extremely bright, always prepared and relevant, so personable, a great mentor, teacher and role model for my son. They developed a great relationship. We look forward to seeing him weekly at our home. Definitely A++ I would highly recommend our tutor to anyone. If cost isn't a factor, we would love to continue working with him all the time.
Wendy B., ParentMilwaukee, Wisconsin Area
”With its in person one on one tutoring, supportive materials and unlimited practice exams, we found Galin to be the best fit for our daughter. What we didn't expect, and were thrilled by, was Zach Galin's ability to perfectly fit a tutor with our daughter after a brief meeting. In the end, her tutor not only helped to greatly improve her scores but also her confidence, rounding out our excellent experience with the company, and making it well worth the price.
Kathy, ParentMadison, Wisconsin Area
”Our family has used/uses Galin Education for our two younger children, and we were/are very impressed with the services provided! Our children have very different personalities, and Galin Education was/is able to meet their needs and help them be successful throughout the entire process! Having Galin Education coordinate the process takes all the pressure off the parents, allowing a positive and less stressful relationship with our children!
Cheryl, ParentMadison, Wisconsin Area
”I highly recommend the program. The instruction provided is very thorough and definitely helped maximize results as well as reduce stress in our student. The program is useful for more than increasing ACT scores - students also learn study habits and how to take tests in addition to really learning the subject matter in ways that may not be taught at school.
Mitch Jones, ParentMadison, Wisconsin Area
”Having the opportunity to sit down with an approachable and knowledgeable tutor in a one-on-one setting was a great service to Noah. He just took the ACT today and said he would have felt completely overwhelmed had he not had the prep with Griffin as well as multiple practice test sessions at Galin.
Mike and Maggie Lamson, ParentsMadison, Wisconsin Area
”Thank you so much for your excellent and productive services for ACT tutoring. The entire process really was perfect and exceeded my expectations. My son went from a 29 on the first test he took at Galin which was what I expected and got a 33 when he took the test in June. As you already know, David is a fantastic tutor. The Galin approach and David's work with my son hit the spot completely in every way for what he needed to improve his score and pursue the colleges he wants to attend. In particular, he told me that the ability to ask David questions on the math section was essential to improve his math score from 24 to 30. David could explain the content clearly in a way my son could understand and apply.
ParentMadison, Wisconsin Area
”When I saw my score, I freaked out! It was just after midnight (literally 7 minutes after the scores came out), and I was running around the house and screaming! My family and I were all so happy! I remember when I first took the diagnostic at Galin, I was so upset when I got a 27. I was really determined to raise it much higher, and I made it there! An 8 point jump! That's crazy!
I just wanted to express my deepest and most sincere gratitude for you and all the help you gave to me to get here. I know I could not have gotten this score without you, and I really can't express how much I appreciate all that you've taught me!
StudentMadison, Wisconsin Area
”Hannah B. helped our daughter increase her ACT test score by 20%! Our daughter is also taking the July test, which hopefully will show some further improvement. Hannah B. has been great to work with - thank you for helping create more options for our daughter's future!
Happy ParentMadison, Wisconsin Area
”The personalized attention given to our, very anxious test taking daughter, was a great sense of comfort to her and to my husband and I. The follow up emails, after every session, we’re amazingly helpful in knowing what our daughter’s successes and struggles were. I cannot say enough good things about Galin!
Kari FMadison, Wisconsin Area
”PSAT improved from 1470 to 1490; SAT improved from 1370 to 1590. I think he learned how to take the test. He had to take it 5 months AFTER his official tutoring sessions because of COVID. I thought it was going to be a DISASTER, but because he learned HOW TO STUDY for the test, WHAT TO LOOK FOR, and DEVELOPED A SYSTEM for taking the test, he did VERY well, even 5 months later.
Dan SiehrMadison, Wisconsin Area
”Allie is an amazing tutor! She is very responsive and thorough in her email communication. I’d recommend her to anyone!
Mya CollinsMadison, Wisconsin Area
”This program is excellent with a comprehensive approach and and strong tutors.
ParentMadison, Wisconsin Area
”After his initial ACT exam during junior year, my child saw that he would need improvement of 4 points or more in order to reach his college admission goals. His Galin tutor, Amy, dove right in with highly specialized homework exercises and test strategies to help him succeed, coupled with sensitivity about my child's other commitments and the emotional drain of repeated testing. Amy worked to keep my child focused on his goal during eight months of prep, with lots of cheerleading thrown in! She showed both professionalism and personal commitment to my child's success. After many weeks of no apparent improvement, steady gains began to appear, as Amy and the Galin staff had predicted. My son achieved his 4-point boost just in time for college applications. Looking back at the experience, I feel that my child gained valuable test-taking skills and a salient lesson about how to meet ambitious goals. I enthusiastically recommend Amy and the test prep program at Galin!
Madison West ParentMadison, Wisconsin Area
”We cannot say enough good things about our experience at Galin. From the very beginning, Zach took the time to get to know our daughter. He listened and noted her interests, strengths, areas for improvement and education goals. He matched her with a tutor that was perfect for her personality and learning objectives. Julie would be a great match for any student, and she was the perfect tutor for our daughter. Julie was patient, thorough and knowledgeable throughout the whole tutoring experience. She provided just the right amount of motivation, support, expertise and independent work. Julie helped nurture our daughter's confidence by tackling areas for growth with key test taking strategies, clear practice guidelines and then celebrated her weekly improvements and accomplishments. Our daughter definitely did her part and was committed to following Julie's guidance to achieve her goals. She not only reached her goals, she surpassed them. The whole experience at Galin boosted our daughter's testing confidence, positively reinforced that hard work does pay off and helped her to succeed. Many thanks to Julie and Zach for your expertise, time, support and commitment to your craft. The end results are a testament to the success of the Galin system. It's a wonderful program. We would definitely recommend Galin.
Mike and Shauna HolahanMadison, Wisconsin Area
”After his initial ACT exam during junior year, my child saw that he would need improvement of 4 points or more in order to reach his college admission goals. His Galin tutor, Amy, dove right in with highly specialized homework exercises and test strategies to help him succeed, coupled with sensitivity about my child's other commitments and the emotional drain of repeated testing. Amy worked to keep my child focused on his goal during eight months of prep, with lots of cheerleading thrown in! She showed both professionalism and personal commitment to my child's success. After many weeks of no apparent improvement, steady gains began to appear, as Amy and the Galin staff had predicted. My son achieved his 4-point boost just in time for college applications. Looking back at the experience, I feel that my child gained valuable test-taking skills and a salient lesson about how to meet ambitious goals. I enthusiastically recommend Amy and the test prep program at Galin!
ParentMadison, Wisconsin Area
”Caitlyn was wonderful with our daughter - focused, careful preparation spaced out in weekly sessions that helped our daughter grow in confidence and test-taking skills, as well as content. Her improvement in score from diagnostic to her final test exceeded our expectations!
ChristineMadison, Wisconsin Area
”Galin Education is well worth it! I definitely would come back for the service and recommend it others.
John A Jerisha M.D.Madison, Wisconsin Area
”Dan was very well suited for our son. He kept him on task and empowered him to believe in himself. I didn't feel like I had to really get involved because the two of them communicated very well. We will use Galin again for our younger son.
Tara MMadison, Wisconsin Area
”Amy did a tremendous job creating a strong relationship with our daughter, and adjusting the test prep to meet her needs. She was effective at addressing the weaknesses identified in her diagnostic tests and developing a plan to achieve her target score. We appreciated her thorough communication and dedication. I would highly recommend Amy to other families!
Stacy NemethMadison, Wisconsin Area
”There is a lot of excitement around choosing a college as well as stress. We met with Zach for the first time during sophomore year. Meeting early helped create a game plan, course selection and allowed us to feel supported as we moved through this process. We continued to meet with him regularly through the years. Galin is very up to date on what colleges are looking for and what would be the right choice for your child.
AlisonMadison, Wisconsin Area
”The personal attention and accountablity were huge!
Jill FMadison, Wisconsin Area
Approach
No two test-takers are the same. That’s why our college test prep process begins with a diagnostic exam so our tutors can understand each student’s specific strengths, weaknesses, and test-taking styles. With that insight, we create a personalized curriculum to cater to every student’s needs to boost confidence and test scores.
Individualized Tutoring
Tests may be standardized, but test preparation is not. The journey to test day is different for each student. By building strong relationships, our tutors quickly learn how to best challenge and encourage their students to reach their highest potential. This personalized approach is not only more effective, but more enjoyable too.
Long-Term Prep
Our comprehensive approach to test preparation requires students to commit to a steady regimen of tutoring sessions, homework exercises, and practice exams. Step-by-step, day-by-day, our tutors guide students through the ins-and-outs of the test so students understand the content and master the test-taking strategies needed to perform their best on test day. Our rigorous, long-term approach helps students maximize their scores on all sections of the exam.
Practice, Practice, Practice
At Galin Education we believe in the power of practice tests. Students take multiple timed practice tests throughout their program to gain familiarity with the test, build up endurance, and practice the skills and strategies they’ve been working on with their tutors. Our tutors review tests with the students to celebrate progress, highlight areas for improvement, and game plan for upcoming sessions. To register for a practice test, please click here.
ACT vs SAT
75 questions / 45 minutes
The English section tests students ability to analyze text for grammatical and rhetorical correctness. Many students rely on their “ear” to help determine which of four answer choices may be the answer. This, however, leads students to wrong options – the way we speak is not always (and probably most often) proper English. We emphasize the basic rules the ACT is testing, from subject-verb agreement to paragraph organization. The English section is broken down into two major parts: Usage/Mechanics (53% of this section, including punctuation, grammar and usage, and sentence structure) and Rhetorical Skills (47% of this section, including strategy, organization, and style).
60 Questions / 60 Minutes
The Math section draws upon students’ skills in a variety of high school math subjects. With the volume of math concepts covered, many students need significant review of the basic math topics they learned many years ago. There are also students who have not mastered high school level material that need re-teaching. The Math section is broken down into roughly six content areas: Pre-Algebra (23% of this section), Elementary Algebra (17%), Intermediate Algebra (15%), Coordinate Geometry (15%), Plane Geometry (23%), and Trigonometry (7%)
52 Questions / 65 Minutes
Our Critical Reading materials emphasize both the vocabulary essential to a student’s ability to grasp college-level material and the ability to read, digest, and extract essential information from a given text. We help students recognize recurrent question types and differentiate right from wrong answers. Our students become more attuned to the significance of word choice and more adept at discerning an author's meaning, skills that are useful in any college career. Moreover, we have developed a series of vocabulary lists representing the words most frequently tested on the SAT. The mastery of these words helps students improve their accuracy in sentence completion questions, while also aiding them in the assessment of vocabulary-driven critical reading questions.
44 Questions / 35 Minutes
Our Critical Reading materials emphasize both the vocabulary essential to a student’s ability to grasp college-level material and the ability to read, digest, and extract essential information from a given text. We help students recognize recurrent question types and differentiate right from wrong answers. Our students become more attuned to the significance of word choice and more adept at discerning an author's meaning, skills that are useful in any college career. Moreover, we have developed a series of vocabulary lists representing the words most frequently tested on the SAT. The mastery of these words helps students improve their accuracy in sentence completion questions, while also aiding them in the assessment of vocabulary-driven critical reading questions.
40 Questions / 35 Minutes
Known as the fastest section of the test, the Reading section is mischaracterized as a speed reading test as opposed to a comprehension assessment. Most students think they need to finish every question of a test without regard to how that speed affects his or her ultimate score. We train students to effectively and efficiently read the passages and then spend a lot of time on the questions themselves. Our training helps students determine patterns in question stems and answer choices. Rather than spending precious minutes debating over answer choices, we teach students how to quickly find the correct answer and to quickly eliminate incorrect answers. The Reading section has four passages always presented in the same order: Prose Fiction, Humanities, Social Studies, and Natural Sciences. And, of course, with three-fourths of the section devoted to non-fiction, we push our students to dedicate time each night to reading articles, newspapers, journals, and magazines that we hand select for them.
40 Questions / 35 Minutes
The Science section is also misinterpreted by most people. After taking the test, many students realize that they are not really being tested on their “science” knowledge, but, rather, their ability to understand scientific studies presented to them along with the charts and graphs provided. We teach our students the high school level scientific method along with experimental design techniques. We also help students become proficient at reading the various charts and graphs that are presented on the test. This section is broken up into seven passages, in three formats: Data Representation (3 passages / 15 questions = 38% of the section), Research Summaries (3 passages / 18 questions = 45%), and Conflicting Viewpoints (1 passage / 7 questions)
20 Questions / 25 Minutes
We emphasize the facts, concepts, and principles underlying Math questions. Our materials identify the mathematical terms and the recurring question types in Numbers and Operations, Algebra and Functions, Geometry and Measurement, Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability, topics that have appeared on the official SAT. These terms and question types can be found, with levels of difficulty commensurate to those on the official test, in our math exercises, problem sets, and summary reviews. Students may and should use calculators on the Math portions of the test. We teach students how to use a calculator effectively on the exam. We also teach them how to work efficiently through the no-calculator section, emphasizing logic and reasoning skills.
38 Questions / 55 Minutes
We emphasize the facts, concepts, and principles underlying Math questions. Our materials identify the mathematical terms and the recurring question types in Numbers and Operations, Algebra and Functions, Geometry and Measurement, Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability, topics that have appeared on the official SAT. These terms and question types can be found, with levels of difficulty commensurate to those on the official test, in our math exercises, problem sets, and summary reviews. Students may and should use calculators on the Math portions of the test. We teach students how to use a calculator effectively on the exam. We also teach them how to work efficiently through the no-calculator section, emphasizing logic and reasoning skills.
1 Question / 40 Minutes
The optional Writing section is recommended or required by many colleges throughout the country. If students know where they are applying, they can look up each school’s requirements. If not, it is best to take the writing test just in case. A searchable list of college writing requirements can be found here. The writing sample asks students to consider multiple perspectives on a controversial issue in modern society and then take a position. Students are expected to use relevant examples from history, current events and literature to support their position. Past prompts have included topics such as censorship, public health, and the automation of the work force.
1 Question / 50 Minutes
In preparing students for the Essay component, we emphasize the fundamental structure and fluidity of expression inherent in a strong written composition. Although students must address a new topic question on each test, they can still practice and refine the process of evaluating a given topic and assembling a coherent and persuasive response in a limited period. Through essay practice—with pointed, individualized comments and suggestions from their tutors—students gain the confidence to approach this section, knowing that they can develop a well-rounded, thoughtful essay despite having limited time to reflect upon the topic.
