Common Questions

All of our tutors are elite instructors who have a proven track record of providing excellent customer service and score-increase results. However, within that group, there are tutors who have a little more experience (because they have been with us longer), are a little more in demand (because they are requested from one family to the next), have a larger skill set (they can tutor for more types of tests), and have a longer history of demonstrated results with us. They are some of the best tutors in the industry. One of these tutors is guaranteed with each of our Premium Private Tutoring packages. In general, we suggest a Premium package for students who are scoring very high (95th percentile in a section), well below average (30th percentile in a section), or have sizable differences between their actual and target scores.

Due to high demand and limited availability in the Atlanta and DC Metropolitan Areas, students who request Premium Private Tutoring will have to meet at one of our locations.

There is no fixed schedule for private tutoring. We will do our best to match you with a tutor that can meet your availability, but the specific dates and times are totally up to and your tutor. Same goes for the actual location where the tutoring will take place. You can schedule to meet your tutor at one of our main locations or anywhere else that is quiet and agreeable to you and your tutor.

You can find out which tutors you have been assigned to, the subjects they are assigned for and their contact information by logging into your Applerouth Account and looking for the Tutors section.

We require the tutor and client give each other 24 hours to reschedule or cancel an appointment. In the event that you cancel a session within 24 hours we will charge for the tutor's reserved time. If your tutor cancels within 24 hours you are entitled to a free session.

Choosing the right tutor for each student is the key to the success of our courses. If you are not satisfied with the tutor you are assigned, we will gladly match you with a different tutor at no additional cost.

Following any missed session, you will receive a report from your tutor with the material covered, homework assigned, and a link to the video recording for that session. In addition, Private tutoring is available for making up a missed session or supplementing group work.

You can reschedule any mock test associated with a group after you sign up. Just log into your Applerouth Account, cancel your current mock test reservation and schedule a new one. There is no additional cost for rescheduling or attending additional mock tests. If you can not attend any of our scheduled mock tests, we do provide an online proctoring option for completing a mock test at home.

A standard mock test replicates the traditional testing situation (usually SAT or ACT). An extended time mock test allows for extra time, in order to replicate testing conditions for a student who qualifies for extended time on the actual test, due to diagnosed learning disabilities. If your student will be taking the traditional test - then go with the standard mock test.

Most tests, including the SAT and ACT, allow a student to register for an official test date online or over the phone. See the table below for registration information for the most common tests or contact us for more information.

• SAT Test Registration
• ACT Test Registration
• PSAT Test Registration
• SSAT Test Registration

Note You cannot sign up for any official test dates through this website. Any test dates listed are for scheduling purposes only.

Click here to get your SAT scores

Click here to get your ACT scores

Once you have viewed the scores, please share them with us so we can update your account and help you evaluate your student's progress. You can track all your student's test results at your personalized Applerouth account.

All of us have off days. That's why we recommend a strategic test prep plan that includes at least two or three testing dates. From the mock tests we expect our students to take after every 4-6 hours of tutoring, we analyze the error pattern to get more context about their performance. We can determine if it was a case of many careless errors, missing many of the early math problems, or a timing issue, many wrong answers at the end, or a few botched passages or if there are big blocks of wrong answers.

Other factors that will affect a student's performance include lack of sleep or food, distraction, stress, or testing anxiety. A suddenly motivated student may try out new strategies without first practicing them on a mock test. We've seen scores drop as a result. This is valuable information from a mock test report and useful for the student's tutoring, but not so encouraging when it happens on the real test.

Misgrading is very unlikely. To check on it or to report any issues with the testing site or administration of the test, contact ACT or College Board (SAT) customer service.

The key is get back "on the horse." Focus on the next opportunity to test, schedule another mock, complete practice problems, and meet with the tutor to review and analyze results. Keeping a positive perspective throughout the ups and downs of the testing process is essential.

Register for standby testing on the SAT test

Register for standby testing on the ACT test

Unless you are scoring in the high 600s or higher on your PSAT and are interested in qualifying for National Merit (you will get this year's test results early next year from your school counselor), then we advise a baseline mock test after you complete your sophomore year. From the baseline mock test results, we will recommend what you should do to prepare for your first SAT and/or ACT. We advise juniors to complete at least two SATs or two ACTs.

Yes! We see the same increases for SAT and ACT students regardless of platform.

If you have a broadband internet connection (cable, DSL, etc.) and live in the USA, you should have no issues with our online tutoring system.

For students outside of the USA, the important thing is not necessarily the speed of your connection but its reliability. Our online tutoring system does not require much bandwidth, but if the connection is spotty you will not have the best audio and video experience. If you already use Skype or any other video conferencing software, then your experience with our system should be similar.

If you are still unsure about your connection, contact us to setup a demonstration.

The only difference between in-person private tutoring and online tutoring is where you are sitting! You get access to the same tutors and course materials. Your tutor might be on the other side of the country, but you will be able to interact through audio, video and the whiteboard as if they were sitting right next to you.

We use Zoom to conduct our online tutoring, so you will need to download the program at https://zoom.us/download. We recommend that you use a computer rather than a phone, tablet, or Chromebook. You will need a microphone and a camera to get the most out of the program. The ones built into your device should be fine, though you may prefer to use a headset or earbuds if you are working in close proximity to others. If you want to check your computer to make sure everything runs smoothly, you can go to https://zoom.us/test.

As an Applerouth student, you will have access to take your practice tests in whichever manner is most convenient for you. We typically offer in-person practice tests at our offices along with "live online" practice tests most weekends. For these "live online" practice tests, your test will begin and end at a set time, and a human being will serve as proctor, just like on test day.

If you can not attend any of our scheduled mock tests, we also provide an online proctoring option to complete a practice test at home and on your schedule. Just log into your Applerouth account and follow the instructions for the online proctor.