I love teaching at the confluence of subjects that make up test prep.

It’s a privilege to journey with students through their past learning and prepare them for what’s ahead. My test prep career began in 2005 in Los Angeles after graduating from the University of Southern California, where I delivered the graduation speech. The cookie-cutter approach of that initial tutoring company didn’t resonate with me; students deserved better. After working internationally with an active travel company, I settled in New York City in 2010 and dove back into test prep. It supported my emerging art career, but I soon found myself captivated by teaching high school students. Unlike most high school teachers who stick to one subject, test prep allowed me to link concepts across subjects and my arts background inspired me to creatively teach the same concept in various ways until it clicked. I exposed the creativity in math and science and the logic in grammar, reading, and writing, blending them into a holistic method.

I embarked on my test prep career in New York City with the unique opportunity: teaching US college admissions test prep at the Lycée Français in Manhattan, which integrated test prep into the school day. I learned to adapt test prep to international students following a non-US curriculum. As the lead test prep teacher, I trained new instructors, developed curricula, attended conferences, collaborated with other teachers, and worked closely with the college counseling team. This led to seminar courses at the Friends Seminary School in Washington, D.C and other high schools in New York City. As I honed my methods and curricula, my one-on-one student roster grew by word of mouth. I never needed to advertise as I balanced my art career with test prep tutoring, now covering nearly all standardized tests: ISEE, SSAT, SHSAT, TACHS, TOEFL, IELTS, GMAT, and the GRE. Requests from siblings, former students, and referrals led me to expand my offerings to college essay coaching, college level writing tutoring, and executive functioning coaching. In 2021, the esteemed Organizational Tutors invited me to join its network of executive functioning coaches and made me a lead tutor in 2023.

 My passion for ACT and SAT test prep stems from how these exams uniquely connect the dots across subjects and learning histories. It’s thrilling to guide students through this confluence, blending their academic knowledge with new insights. Introducing brain training and neural plasticity empowers my students. Adopting a growth mindset helps them see their progress: where they are now, where they’ve been, and where they’re headed next. These reflection points are crucial as students move through my test prep program and beyond. Combining executive functioning coaching with my expertise in US college entrance exams, I developed a brain-centered approach. This means dismantling bad habits and cultivating good ones at the neural level. Over the years, I’ve refined my approach to use test prep as a launchpad for life skills. My students not only boost their test scores but also gain skills to excel academically, write compelling college essays, be prepared for college, and think creatively to succeed in whatever path they choose.

 When I am experimenting with pedagogy on my two young kids, I try to mountain bike as much as possible, hike, surf when I’m near a break, draw, listen to the news, read, develop new projects, cook, spend time with family and friends, and savor delicious food from various cultures around the world.

- Nathan Rayman