Cameron did pretty well on the verbal test, scoring correctly on 30/60 questions. He did very well on eliminating the obviously wrong answers and I think he can definitely improve his score with hard work. I'm very impressed with his effort and attitude.

I thought today was both productive and encouraging. Cameron answered 15 out of 25 questions correctly on his timed math test. After going over the problems he got wrong, he definitely is capable of scoring 20 or higher. He has trouble with word problems and often missed questions because he tried to do the problems in his head. I stressed the need to write out every problem and equation, especially because he is not allowed to use a calculator on the test. It is critical that he writes the problems out completely. Once he saw the equations written out, he was able to answer them. But it was a very encouraging day and I'm confident he'll pick up the math quickly.

This was our first meeting so a big part of it was getting to know Cameron and beginning to assess his skills for prepartation of the test. He says he is very nervous about the math and writing section and feels very comfortable with the reading. I had him do a timed writing sample and was very pleased with his first effort. He has the basic structure of the 5 paragraph essay down, but needs to work on developing his ideas more fully. He also needs work on basic sentence and paragraph structure but I am confident he will pick it up rather quickly. We talked about the SSAT and the effort it will require from him over the next month. He said he was a bit nervous, but willing to do what it takes to be successful. All in all, I thought it was a very positive first session.