Questions About Our Services

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What kind of expertise do your teachers have?

Our instructors are university graduates with advanced degrees in the subjects they teach and have years of tutoring expertise. Our team has advanced degrees in mathematics, physics, English, Business Administration and Counseling. Many of our instructors have been with Mill Creek Education for more than 5 years.

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Do you use your own curriculum?

No we don't force any nationally franchised curriculum on every student. Instead, our elite instructors drill down on key concepts, assess weaknesses and customize instruction utilizing Washington State core standards and additional prep books and materials to meet individual student needs in order to achieve high GPA's and top test scores. 

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How do you assess student progress?

Some students come to us because they've previously taken homework or tests and performed poorly. So, we can use student's own homework and tests to assess their weaknesses. However, if that's not available, we can assess middle school students using national standardized grade level assessment exams in math and English. Based on the exam performance, we identify problem areas and customize our instruction to focus on those areas. For high school students, we often use either the SAT or specific subject tests such as standardized end of year subject tests or AP exams.

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How large are your group classes?

Our summer camp SAT group classes are typically 8-10 students. We have a lot of demand and filled to capacity. However, most subject related group classes such as algebra, calculus, AP history...etc. during the school year are 3-5 students.

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How do you charge for lessons?

Unlike most other learning centers and nationally franchised tutoring companies, we bill monthly and charge at the beginning of the month. No long term contracts. No large packages required. No credit system that you use or lose. Just simple month to month scheduling and payment.

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What happens if I need to cancel a lesson?

No problem. We are more than happy to cancel lessons at no charge with 24 hours notice. However, we do charge $35 for lessons cancelled same day or any lesson that is missed without notice.

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What materials do you use to teach subject classes such as Algebra 2 or AP Literature?

Our goal is to prepare students in advance of what they're learning in class so they are familiar with concepts well before they cover them in class. However, schools often teach core subjects with different coverage, priority and order. 

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So, we ask students to bring their class syllabus, book, homework, exams and any other materials they're working on to the first lesson. Our instructors use these materials as a roadmap to individualize student lessons and manage their lesson timeline. As the school year progresses, teachers continue to utilize the syllabus for direction and the student's class book for specific content review. However, most books only offer limited coverage of each concept and problem type. As a result, our instructors supplement lessons with several external resources including other books and online material to provide students with additional concept practice and problem review. 

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Questions About The SAT

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What options do you have available for SAT / ACT prep?

We offer both group classes and one-on-one lessons. We typically offer SAT Test & Review classes every Friday where students spend 3 hours taking an actually SAT test in a real test environment. Afterwards, we review the Verbal Section for 1 hour and Math Section for 1 hour. Our SAT Test & Review classes typically have 3-5 students in each class in order to offer students more personalized attention.

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We also offer Summer SAT camp in July and August as well as Winter SAT camp in December. Check back on our SAT page or contact us by phone to inquire about specific dates.

 

For one-on-one SAT lessons, we match students with an English teacher for the verbal prep and a math teacher for the math prep. We typically recommend 1-2 hours per subject per week. We also offer individual SAT mock tests in our office and at home if requested.

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When should students take the SAT?

The College Board (collegeboard.org) says that the SAT covers content up to Algebra 2 and English 2. As a result, we recommend students taking the SAT just after completing Algebra 2 and English 2 so that the concepts and content are still fresh in mind. For advanced students this often means 10th grade and others it may mean 11th grade. The College Board offers the SAT many times per year at proctoring locations all around Western Washington.

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Some universities say they are SAT "Test Blind" or "Test Optional". Is it necessary to take the SAT?

Very few universities are "Test Blind". "Test Blind" means they will not accept SAT scores even if you took the test. "Test Optional" means the university will accept the SAT scores but does not require them. We always recommend taking the SAT and submitting the results to "Test Optional" schools. From our experience, you are much more likely to be accepted with SAT scores than without. The only time we'd suggest not submitting a score is if the student scored very poorly.

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How do your students score on the SAT after group class or 1-on-1 lessons?

Unfortunately, it's not an easy question to answer because it depends on the student and their original baseline. No tutoring service can guarantee a specific SAT score. However, we can say that our students routinely score above 1400 with some scoring 1550 or higher. We also see that most of our students achieve a 200+ improvement on their final test scores when compared to their original baseline SAT exam.

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Questions About Middle and High School

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Do you offer SSAT and ISEE prep for private school entrance exams?

Yes, we do. Our teachers have experience in preparing students of all ages for the lower level, middle level and upper level exams required by private schools for entrance. We've helped students gain access to private schools all over the pacific northwest.

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What should my student do if they scored very poorly in a class and want increase their GPA?

If a student scored poorly in a class and wants to raise their GPA, the student can often retake that class to replace that specific grade. In these cases, we usually recommend the student retake the class online through BYU Independent Study as it offers over 470 accredited classes online is is the top independent certified education platform for K-12 in the US. It is self-paced and we tutor students throughout the course including offering to proctor the exam in our office as one of their certified proctors in the pacific northwest.

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Do students receive college credit for AP classes?

In order to receive college credit for AP classes, students are required to take the end of year AP exam and must typically receive greater than a 3 out of 5 on the test. Most universities allow students to utilize AP credits, but some do not. Also, the amount of credit students receive and how those credits will impact your GPA will vary based on the school. So it's very important to check directly with the schools you intend to apply.

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Questions About College Applications

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How many essays will I have to write for college applications?

The number of essays required varies greatly depending on the number and types of schools students intend to apply as well as the specific degree program. Almost every school and college application requires the infamous "personal statement" that is usually approximately 650 words long. However, individual schools often require 1 or more supplemental essays based on prompts they provide. For example, the University of California (UC) system has their own application and requires students to write 4 essays from a selection of 8 prompts. The University of Washington only requires a personal statement. Keep in mind that it's also possible some of the universities may require additional essays for specific degree programs students apply to.

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Should I apply for ED or EA?

ED is short for Early Decision and EA is short for Early Action. Many schools will allow students to apply early for their university. With ED, if a student applies and is accepted, they are then required to attend because it's a binding contract. With EA, students can still apply early but if accepted, the agreement is non-binding which allows students to compare schools before deciding. Both programs can be beneficial as fewer students apply early and acceptance rates are slightly higher so it makes it a little easier to get accepted. However, one disadvantage with ED is that if the student requires financial aid, they are not able to compare packages from other schools. Instead, students are obligated to accept whatever package the ED school offers. EA on the other hand allows students to compare packages across other EA offers, but requires an early decision, which is typically before acceptance letters are sent out from regular admissions.

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