SAT, PSAT, AP Prep

SAT/PSAT Prep:

This is designed for high school students (9/10th, 11/12th Graders) to learn and practice the PSAT and SAT. The PSAT/SAT prep provides students with new format, new strategy and practice in order to succeed on the PSAT exam in October and SAT exam. The test review and prep will target to achieve the following goals.

  • Be able to apply Critical Reading strategies that best address the new types of questions in the redesigned exam
  • Be able to adapt test-taking practices to the revised questions in the new SAT.
  • Practice with texts and contents that reflect the emphasis on historical documents, global issues, current affairs, science, as well as traditional classic literature.
  • Emphasize how to interpret, synthesize, and use evidence to assess challenging texts aligned to the new SAT
  • Vocabulary study will focus on inferential strategies in order to prepare students for the new emphasis on contextual meaning
  • Practice analyzing data and information found on charts, graphs, and passages which reflect those tested in the new SAT
  • New SAT is different on essays. Students are required to read passages and apply ANALYSIS of authors’ argument. Strategies that are learned in AP English will be taught
  • Pre and post-tests will be given to measure students’ progress
  • One to One teacher’s conference with student or/and parent will be held to update students’ progress and improvement areas; individual attention 
  • Students who joined the summer’s SAT camp, achieved high scores  for SAT (790/800; 780/800, 770/800; 760/800), perfect PSAT score of 760/760 (1520). Our seniors who graduated from this SAT/PSAT program reported that the high scores enabled them get into: Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, U.Chigao, CMU, Duke, Naval Academy, and other top colleges as 2019 – 2023 Freshmen. Congratulations to them and their families!!!
  • Students have the option to join Summer SAT camp, or August Intensive SAT, or Fall Semester PSAT, SAT programs. See the link: SAT Report
  • Many of our students are qualified as National Merit Scholarship Finalist or Semi-finalists 

Ms. Murphy’s Bio:

  • Over 38 years’ teaching experience in both public and private schools
  • The Department Chairperson of English Department in HS
  • The Instructional Leadership Specialist in English and content literacy
  • Appointed to represent her school district on the Model Curriculum Writing Project, and was recognized as a top author of standards-based English curriculum, winning note from achieve.org, a nationally well-known Education Think Tank
  • On College Board’s NEW SAT Design and Review Committee
  • Has taught SAT English, AP Literature, and AP Language
  • Her students have achieved high scores in SAT (790/800), PSAT (760/760, 1520 perfect score)
  • Check the link: SAT Course for more details

***9/10/2021: Congratulations to our students who just reported their August 28 (2021) test scores: 1510, 1520, 1530, 1550, 1570, 1590. We are so proud of the students who worked hard in the summer SAT/PSAT camp. 

***5/1/2021: Congratulations to the students who got admission to Harvard, Yale, Rice, Columbia, CalTech, CMU, NYU, Cornell, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, UVA, William and Mary, VT, and many other wonderful colleges, link for details: https://oaktonacademy.org/congratulations/

***5/8/2019: Congratulations to our seniors who are winners of 2019 National Merit Scholarship, click the link:  2019 National Merit Scholarship Winner

***4/1/2019: Congratulations to our students who got admitted to top colleges, including Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, CMU, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, UVA, U.Michigan, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and other top schools. Congratulations!!! Go to link for more details – link to Congratulations

***12/24/2018: Congratulations to our seniors who got EA/ED to Princeton, Cornell, Naval Academy, U.Chicago, NYU stern, VT, Penn State, Purdue as of December 24. 2018. 

***12/26/2017: Congratulations to the students who got EA/ED to Cornell, CalTech, Duke, UChicago, NYU for 2017 Early Admissions as of Dec 19, 2017. All students have submitted their regular application before 1/1/2018. Congratulations for early admission students!! Best wishes to the students who will receive admission in April 2018.

***Congratulations to the students who achieved high in October 2017 PSAT tests: 1510, 1500, 1490, and most of juniors received 99% national percentile ranking as juniors. Many freshmen and sophomore also reported high scores after their PSAT prep at Oakton Academy. CONGRATULATIONS for the hard work and excellent results!

***Congratulations to our ten seniors (nine students reported as of 9/25/17) who got selected to be NMS (National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. One additional student reported on 9/27 that he also got into the semifinalist’ list. They are currently seniors and took the PSAT in October 2016). Oakton Academy is proud to recognize the 10 students (reported as of September 27, 2017), who have been honored as NMS Semifinalists. Each student completed our Oakton Academy’s SAT or/and Critical Reading and Writing class, honing Reading, Writing, and Math skills which supported and led to their success. The teachers at Oakton Academy are dedicated to students’ work and achievement and recognize the students as shining examples of their hard work, talent, and dedication it takes to achieve this award. Congratulations to the seniors and their families. We wish our students more success in the school year of 2018.

Link: 2017 SAT/PSAT/NMSQT Reports and Updates
PSAT Reference Links:
SAT Links: