PrepPros — Test Prep Provider Spotlight

With your packed agenda and laundry list of responsibilities, you’re likely on the hunt for a standardized test prep option that you can engage in on your own schedule—in between your last class of the day and the start of soccer practice, after your 4-8 PM work shift, before school…the list goes on. However, finding such a quality, flexible, cost-effective option—that also promises potential score increases equal to group or private tutoring—has always been a needle-in-a-haystack-level proposition. That is, of course, until PrepPros changed the game, channeling their thousands of hours of experience into developing the best online, self-paced ACT and SAT courses that earn students private-tutor-level results at a highly affordable price point. Want to learn more about how PrepPros’ self-paced, budget-friendly courses can earn you major score increases amid your crammed schedule? In today’s blog, we’re covering the ins and outs of their signature offering.

Note: This is a sponsored post written on behalf of PrepPros. We have independently (and enthusiastically) recommended their offerings to our clients for many years. Our site only partners with test prep providers that bring significant value to students and the material in this blog is 100% the genuine opinion of College Transitions. 

Who are PrepPros?

Brothers Matthew and Michael Stroup, the force behind PrepPros, are perfect ACT and SAT scorers who possess a combined 21 years and 19,000+ hours of tutoring experience. After earning degrees at Johns Hopkins and Georgetown, Matthew founded San Diego-based Scorebuilder Test Prep in 2014. Here, Michael—a Georgetown McDonough alum—also served as a full-time tutor. Wanting to make their services available to a wider population, the Stroups launched PrepPros in 2021. They’ve worked with over 5,000 students—2,000+ through private tutoring and group classes and another 3,000 through their online courses. They’ve also published SAT and ACT Math books and written over 1,000 pages of test prep materials exclusively for PrepPros students.

Not only are Matthew and Michael full-time test prep tutors—a distinction difficult to find in today’s landscape—but they also personally teach every single one of their offerings. This commitment ensures that all students benefit from an incredibly high level of expertise, experience, and professionalism. Moreover, their perfect SAT and ACT scores should underscore the effectiveness of their program. Under 0.1% of SAT-takers and 0.25% of ACT-takers earn the highest possible score, so they are true masters of their craft.

How will I benefit from standardized test preparation with PrepPros?

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of PrepPros’ offerings, let’s talk about why preparing for standardized testing continues to be an important step in the college admissions process. Although the standardized test landscape has been a veritable jungle in recent years, a clear takeaway has emerged. High test scores continue to positively support the strength of a student’s academic profile at many institutions. Accordingly, with college admissions results as well as thousands of dollars of scholarship and merit aid money on the line, your ACT or SAT results can massively impact your post-secondary trajectory. For example, gaining acceptance to an institution with strong academic offerings and career outcomes—and graduating from said institution with a reasonable amount of debt—often affects you for years to come. It can influence your ability to attend graduate school, buy a home, save for retirement, or even start a family.

As such, in order to ensure a range of solid options, we strongly advise all students to put forth their best selves in every aspect of their applications, particularly in relation to academic factors like their grades and standardized test scores. Given that most standardized tests involve a certain level of strategy and knowledge of test format, you’ll want an experienced standardized test preparation instructor who not only teaches you how to master content but also how to take the exam.

PrepPros — Continued

In the past, access to such a tutor has required students to attend expensive group classes or private tutoring sessions. However, PrepPros’ guiding ethos is that all students should have the opportunity to enter the college admissions process with their best possible scores in hand (as well as intact bank accounts). As such, they’ve created online, self-paced courses that put private-tutor-level expertise and results within easy reach. They’ve also ensured that you can adapt their courses to your specific goals, whether you’re aiming for a 200-point SAT increase or that final, elusive jump from an ACT score of 34 to a perfect 36.

How do PrepPros’ self-paced courses work?

If you’re in the market for self-paced ACT or SAT prep courses that are taught by industry experts, look no further than PrepPros’ Ultimate ACT Course or Ultimate Digital SAT Course. With just a few clicks, you have on-demand access to either Michael (SAT) or Matthew (ACT), who provide you with the guidance of a private tutor for a wallet-happy $99 per month (more on that below). The course content is both extensive and exhaustive —Michael and Matthew cover all content and every strategy that they would normally teach in private tutoring sessions. This translates to over 70 hours of video instruction, 2,000+ practice questions, 350+ strategies, and many full practice tests (plus explanations), all perfected over thousands of sessions.

In both courses, you’ll have access to recorded lectures that teach you all content that is tested on the SAT or ACT as well as essential tips, tricks, and strategies for every section. You’ll also improve your “test IQ,” becoming intimately familiar with the structure of and patterns present within the exam, enabling you to complete the test more confidently and efficiently. After each lecture, you’ll then be turned loose to independently complete practice sets. Post-practice set, you’ll have access to a video explanation for every missed question that explains where your reasoning went awry.

PrepPros — Continued

Finally, both courses can be completed entirely on your own schedule. However, to help you stay on track, they include a variety of study plans. You can select plans based on duration (from four weeks up to six months) and scoring goals. For example, the popular Digital SAT 12-Week Score Improvement Plan details what you should be doing week by week to receive maximum results. Want something more personalized? Both courses come with the option to purchase a custom study plan, developed by Matthew or Michael.

In addition to the Ultimate SAT/ACT courses, PrepPros offers a self-paced ACT Math Course as well as a self-paced Digital SAT Math Course, which are math-focused versions of the main courses.  If you only need to improve your SAT or ACT Math score, these courses are excellent options.

Can I try the self-paced courses first?

Yes! If you’d like a taste of how the Ultimate Digital SAT Course or Ultimate ACT Course can benefit you, PrepPros offers an amazingly comprehensive free trial. It includes some of the most commonly tested grammar rules and math topics as well as score-raising strategies and test-taking skills. Accordingly, you’re sure to walk away with new knowledge that will positively impact your score.

In total, the Ultimate ACT Course free trial offers over four hours of lessons with Matthew and 160+ practice questions. The Ultimate Digital SAT Course free trial offers over three hours of lessons with Michael and 120+ practice questions.

Moreover, free trials are offered for the self-paced Digital SAT Math Course and the ACT Math Course as well. The Digital SAT Math Course free trial offers over three hours of lessons, 80+ practice questions, and two full chapters from PrepPros Complete Guide to Digital SAT Math. The ACT Math Course free trial also contains over three hours of lessons as well as 70+ practice questions and two full chapters from the PrepPros Complete Guide to ACT Math. Score-boosting strategies and test-taking skills are included in both math courses. You’ll also master two math topics that the vast majority of students struggle with.

Best of all? No credit card information is required for any free trial. You can test out the courses on your own schedule with zero pressure.

How do group classes work?

In addition to their self-paced ACT, SAT, and Math courses, PrepPros offers two online group class options. These include the 1400+ SAT Class and the 30+ ACT Class. Both are designed for high-achieving students aiming for top scores. As such, both classes move quickly. They focus on advanced content, strategies, and test-taking techniques for each section of the exam.

Group classes are taught by either Matthew or Michael, seven weeks long, and capped at 20 students. They also include 21 hours of synchronous, interactive classroom instruction. (Have to miss a class? Don’t worry, every session will be recorded). They’re also designed so that students take the ACT or SAT the weekend after course completion for maximum knowledge retention.

In addition to live instruction, students receive over 350 strategies and test-taking techniques. They also take many full-length practice tests. Finally, they have six months of access to the Ultimate Digital SAT or Ultimate ACT course, which they can use to supplement their experience. Pre-recorded group classes are available.

Is private tutoring offered?

It is. You’ll be personally tutored by Matthew and Michael, the PrepPros cofounders. First, they will develop a customized plan based on your diagnostic scores. Then, you’ll meet for weekly sessions—typically 1-1.5 hours each time. Most students ultimately receive 12-20 hours of tutoring and can expect 3-5 hours of homework per week. If you want to see the highest score increase, you’ll take homework seriously—it’s a massive aspect of test mastery.

During your sessions, you’ll study test content and learn effective and personalized strategies for every section. You’ll also complete full-length ACT or SATs. On average, students complete 5-10 practice exams during their private tutoring experience.

What are PrepPros’ results?

The effectiveness of PrepPros’ Ultimate ACT Course and Ultimate Digital SAT Course are confirmed by their students’ private-tutor-level results. Students using these courses have achieved perfect SAT and ACT scores. They’ve also earned up to a 9-point improvement on the ACT and a 320-point improvement on the SAT.

Additionally, PrepPros even offers a Score Improvement Guarantee for its self-paced online courses. If you complete 80% of lessons as well as all practice tests, take the exam within 60 days of course completion, and do not raise your SAT score by over 100 points or your ACT score by at least 3 points, you’ll be eligible for a full refund.

Group class and private tutoring students have similarly excellent results, underscoring the Stroups’ ability to prepare any student, in any format, for their best scores. Students who take PrepPros group classes see an average score increase of 200 points on the SAT and 5 points on the ACT, with highs of 350 points on the SAT and 11 points on the ACT. Private tutoring students see an average score increase of 6 points on the ACT and 200+ points on the SAT. All-time highs include a 12-point increase on the ACT and a 420-point increase on the SAT.

What does each program cost?

It would take 20-30 hours of private tutoring to deliver all the content that you’ll have access to in the Ultimate Digital SAT or Ultimate ACT courses. At $225/hour for private tutoring, that would normally shake out to at least $4,500. However, you’ll only need to budget $99/month (about the price of a coffee per day) for either self-paced course. Best of all, you pay on a monthly basis, and only purchase the courses for as long as you need. Let’s break this down further—choose PrepPros’ popular 12-week study plan, and you’ll be heading into your ACT or SAT with private-tutor-level content mastery and strategies for less than $300, an unheard-of arrangement in test prep. To put it even more in perspective, that three-month, $300 investment is just a hair more than what you’d pay for one hour of PrepPros’ private tutoring.

Hoping to focus exclusively on Digital SAT or ACT Math? You can have full access to the online, self-paced ACT Math course for $49.99/month. This price drops to $29.99/month when you purchase the  Complete Guide to ACT Math. The Digital SAT Math course is $74.99 per month, but is trimmed to $49.99/month with the purchase of the Complete Guide to Digital SAT Math.

Furthermore, if you’d like to try out PrepPros’ courses, free trials are available for each—no credit card required. The self-paced Ultimate Digital SAT Course free trial and the Ultimate ACT Course free trial each offer 3-4+ hours of tutoring, strategies, and practice questions. The self-paced Digital SAT Math Course free trial and the ACT Math Course free trial similarly offer 3+ hours of tutoring as well as dozens of practice questions specifically for the math sections of each exam.

Test Prep Provider Spotlight — Continued

Taking an SAT or ACT group class? You have some choices. The live online class costs $1,250, and the recorded class is $800. Private tutoring add-ons are available.

As with any test prep organization, private tutoring will be the most significant investment at $225/hour. However, you’ll only pay for exactly what you need—no hourly packages to contend with here.

We also want to highlight PrepPros’ outstanding commitment to accessibility. The Stroups believe that students on every budget should have the opportunity to benefit from expert SAT and ACT preparation. As such, in addition to their budget-friendly programs, PrepPros offers a litany of free resources on their website. These include practice tests, comprehensive free trials (no credit card required), and SAT and ACT comparison guides. Moreover, both books—The Complete Guide to Digital SAT Math and The Complete Guide to ACT Math—are available for anyone to purchase on Amazon.

How has PrepPros adapted to the Digital SAT?

Paper SAT? A thing of the past in PrepPros land. They’ve already launched the self-paced Ultimate Digital SAT Course and Digital SAT Math Course. Moreover, they’ve published a Digital SAT Math Book. They’ve also re-filmed all their courses and rewritten all their books to be completely Digital SAT-focused.

Final Thoughts — PrepPros

The heartbeat of PrepPros’ courses is the Stroup brothers themselves, who have poured their energy, expertise, and thousands of hours of experience into creating a highly effective and accessible private tutor experience within an online, self-paced format. We’ve directed dozens of College Transitions students to PrepPros’ courses, which provide phenomenal value and results even for students with the most ambitious score increase goals. Whether you’re on a tight budget, aiming for a perfect score, or struggling to fit quality test preparation into your schedule, PrepPros’ Ultimate ACT Course and Ultimate Digital SAT Course will enable you to curate a personalized experience that leads to your best scores on test day.