Test Preparation

Academies of Loudoun

Essay Test Preparation

This intensive eight-week course prepares students to write exceptional, highly competitive essays required as part of Academies of Loudoun admissions test. Essay topics cover the range of critical thinking, STEM-related, social, and ethical issues essential to exam success. The test specifically evaluates a student's potential to succeed in a fast-past, high-level STEM environment. At the end of every class students take a timed, proctored, mock admissions essay exam. William Bajusz, Ph.D., has a decade of experience coaching applicants and a success rate of more than fifty percent of all students.

Teaching has a two-fold emphasis. First, most students have little or no experience writing a timed essay. Accordingly, they are taught the fundamentals of writing timed essays, such as prompt analysis, learning to "write to the rubric," and time-boxing. They have the opportunity to apply these skills in every class when they write a timed, proctored essay.

The second emphasis is teaching students how to engage with, and think creatively about, unfamiliar essay prompts set in a scientific and technological context. The essay test requires students to have general familiarity with science and technology topics; knowledge of relevant data sources as well as ways to evaluate and validate data sources; and how to present the results of research findings. This course addresses all of these requirements and more.

To prepare students to address potential science or technology related prompts, the course covers possible prompts in these major categories:

Artificial Intelligence & Automation
Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering
Environmental Science & Sustainability
Digital Society & Technology
Space Exploration & Colonization
Public Health & Medicine
Energy & Infrastructure.

The class also provides students with a reading strategy to stay abreast of timely issues.

Price: $360 for 9 2-hour classes

To enroll or obtain more information, call or text:
703-505-1505

STEM Assessment Test Preparation

This sixteen-week class empowers students with all the necessary skills to excel on the STEM Thinking Skills Assessment. The STEM Assessment administered to all Academies of Loudoun applicants is an objective measure of scientific and technological thinking. It's an assessment of critical thinking skills in scientific and technological contexts. The test is not a computational math test; it is a logical reasoning test. To be sure, there are some math problems, but they are out-of-the-box algebra problems. The majority of problems involve some type of logical reasoning in a scientific or technological context. Scores are given for four critical skills: Out-of-the-Box Algebra, Spatial Relational Thinking, Tech Logic, and Scientific Thinking. Students also receive an overall reasoning score.

Students in this course learn how to solve different types of out-of-the-box algebra problems. These types include translation from words to variables; patterns and sequences recognition; working backwards from a solution to problem statement; sets, subsets, and constraints; systems of equations with more than one variable; and solving inequalities to determine truth or falsehood.

Beyond out-of-the-box algebra problems, the lesson plan focuses on several types of logical reasoning that comprise the majority of problems on the test. Students learn how to draw inferences from factual statements. They also become proficient in deductive logic puzzles. Teaching also addresses spatial reasoning problems. Students are not only taught general principles of problem solving, they are learn to solve the logical reasoning problems in a scientific or technical environment.

In addition to in-class and assigned problem sets, students take several timed, proctored mock tests in the weeks before the actual exam.

Price: $540 for 18 90-minute classes

To enroll or obtain more information, call or text:
703-505-1505

Academies of Loudoun

TJ Prep

Thomas Jefferson High School
of Science & Technology

This course prepares students to excel on the TJ problem-solving essay and Student Portrait Sheet (SPS) responses. Classes meet once per week for two (2) hours. Instruction on both math and science problem-solving essays is provided during this eight-week-long course.

Math instruction covers the range of mathematics problems customarily tested. Topics include exponential growth and decay equations, the fundamentals of coordinate geometry, distance-rate-time problems, work problems, mixture problems, and application of basic geometric concepts. Particular attention is given to translating words into mathematical expressions or equations.

A rigorous teaching approach is also applied to science problem solving. Students receive lessons on science problems that are candidates for the problem solving essay. These lessons cover general science, advanced concepts such as genetics and logarithmic scales, physical world concepts like plate tectonics, and forces and systems topics such as Newton's Laws and basic wave physics.

Students learn how to write timed essays that show they know how to solve a range of math and science problems. Moreover, teaching emphasizes how to beyond simply writing about how to solve a particular problem so that essay is a highly competitive submission.

Students also learn how to write concise, effective responses to four Student Portrait Sheet (SPS) prompts under tight time constraints. The admissions test will require students to answer four SPS prompts in short-form, essay format. These prompts will be crafted to evaluate students relationship to SPS attributes:

Collaborator
Communicator
Creative and Critical Thinker
Ethical/Global Citizen
Goal-Directed & Resilient Individual.

SPS response instruction starts with an in-class comprehensive student reflection matrix that is then applied to each of the five attributes in the SPS.

Most applicants have not written many time essays, so the course emphasizes learning the fundamentals of writing timed SPS responses and problem-solving essays. Key topics are prompt analysis, learning to "write to the rubric," and time-boxing. They have the opportunity to apply these skills in every class when they write a timed essay.

Each class includes a forty-five minute timed, proctored practice test in which students write a problem-solving essay and an SPS response. The instructor, William Bajusz, Ph.D., has over a decade of experience preparing students to successfully take the TJ admissions exam.

Price: $360 for 9 2-hour classes

To enroll or obtain more information, call or text:
703-505-1505

SAT/PSAT® Reading and Writing

This course prepares students to excel on the SAT (or PSAT) Reading and Writing Test. Active reading strategies are taught for questions in all passage types tested on the current digital SAT. These passage domains include science, social science, poetry, and literary passages. Students learn to crack tough questions about words in context, evidence, main ideas, cross-text connections, inferences, and other question types.

Students also master all question types on the writing portion of the test. The course teaches all the fundamental grammar rules -- not taught in regular English classes -- necessary to answer Standard English Conventions questions. Expression of Ideas questions on the writing segment of the test are also thoroughly analyzed. Students learn to diagnose the type passage and associated transitions to correctly answer Expression of Ideas questions. They also learn how to correctly answer Rhetorical Synthesis questions about a given writing objective. The course pays particular attention to reading, writing, and time-management test-taking strategies.

Students begin this class by taking a timed, proctored baseline mock practice SAT. They take another practice test mid-course to calibrate improvement, and finish the course with a third mock test to identify areas for further study.

Timed, proctored tests with focused error analysis and remediation sessions are available on request.

Price: $360 for 9 90-minute classes

To enroll or obtain more information, call or text:
703-505-1505

Mock Reading and Writing Test & Review

Upon request, VIL Academy also offers tailored Mock Reading and Writing Test & Review Classes. Students can take one or more timed, proctored Mock Tests and each will be followed by a two-hour review of error analysis, study plan design, and test-taking strategies. The actual number of sessions depends on the student's needs determined in consultation with Dr. Bajusz. The cost is based on the number of tests and review sessions. Inquire about scheduling and cost.

Price: $45 per test and 90-minute review

To enroll or obtain more information, call or text:
703-505-1505

SAT/PSAT® Math

This weekly course addresses all four major content domains on the digital SAT Math Test. These are algebra, advanced math, geometry and trigonometry, and problem solving and data analysis. Students review not only the fundamentals of each type of math question, but also learn proven test-taking strategies relevant to each content domain. Students perform drills of each problem type weekly both in class and as assigned.

Special attention is given to solving word problems and student-produced-response questions. These constitute on the order of twenty-five to thirty percent of the total 44 test questions. Word problems in particular can be a source of difficulty for many students given that such problems are frequently minimized or absent from school math classes.

Dr. Bajusz is particularly sensitive to the needs of students who are enrolled in accelerated math classes. Individuals taking precalculus, calculus, or advanced statistics courses are often a few years removed from the bulk of math questions on the SAT/PSAT. Consequently, these students have forgotten how to solve problems in data analysis, algebra, or geometry and introductory trigonometry. As with the SAT/PSAT® Reading and Writing Test class, students begin the math class by taking a baseline mock practice SAT. They take another practice test mid-course to calibrate improvement, and finish the course with a third mock test to identify areas for further study. All mock tests are timed and proctored tests.

Price: $360 for 9 90-minute classes

To enroll or obtain more information, call or text:
703-505-1505

Mock Math Test & Review

As with the Reading and Writing Test, upon request, VIL Academy also offers tailored Mock Math Test & Review Classes. Students can take one or more timed, proctored Mock Tests and each will be followed by a two-hour review of error analysis, study plan design, and test-taking strategies. The actual number of sessions depends on the student's needs determined in consultation with Dr. Bajusz. The cost is based on the number of tests and review sessions. Inquire about scheduling and cost.

Price: $45 per test and 90-minute review

To enroll or obtain more information, call or text:
703-505-1505

ACT®

Dr. Bajusz, who has over ten years experience teaching ACT test preparation, provides comprehensive instruction on the ACT English, Math, Reading, and Science Tests. Lessons are tailored to give students insight into the English Test, with particular attention to grammar and writing topics not taught in English classes. Students learn proven, active-reading approaches for each type of passage on the Reading Test -- fiction/literary narrative, social science, humanities, and physical science. Science instruction focuses on data representation tables and graphics, comparison of experimental results, and analyzing differences in scientific viewpoints.

The course is an intensive review of fundamental and instruction in test-taking strategies for all math topics on the ACT. The ACT Math test covers six main areas: Pre-Algebra, Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, Coordinate Geometry, Plane Geometry, and Trigonometry, plus an "Integrating Essential Skills" category that blends concepts like rates, percentages, and data analysis.

Key to high scores on each of the tests comprising the ACT is the student's ability to solve difficult problems under tight time constraints. For example, test takers need to answer 75 English questions in 45 minutes and 40 Reading questions in 35 minutes. The Math test contains 60 questions to be answered in 60 minutes, effectively limiting how many times a calculator can be used, even though a calculator can be used any time during the test.

Price: $360 for 9 90-minute classes

To enroll or obtain more information, call or text:
703-505-1505

Timed, proctored practice tests are available at the course's start, to establish a baseline, at mid-course, and at the end of the course.

Every student comes into the ACT with vastly different abilities across many different skills. Each student’s unique learning needs are considered separately by our expert who has more than ten years of ACT teaching experience.

Classes give wide variations in lectures and questions to every student, making the teaching very effective. Some lessons will be easy, while others are hard and challenging. Students are made to emphasize more time-based learning which helps grasp new topics they actually need to work on. Students get practice assignments on weekly basis.

Now that the ACT offers students the option of omitting the Science Test, the course can be adjusted accordingly based on students' needs. Inquire about tailored lesson plans.

Mock ACT Test & Review

Separate timed practice tests with focused error analysis and remedial study plans are available on request. Students can take one or more timed, proctored Mock Tests and each will be followed by a two-hour review of error analysis, study plan design, and test-taking strategies. The actual number of sessions depends on the student's needs determined in consultation with Dr. Bajusz. The cost is based on the number of tests and review sessions. Inquire about scheduling and cost.