"As soon as I began my first lesson Joa made it very easy for me to adapt to the SAT exam topics and questions. She continued to monitor my progress even when there were a couple of weeks in a row when I wasn’t available to meet her for the sessions. Joa has made studying for the SAT a much less daunting prospect and I even looked forward to my first exam since I had prepared well with a lot of helpful guidance!"
“Joa was my tutor, and she was especially good at teaching Math, which I struggled with. When we were done with our tutoring sessions I had reached my ultimate goal in Math, and I had improved immensely in the Reading and Writing sections. Joa was also great at preparing me for my test day, and giving me tips on how to strategize. I was very confident when the test day finally came. I would recommend Joa to anyone that is thinking about SAT tutoring classes.”
"My tutor Emily was absolutely incredible! Not only was she super flexible, she was a very thorough and detail oriented teacher. Emily made sure to check in with my progress and provided excellent motivation and feedback. I was very impressed with the balance of hard-work and approachability Emily offered as a tutor. I also saw my confidence as a test taker greatly increase. Thank you Emily for being a rockstar teacher!"
We’ve worked with students just like you and helped them improve their SAT scores to get into their top choice schools. Holly’s family had high expectations for her, and she did too! She was a top student in school, and the plan was for her to apply to top-tier undergraduate universities. They all thought that the SAT would be a breeze for her, but to everyone’s surprise she was struggling to secure a score in the top 90th percentile.
She performed relatively well on all of the sections, but she couldn’t seem to get the extra points needed to secure a top score. Part of this was because once a student reaches a certain score level, a single question will have a greater impact on that higher score. Ultimately, Holly was a great test-taker overall but was not missing out on points when she ran into harder questions, which make a big difference.
She thought she was doing all of the right things by taking multiple practice tests and reviewing wrong answers. She did learn some new things and made some positive adjustments on her own, but she was still getting stuck. Particularly, some of the higher-level math questions were tripping her up. She had trouble finding people who could clearly explain how to solve the problem, so she felt like she was taking tons of time to hunt down a solution. Not only was it frustrating, but she also simply didn’t have the time. Between school, extracurriculars, tutors, and family obligations she was hitting a wall.
During our first session, we took a look through the practice tests she had done on her own (there were quite a few!) and noticed a few themes. When it came to math, she was a master of most of the material. However, when it came to more advanced questions, she was losing points and time. For English, she did great when it came to grammar, but she was losing points when assessing how to logically connect ideas. She flew when it came to Reading and had great accuracy with the majority of Science questions, though there were a few things she could improve on her own with practice.
Based on this, we formed a strategic plan. Given her limited time, we wanted to target her time with her tutor where it would have the greatest impact. Because she was making progress when it came to Reading and Science, we decided it was best to let her continue that portion independently (she just needed more practice). However, Math and English were where we could really make great progress as a team. We set one and a half hour sessions that focused on how the SAT thinks about logical connections in the English section. Once she understood the reasoning and had some practice and feedback with it, she flew! When it came to Math, we found she did best when she was allowed to attempt a question on her own and then have a guided discussion and breakdown of the question. By the end, she scored in the 95th percentile and pursued her degree with confidence!
SAT preparation doesn’t have to be something you dread!
When you work with a JEM expert, you’re working with someone who has over 10 years of experience in teaching people how to achieve their test goals, and not only that, but also in making it a little bit fun!
Content: English, math, reading, writing -- the SAT covers a lot of ground, and it can feel like a lot if you’re trying to cram the details!
Strategy: how to approach each question type so that your skills can shine through!
Timing: sometimes the clock ticking down gets under your skin and you just can’t focus -- but we can help desensitize the timing pressure so you’re good to go!
Organization: preparation and materials can be overwhelming -- we help you understand what to focus on.
Confidence: even the strongest students can suffer from a lack of confidence, but when you work with a test prep expert, you have someone who knows you and your strengths cheering you on and giving you tangible tips to stay on an upward trajectory!
Motivation: how to break through those slumps where you’d rather do anything besides test prep!
Each hour is a power-packed session with a test prep expert. Our experts have over 10 years of experience helping students in exactly your position, and that experience means you’ll have the best help available to achieve your goals.
“I had only 2 weeks time to prepare for the SATs and without Joa I would have never made it. Joa helped me improve my skills so much. Although I as a German student had no idea about the SATs before I had met Joa, I felt safe on the SAT test day. If you need help to prepare for the SATs I really Joa!”
“Emily has been tremendous. Extremely organized and clear in her explanations. Very diligent and on top of communication. Emily is very kind, patient and helpful. I would highly recommend working with Emily if you have the option.”
“Joa was my tutor and she helped me improve my confidence and my math skills for the SAT. She helped me by giving me feedback on my essays, and now I am more optimistic about my SAT scores, than I was before.“
“Emily is a teacher who devotes a great amount of personal effort and interest to your daily training activities. She always comes with a new strategies and new ways to help you. This past year I was lucky to have Emily as my instructor, her devotion to teaching contributed significantly to my success.”
“My experience with Joa helped me improve my skills to be prepared for the SAT which I took on Saturday. We had our sessions online since I live in Caracas, Venezuela. I felt very confident during the whole test since she prepared for ALL of the SAT sections. I even decided to continue my TOEFL preparation with Joa. She is an excellent tutor and I highly recommend her.”
When you work with JEM Achievement experts for 12 or more hours, you’ll receive an Admissions Strategy Session, valued at $275 but yours for free. An Admissions Strategy Session is a full hour of time with one of our Admissions Specialists to review your applicant profile and plan a timeline for your application process. We’ll help you feel empowered and in control of your applications, setting you up for success!
We can’t wait to meet you and get started on achieving your goals!
We (Joa and Emily) met while working for Big Test Prep companies and knew there was a better, more personalized way to provide digital test prep and admissions consulting services. Thus, JEM Achievement was born: tailored and flexible support available online, no matter where you are. JEM empowers students in pursuit of advanced education through curated courses, private tutoring, and strategic coaching. We strive to have a hand in developing future leaders within their communities, instilling a solid set of values to be carried forward.
We have worked with hundreds of SAT, ACT, and undergraduate admissions students over the course of our 10+ year careers in private education and know how stressful test preparation can be. With classes, extracurriculars, and life, we realize that test prep courses are difficult to add into the mix, but we also know that they are an extremely important piece of the admissions puzzle. We also realize that you don’t always know if you’re paired up with an instructor who is a good fit for you.
Both of us have compatible styles with sometimes different perspectives and strengths, which is why we make such a great team! When you work with one of us, you can be sure that you’re still getting the other because we are in constant communication behind the scenes, strategizing ways to bring out the best in your abilities. We have worked with students from all over the world from a variety of backgrounds and with a range of goals. You can be sure with us that you’ll receive honest advice and work with people who care about you as an individual. We know what achievement can do for self-confidence, and we want you to find success!