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Studyworks was an early pioneer of test preparation. We had our first students in 1975, starting in a basement of a suburban Washington, DC home. Its founder, Miles Pewitt, had recently finished law school but was interested in creating a business that utilized his best skill: doing well on standardized tests. Forsaking a legal career was a dubious choice in those days. Prep courses were not popular and in some cases were even considered to be gimmicky business activities. At that time, many people considered that tests such as the SAT measured a student's math and reading ability. Miles knew that, for the most part, this test really measured the student's ability to take standardized tests. This claim seemed contemptuous to the educational establishment. For years and years the SAT creator, the Educational Testing Service (ETS), claimed that prep programs were a waste of time and money. Their reasoning - they claimed that the SAT was not manipulable and measured long-term skills that could not be taught in short periods of time. With such claims coming from such a prominent source, Studyworks' early years were difficult. Slowly Studyworks grew and times have changed. We are now the third largest SAT prep group in America and have courses coast to coast. More remarkable is the fact that ETS promotes its own preparation programs. Although we have grown substantially, we endeavor to maintain the quality and concern that we have had for 30 years. Our teachers are the highest-paid and best-trained SAT teachers in the country. Our teachers must not only have advanced degrees, but must also prove that they can motivate students. Studyworks' philosophy to test preparation has always been that teachers should not only know their subject material - they must also know how to deliver it in a fun and interesting fashion. Although our decision to limit our service to just the SAT and PSAT has enormous drawbacks economically, it allows us to concentrate on the strategies that are exclusive to these exams. But our focus on the SAT and PSAT and our teaching philosophy are not the only things separating us from our competitors. We have distinctively better guarantees, schedules, and prices. Our maximum class size is 15 students. However, it is rare for all classes to fill up to their maximum and, on the average, you should expect about 10 students in your class. We also have a 300-point guarantee, which is the best in the industry. Even if your score improves, we will give you $10 for every 20 points you fall short of the 300-point goal. This guarantee gives the student some assurance that Studyworks is dedicated to their improvement. More importantly, it gives Studyworks the best record of how well its students improve. Kaplan and Princeton claim certain score improvements, but their claims are based on unofficial and statistically inadequate surveys. Since Studyworks requires a copy of the official results from students if they do not improve 300 points (and actually pays the student for sub-300 point improvements), only Studyworks has a statistically valid way to measure student performance. Average improvement is 190 points for students who scored between 1000 & 1200 (on the old SAT) before attending the Studyworks course. We hope this has provided an adequate summation of how Studyworks has evolved over the past 30 years. If you have any further questions or would like to discuss our curriculum with an instructor, please do not hesitate to call us at 1-800-783-1728.