SAT & ACT Tutoring · Illinois & Nationwide

Your Student Deserves a Score That Opens Doors — Not One That Closes Them

Corngold Prep Academy delivers personalized, one-on-one SAT and ACT preparation that targets exactly where your student is losing points — so every session produces real, measurable progress.

Book a Free Consultation Call
1-on-1
Personalized sessions
100%
Online via Zoom
Gr 9–12
Students served

What you get from day one

  • Free diagnostic consultation — no pressure
  • Custom study plan built for your student
  • Expert instruction, not AI-generated drills
  • Flexible scheduling that fits school life
  • SAT & ACT — James knows both tests cold
Book a Free Consultation Call

Free · No obligation · 30 minutes

The Wrong Prep Strategy Is Costing Your Student More Than Points

Colleges and universities across the country are reinstating SAT and ACT requirements — and the gap between a good score and a great score can be the difference between acceptance and rejection at your student's top school. Yet most families watch their student grind through generic workbooks or sit in crowded courses where instructors can't possibly address one student's specific mistakes.

Time is the resource you can't recover. A junior who spends six months on the wrong approach doesn't just waste money — they lose the preparation window entirely. Your student doesn't need more practice tests. They need to know exactly why they're getting questions wrong and how to fix it. That's what personalized tutoring with James Corngold delivers.

Three Steps to a Higher Score

No generic curriculum. No guesswork. A clear path from where your student is to where they need to be.

📞 1

Free Consultation Call

James spends 30 minutes learning about your student — their current scores, target schools, timeline, and how they learn best. This call is the foundation of everything that follows, and it costs nothing.

🎯 2

Custom Prep Plan

Using diagnostic results and the consultation, James builds a targeted plan that focuses time and energy on your student's specific weak spots — the question types, math concepts, and reading strategies that are actually holding back their score.

📈 3

Measurable Score Growth

Students work through their plan session by session with direct instruction, real-time feedback, and accountability. Progress is tracked and the plan adjusts as skills improve — so momentum keeps building through test day.

Choose the Right Fit

Every session is taught by James directly — no handoffs. Families who enroll during the launch lock in the founding rate of $125 per session (regular rate $150) for as long as they stay enrolled.

Intensive Package
One-Time Engagement
$2,500 one-time
20 one-hour sessions · flexible scheduling · founding rate ($3,000 regular)

Designed for students with an upcoming test date who need a focused, high-volume push. All 20 sessions are used strategically to close the biggest score gaps as efficiently as possible.

  • 20 live 1-on-1 Zoom sessions
  • Targeted diagnostic at the start
  • Custom prep plan included
  • Sessions scheduled around your calendar
  • Great for test retakes & urgent timelines
Get Started
Small Group Course
8-Week Group Program
$449 per student
8 weekly sessions · 6 students max

A structured option for students who learn well alongside peers. Groups are capped at 6 so James can still give meaningful individual attention each session — the lowest-cost way to get his instruction without compromising on quality.

  • 8 weekly live group sessions via Zoom
  • Maximum 6 students per group
  • Covers SAT or ACT (one per cohort)
  • Structured curriculum + practice tests
  • Most affordable per-session rate
Reserve a Spot
JC

Expert Instruction from Someone Who Knows These Tests Inside and Out

James Corngold has spent more than 25 years in test prep and education — building individual and group ACT/SAT programs for Sylvan Learning Center, directing a Huntington Learning Center, and coaching students full-time since 2018. He holds an M.A. in Education and a current Illinois Professional Educator License, and he knows these tests' architecture: not just the content, but the logic, the traps, and the patterns that separate high scorers from the rest. Based in Illinois and working with students nationwide via Zoom, James built Corngold Prep Academy on a simple conviction: generic test prep is a waste of a student's most valuable resource, which is time.

Every student James works with gets his full attention and a prep strategy built around their specific performance data — not a recycled curriculum. He communicates directly with parents throughout the process so families are never left wondering whether the work is actually translating into progress.

James also understands the business side of tutoring: transparent pricing, honest expectations, and no upselling. You'll always know exactly what you're getting and why it's the right approach for your student's situation.

25+ years in test prep & education M.A. Education · Licensed Illinois educator Illinois-based, nationwide via Zoom Grades 9–12 specialist

Frequently Asked Questions

The honest answer is: it depends on your student. The SAT and ACT test similar skills but in meaningfully different ways — the ACT moves faster and offers an optional Science section, while the SAT rewards careful analytical reading and has a heavier math focus. The best approach is to have your student take a short diagnostic version of each test, then compare how they perform relative to their own baseline. This is exactly what James covers in the free consultation call, so you'll have a clear, data-backed recommendation before spending a dollar on prep.
Most students begin to see meaningful progress within 4–6 weeks of consistent sessions. The timeline varies based on starting score, how far the target score is, how frequently your student practices between sessions, and which sections need the most work. During the consultation, James will give you an honest estimate based on your student's specific situation — not an inflated promise designed to close a sale. The students who improve most are the ones who treat the work between sessions seriously, not just the session itself.
Large prep companies sell volume — they build one curriculum and deliver it to thousands of students simultaneously. That model works fine for a student who is roughly average across all sections and needs broad review. But most students have a specific profile: strong in some areas, with identifiable gaps in others. At Corngold Prep Academy, James looks at your student's actual performance data and builds a plan that spends time exactly where it will have the most impact. You also work directly with James — not a rotating roster of part-time instructors or an AI platform. The accountability and relationship that comes from working with one expert consistently is simply not something a large company can replicate at scale.
A prior test score is actually one of the most valuable things a student can bring into prep. It tells James exactly which question types, content areas, and pacing issues caused points to be lost — with far more precision than a cold diagnostic. Students who have already sat for the SAT or ACT often see faster improvement because the prep can be laser- focused from session one. The Intensive Package is particularly well-suited for retakes, since it allows for a concentrated push in the weeks leading up to the next test date.

Ready to Get Your Student on the Right Path?

Book a free 30-minute consultation call. No pressure, no sales pitch — just an honest conversation about what your student needs and how James can help.

📅

Schedule Your Free Consultation

Email James with your student's grade, the test they're targeting (SAT, ACT, or undecided), and any past scores you have. He'll reply within one business day with times for a free 30-minute consultation call.

Email to Book Your Free Consult

What to expect on the call

James will learn about your student's current scores, target schools, and timeline — then give you a clear picture of what prep should look like and which package makes the most sense.

Package Quick Reference

  • Monthly (8 sessions/mo)$1,000/mo
  • Intensive (20 sessions)$2,500
  • Small Group (8-week)$449/student