Pair of Bellevue Ivy Leaguers launch SAT prep program

If you want to master the SAT, it's best to learn from someone who's already conquered it.

That’s the idea Andrew West and Martin Willner are banking on as they embark on their first attempt at entrepreneurism.

Both Bellevue Ivy Leaguers are test-taking aces who scored in the highest percentiles on their college-entrance exams. Now the two Columbia University students have teamed up to help others earn spots at top-flight schools.

They'll be picking up business experience along the way.

“I’m really in it for the skills and the teaching,” Willner said. “We may not make much money, but we’ll get the skills and see if business is still something we want to do.”

West, a 2009 graduate of Newport High, scored a 31 on the ACT and earned AP Scholar with Distinction and National Hispanic Scholar awards for his achievement on the PSAT and AP tests. Willner earned a 2170 on his SAT, and graduated in 2007 as the valedictorian of Bellevue High.

They’re among eight Washington college students launching local branches of the Ivy Insiders test-prep program, which claims to have helped over 4,000 people improve their test scores by an average of around 300 points apiece since 2003, when a group of Harvard undergraduates developed the curriculum.

Ivy Insiders courses include four proctored exams and 18 hours of classroom work. Private tutoring sessions are also available for students who need extra help.

Instructors go through 30 hours of training before leading their own classes.

West says standardized testing is as much about familiarity as it is about knowledge.

“Feeling comfortable is one of the biggest things,” he said. “The more comfortable you are, the better you do.”

That means repetition, knowing how to approach the questions, and figuring out a routine so everything feels fluid on test day.

Willner and West say they want to personalize the learning experience for each student, knowing that everyone is unique in how they learn.

“It’s about finding a common vocabulary and teaching from different angles until it makes sense to them,” Willner said.

West and Willner are no strangers to teaching or playing mentor roles.

Willner is a former English tutor and rowing instructor who produces student-run theater as president of Columbia University Players. West taught sexual health as a peer educator at Newport, and he was ASB vice president for the school.

Both undergraduates figure the Ivy Insiders program will benefit him as much as it does his students. They say teaching the test-prep courses will help them achieve higher scores of their own when it comes time to think about graduate school.

“It’s a double-growth thing,” West said. “We’re trying to help other people, but we’re also helping ourselves.”

It takes only a few months to prepare for a college-entrance exam, but Willner says students should invest the time. After all, they spend years working on grades.

The tests can also be a great equalizer, since most schools weigh them about the same as grades.

“Overall, we want people to look at the SAT as an opportunity, not a burden,” Willner said.

Aside from SAT courses, West and Willner offer tutoring for AP, ACT, and SAT II Spanish tests, as well as college admissions.

The pair is also hosting two free SAT workshops on June 30, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Newport High (4333 Factoria Boulevard SE).

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