Thirty-Six Education – Raising the standard on ACT prep

Raising the standard on ACT and SAT prep.

Since 2011, Thirty-Six Education has been helping ambitious students achieve their highest ACT and SAT scores through carefully personalized, learning science–driven one-on-one tutoring.

What makes 36 education different?

We base learning on science

Every student's tutoring process is unique, because your child's learning style is unique. The first step will be an extensive and customized intake, not a cookie-cutter tutoring session. And the tutor who's matched with your child will instruct in a way that's informed by learning theory, principles of cognitive development, and deep knowledge of your child's learning style.

We empower your child

College admissions is crucial, and we want students to take ownership of their future so that their success reaches far beyond the test. We build skills that will serve your child throughout college, adulthood, and beyond, such as critical thinking, emotional resilience, pattern recognition, and decision-making.

we get perfect scores

It's important that your child feel confident about working with a genuine ACT/SAT expert and enthusiast. That's why the company founder and all of 36's tutors take the official ACT/SAT each year in order to register perfect scores. And we actually enjoy doing so! Moreover, every 36 employee tutors—we believe that staying close to our student experience is crucial to our business.

We care about our students

Our students are so much more than test takers. We understand that your child's progress and success are inextricable from their overall well-being and sense of self. We prioritize hiring tutors who are genuine, accessible, transparent, consistent, and kind. We also make sure that the process is enjoyable for your student, because learning can and should be a joy.

we increase access

We strive to be accessible to students of all income levels, increase access to college for all students, and improve students' abilities to gain admission into the colleges of their choice. In addition, we're creating a suite of preparation materials that will be diversely priced and accessible to all students by mid-2020.

we have targeted resources

We never want any student to run out of practice material. That's why we make sure that your child has more question sets, practice tests, and passages than they will ever need. In addition, we've created an entire resource library of 36-authored support material that targets any possible challenge area your student may have, from correcting comma splices to multiplying matrices. We also provide a mobile app that allows you and your child to track progress, scores, and review wrong-choice explanations.

Your Child's 36 Journey

1. Intake

Your child will meet with a learning specialist for a 90-minute, in-depth intake. He/she/they will review your student's education history, including any prior assessments and academic or learning issues, and discuss your and your child's goals [...]

Then, we will test your child by assessing discrete problem-solving and reasoning skills in math problems; reading fluency, speed, and comprehension; working memory, sustained attention, saliency, and summarization. These appraisals will help us plan the most effective test prep program.

2. Tutor Matching

We will then match your student up with a tutor who matches your child's needs and personality [...]

That tutor will meet for a weekly case review with the company founder to make sure we're always ahead of any potential concerns or issues, or celebrating the wins that your child is experiencing.

3. Scheduling the first session

The tutor will reach out within 24 hours to set up an initial tutoring session with your child. Your child's schedule—not ours—will be prioritized [...]

Both you and your child (and anyone else you wish to add) will receive an e-mail confirmation each time a tutoring session is scheduled, canceled, or rescheduled.

Confirmation Example

4. Tutoring

Our prep plans are carefully considered, deliberate, and data-driven. They're based on 1) the objective data we collect, 2) our own instincts after decades of tutoring, and 3) your input [...]

In fact, you're a crucial part of the process, and we'll keep you in the loop with weekly updates on your child's progress. Thirty-Six Education uses a case management model for tracking each individual student, so we always know what's up (scores!) and what's reduced (stress levels!).

5. Test Day Care Package

We provide every student with sharpened pencils and erasers; a Camelbak (because hydration is important!); and an ACT/SAT-approved Testing Timer watch [...]

We've found that the timer has an enormous positive impact on pacing and performance during the test, so it's our pleasure to ship this care package to your child at no cost to you.

6. Test Day and Beyond!

Your child will head confidently into Test Day, equipped with a highly competitive edge. They won't fall for classic distractors, and they'll have a thorough command of skills/timing. [...]

We don't disappear after your child takes the test. We'll do an extensive follow-up after scores come back to help you understand what it means and where to go from here. We're invested in your child's future, so we're here for as long as you need us!

Schedule a free consultation

Select a thirty-minute spot that’s convenient for you, and learn more about the options available for your child to outperform the competition.

Frequently asked questions

What kind of score increase can my child expect to gain?

This is the million-dollar question! The answer depends on many factors, including:

Baseline scores
Timeline to the official test
How many hours your child can commit to working with their tutor
How much practice your child can commit to between tutoring sessions

We’ll always give you a realistic assessment of your student’s potential after we’ve spent some time understanding all of the factors involved. We’ll never over-promise just to gain your business.

What if my child has an extremely busy schedule?

We work diligently with your child’s schedule and competing commitments. The last thing we want is to be a burden or add stress; one of our responsibilities is to reduce your child’s stress and help pave the way to success. Our tutors will prioritize your child’s schedule and needs—not their own. One of the big advantages of online tutoring is that we can tutor students in Japan, Jordan, France, India, and other places that require us to work at atypical hours.

Do you also tutor for the SAT and other tests?

Yes! We’re fortunate to have a team of tutors with a multitude of talents. Currently, we have tutors who specialize in:

SAT
SAT Subject Tests
LSAT
GRE
GMAT
MCAT
DAT
a wide array of high school and AP subjects

Students often have many questions about the ACT and the best way to prep.

We’re only a message away, and we’re glad to help.

parents say...

“Bryan was much more than an ACT/ SAT tutor to my son. While he played a key role in coaching my son for the SAT/ ACT, he became a role model at a crucial period in his life, helping my son think through things more clearly and make concrete decisions about the future. I cannot stress how valuable this was to us. Some of you may have experienced how hard it is to communicate with teenagers as parents. No matter how successful you may be at work or other spheres, your teenager often disregards your thoughts/ perspective. Bryan played the role of a responsible adult and empathetic role model who could actually get through to my son. I could reach out to Bryan and he would help communicate some tough point that my son and I had been arguing about. Thank you, Bryan!”

My only regret is that I didn't meet AC sooner in my LSAT process. I wasted so many months with [tutoring company name redacted] getting more and more confused and frustrated. Within one session I could tell that AC was going to change everything about how I approach the test. I know that I'm going to be able to get into all of the top law schools on my list, thanks to 36 and AC.

My daughter raised her score several points with your help. She worked hard and you were instrumental in showing her where to focus her energies. Since you probably don't often hear how coaching turns out, I wanted to let you know that E. is a junior at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs on a significant scholarship. We are not a wealthy family, but spending money on 36 Education was well worth it. Thank you for all your help!

My experience with Thirty-Six Education was everything you could ever want from personal training in this field. Thirty-Six Education exemplifies professionalism, while at the same time an understanding and individualistic approach tapered specifically to each student. Their flexibility with scheduling, and perfected communication routes, allowed me to still excel in all other aspects of my busy life without surrendering time away from extracurricular activities.