The pressure to get into a good college is no joke. That’s what makes the Scholastic Aptitude Test (aka the SAT) a big deal. A great SAT score can be the key to the college of your dreams, and it can get you a scholarship, or multiple scholarships, to help you pay for college.

That’s why many kids and their parents are looking for a great SAT prep tutor. You may be the person they’re looking for.

PROS:

  • Your SAT prep tutoring business can help you make good money.
  • You’ll also feel good about helping other kids reach their dreams about college and their future.

CONS:

This gig can come with some pressure and stress. You can learn a lot about how to help students get ready for the SAT and boost their chances of getting a great SAT score, but there are no guarantees. So, be sure to talk to kids and their parents about this. Make sure everyone agrees on realistic expectations for SAT scores.

How to get started:
NOTE: Before you start your business, you should read the page on this website entitled “things to think about before you start a business.” After you have taken the preliminary steps for starting any business, you can take the specific steps outlined below.

  • Take an SAT pretest. You can check out these pretests online as well as in SAT study guides. Do this, even if you’ve already aced the SAT.
  • Find out how the SAT test is scored so you can help kids with test-taking tips and skills. Remember, the average SAT score nationally is 1060 out of a possible 1600 points, according to the Princeton Review.
  • Study different types of SAT sample questions. You can buy or put together worksheets and other things that will help someone struggling with a type of question. For example, some kids might need to step up their vocabulary skills.

How much to charge:

You can charge about $30 – $50 per hour, when you’re just getting started tutoring your first few clients. This range is also good for more basic tutoring, such as explaining the answers given in the answer key section of an SAT prep manual.

When the word gets out that you’re an awesome SAT prep tutor, you could think about raising your rates.

Some tutors with more experience charge $50 to $100 per hour, depending on where you and your clients live.

At this point, you can go deep and offer more help, such as helping kids plan their study time to get ready for the SAT. You can also go over tips, time management and other test-taking hacks that students can use while taking the SAT.

Take it to the next level:

Now, you could just sit back and let word of mouth do its thing to see if you get more clients.

Or, you could take action and spread the word on social media!

  • Set up an account that’s all about your SAT prep tutoring business on your fave social media platform, or platforms.
  • Create helpful posts about test-taking tips or let your social media friends try answering sample SAT questions.

Taking it online:

With the pandemic, most people are not eager to have strangers come into their home. But you can do tutoring online.

First, you need to make sure you have the right equipment:

  • A reliable desktop computer or laptop
  • A good webcam, headset with microphone, and speakers
  • Strong and reliable internet connection.
  • Videoconferencing software (e.g. Zoom, Google Hangouts or Skype) that’s user-friendly as well as free or inexpensive
  • A comfortable, well-lit, quiet, and nice-looking area for filming your videos 

After you pick a videoconferencing site, you can explore using that app’s different tools to share information with your students. For example, some apps let you share your screen while tutoring by simply clicking the ‘+’ icon (usually near the bottom) on your screen, and/or choosing a ‘share screen’ option. You can also use these apps’ features to change how your background appears during tutoring sessions.

The best part is that, with an online tutoring business, you can advertise your services via social media and you can get customers from all over the world!