Episode 2: Is All Fair In Love and Test Prep?

Episode 2 asks whether, in a world where people with means so often have an advantage over others, the test prep business is fair. This is an existential question for Ted, who loves and believes in his career but also thinks prep should be freely available to every student. Podcast guest Ryan Harrison agrees with Ted and suggests that everyone does have the tools and opportunity to prep on their own but it is the rare person that has the discipline to do so. They discuss the goals and aims of professional tutors that go beyond imparting pure strategy. (2:00) Ted and Ryan compare content knowledge to pedagogical content knowledge (CK vs. PCK, for those in the know). They discuss their own teaching methods and what has been effective for their students. (17:28) The last topic of the show is the recent change to the ACT essay. This alteration came as a surprise to test-takers when confronted with the prompt, again offering a potential advantage to students who worked with a tutor that was familiar with the shift. Ryan and Ted share their advice for dealing with the new essay, specifically discussing how to display critical thinking skills to the graders. (33:00) Have a question for the show? Email Ted or check out the website!  

Om Podcasten

Applying to college is competitive, anxiety-provoking, and potentially the most rewarding part of high school. Since 2000, Tutor Ted has been on the front lines of getting into college through his ACT and SAT prep students, and really, since he applied to Princeton himself. In this podcast, Ted talks with admissions officers, college counselors, test prep tutors, and former clients to hear their perspective on best practices, pitfalls to avoid, and more than anything, staying sane while navigating the college admissions process. Ted promises to stick to his policy of keeping it “non-boring” too, so hopefully we’ll have some fun along the way.