Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Test Prepping in 4 Different Counties!

Spring is always the busiest time of year at CROSSWALK since many juniors are gearing up for the SAT® and ACT®. 

And this spring marks a momentous accomplishment for CROSSWALK: we are now delivering group test prep classes in four local counties: Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Benito. 


CROSSWALK calls the Monterey County home with group programs at the Stevenson School, York School, and Alisal High School along with private tutoring throughout the peninsula.

In March, CROSSWALK will return for a fourth year to Santa Clara and San Benito Counties as a part of the CAL-SOAP program headquartered at Gilroy High School. CROSSWALK will host workshops at Anzar High School, San Benito High School, Live Oak High School and Gilroy High School.

And new this year is Santa Cruz County. As part of the Upward Bound program, CROSSWALK is hosting two test prep workshops at Pajaro Valley High School.

What a privilege to work with so many great students across the four local counties! Check the calendar for details on when CROSSWALK will be near you. Feel free to contact us to set up your own test prep group workshop or private tutoring. 

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for standardized tests, like the SAT® or ACT®, and academic tutoring. Contact us today to set up your group or private tutoring. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

7 Deadly Sins of SAT® and ACT® Test Prep

Sometimes, what NOT to do is often more important than what to do. 

For test prep, you could call what NOT to do the Seven Deadly Sins of SAT® and ACT® Test Prep. Make sure these seven things are not part of your test prep: 


Pride: To perform your best, take this test seriously. Don’t be too proud to do the dirty work of reading regularly, practicing constantly, reviewing your errors and learning from your mistakes. Learning a new skill is humbling. Take your lumps, learn from mistakes and keep plugging. Hard work pays off. 

Envy: To attain your desired test score, focus on what you, personally, need to do. Not what your neighbor, friend or cousin is doing. You control your test preparation. Keep the singular focus on what you hope to achieve. Any time spent envying other’s performance is wasted effort. You can look for inspiration in other’s performances, just avoid the envy of comparisons. 

Greed: Greedy people are never satisfied. Avoid greed and focus on what is important and crucial. Satisfaction comes from working hard, seeing improvement and achieving realistic goals. Realize that there are many schools out there that want you for you, not your test score. Greedy people stress and stress is the enemy of test performance.

Lust: Passion should be your focus, not lust. Lust is the desire for something unattainable or inappropriate. Passion is the pursuit of something positive or beneficial. Lust leads many to choose an immoral path. Choose passion, not lust. 

Gluttony: There is such a thing as too much good stuff. The glutton continues to consume and is unable to stop consuming at the expense of other things. Put down your cell phone, turn off social media, unplug from the gluttony of consumption and you will have plenty of time for test prep. 

Wrath: What good comes from being angry about the SAT® or ACT®? Sure, you can be upset that the test exists, that the test is biased, and that the test is unfair. But will that anger improve your score? Of course not. Understand the rules of the game and go out and play the game with a calm, cool and disciplined approach. This will improve your score. 

Sloth: Maybe the worst sin of all for anyone preparing for a test. Laziness is rarely the answer. Get off the couch and get to work! 

If you are ready to NOT do the above, and do some test prep, contact CROSSWALK today. CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for SAT®, ACT®, PSAT®, and SSAT® preparation. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Winter SAT® & ACT® Prep Group Classes

Sign up today for one of two Winter SAT® and ACT® Prep Workshop Series by CROSSWALK. One series will be Monday evenings at the Stevenson School and the other will be Thursday evenings at the York School. 

The Stevenson six-week program runs on Monday nights from 7-8:30pm starting January 13th and wrapping up February 17th (note: due to the holiday, the January 20th class will be held January 21st).

The York six-week program runs on Thursday nights from 6-7:30pm starting January 16th and wrapping up February 20th. 

Conducted by CROSSWALK founder Brooke Higgins, these programs are a highly efficient and effective way to get ready for test day. High school juniors and sophomores learn the ins and outs of both tests and how to achieve their goal score. Students walk away with an individualized game plan and a detailed study plan to maximize success. 

Each week of the program targets a different component of the tests. Students have the option to attend just the class(es) they need or they can sign up for the whole program. 


For more information and to sign up for the Stevenson program, click right here. 

For more information and to sign up for the York program, click right here. 

CROSSWALK Test Prep & Tutoring is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for academic tutoring and test prep for the SAT®, ACT®, SSAT®, PSAT® and more. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Test Prepping in Hollister

On Saturday, CROSSWALK kicked off a four-week SAT® and ACT® prep program at San Benito High School. 

This program is fast, furious and effective. With four sessions, each three hours long, the students are making the most of their time. 

The first part of Saturday’s session was spent defining why the SAT® and ACT® are different tests from traditional, content-based school tests. 

Students then did a deep dive into the strategies for the reading portion and the writing/language portions. 

Next week we will jump into math strategies and practice. Subsequent weeks include a session on the essay as well as a final session to review and practice all strategies. 

Many thanks to all of students who decided to spend their Saturday morning doing test prep! It is an honor to spend Saturdays with dedicated, motivated and focused students. Go ‘Balers! 

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for SAT® and ACT® prep. With school workshops, group classes and private tutoring, CROSSWALK is here to help you get ready for test day. Contact CROSSWALK today for more information. 

brookewhiggins act prep, sat prep

Too Early for Back to School?

No joke, the local Staples had a Back to School display in June. That’s too early. 

How about the last week of July? Is that too early? Target doesn’t think so as it has an entire corner of the store dedicated to school supplies. 

Yes, back to school is around the corner. And for rising Seniors, that means time is running out to prepare for the fall tests. 

Late August and early September offer SAT and ACT opportunities respectively. Both tests are administered again October, which may be the last time some Seniors can take the test in order to get scores back in time for some early admission deadlines. 

So as much as you may cringe at the back to school advertising in July, it is a good reminder that you have some time to get some test prep done before the upcoming tests. 

CROSSWALK is available to help. While more time is ideal, we do work with students on short timeframes to get them ready for test day.

Contact CROSSWALK today to see how we can make your back to school transition, and test prep, a little easier.

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for tutoring, test prep and academic support. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Too Early for Back to School?

No joke, the local Staples had a Back to School display in June. That’s too early. 

How about the last week of July? Is that too early? Target doesn’t think so as it has an entire corner of the store dedicated to school supplies. 

Yes, back to school is around the corner. And for rising Seniors, that means time is running out to prepare for the fall tests. 

Late August and early September offer SAT and ACT opportunities respectively. Both tests are administered again October, which may be the last time some Seniors can take the test in order to get scores back in time for some early admission deadlines. 

So as much as you may cringe at the back to school advertising in July, it is a good reminder that you have some time to get some test prep done before the upcoming tests. 

CROSSWALK is available to help. While more time is ideal, we do work with students on short timeframes to get them ready for test day.

Contact CROSSWALK today to see how we can make your back to school transition, and test prep, a little easier.

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for tutoring, test prep and academic support. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

How to Make Test Day Unlike Kindergarten

Think back to your first day of Kindergarten? Was it stressful?


For many kiddos, the first day of Kindergarten is majorly stressful. Separation anxiety, strange people, and unfamiliarity cause even the most resilient little ones to break out in tears. 

Most kiddos stress out on day one of Kindergarten because they don’t know the routine. What is new and different is hard to handle. Learning, or anything for that matter, is impossible when stress is high. 

Kindergarten teachers know this too well and use orientations, meet-and-greets or other ways ease the transition. 

The same is true for the SAT® or ACT®. If the routine is new and different, you stress out and productivity suffers. Even if you can hide your tears better than a Kindergartner, you are crying (and stressing) on the inside. 

So how do you avoid the stress of unfamiliarity of the SAT® or ACT®? 

Just like the Kindergarten teachers set up their systems to increase familiarity and comfort for their students, you too can become more familiar and comfortable with the SAT® or ACT® through routine practice before test day. 

Take practice tests. Learn the directions. Work on your timing needed to complete all test sections. Above all else, become familiar with the process so it is not new and different. 

It doesn’t take much to know the routine, just a little preparation ahead of time. 

If you need help with your preparation, contact CROSSWALK. With several summer workshops and ongoing programs, we can help make your test experience less stressful.  

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Summer ACT® & SAT® Prep: Jump In Now!

Register today for CROSSWALK’s highly successful Summer SAT® & ACT® Prep Workshop Series. Spots are limited so be sure to jump in now! 

All sessions meet on Tuesday evenings from 6-8pm at the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach. Here is the schedule:

  • 6/25: SAT® & ACT® Test Overview and Top Concepts
  • 7/2: Reading Strategies for Success
  • 7/9: Math Strategies for Success
  • 7/16: Writing Strategies for Success
  • 7/23: Science Strategies for Success
  • 7/30: Essay Strategies for Success + Your Study Plan 
Pay by the class or sign up for the whole program and save! Come on in, the water’s fine! 

Sign up via the following form. 

Questions? Or need further information? Contact CROSSWALK here.

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for SAT®, ACT®, PSAT®, SSAT® prep and academic tutoring. 
Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Successful Test Prep Series at Alisal HS

Last week wrapped up the final session of a seven-session Test Prep Workshop Series at Alisal High School in Salinas, CA. 


What a joy to work with such dedicated and motivated students. 

Over the course of the series, students learned and practiced the top strategic approaches to each portion of the SAT® and ACT®. 

Midway through the program, all students took a practice ACT® and learned how to score the test. 

Finally, as the weeks wound down, students could choose to attend Essay, Science, Reading, English, or Math sessions to improve upon any weaknesses identified during practice. 

Many thanks to the Alisal Trojans who stuck with the program. And many thanks to all the CROSSWALK teachers for dedicating their time to this special program.

Turns out spring was busy for CROSSWALK! We visited Alisal HS, Gilroy HS, San Benito HS, Anzar HS, The York School and Stevenson School over the past three months. Lots of great test prep all around the area! 

If your school is in the Monterey area and you would like to learn how to set up a Test Prep Workshops Series, contact CROSSWALK today. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

SAT® & ACT® Prep All Over Peninsula!

Spring is a busy time for SAT® and ACT® preparation and CROSSWALK is busy traveling the local area to conduct both group and private classes. 


For group classes, you can find CROSSWALK this spring on Saturdays at local schools like Alisal High School, Gilroy High School, Anzar High School and San Benito High School. For more information on how to join these courses, you can contact the college counseling offices of those schools directly. 

During the week, CROSSWALK is conducting a six-week workshop series at both The York School on Mondays and The Stevenson School on Thursdays. Contact CROSSWALK for more information on these group classes. And not to be forgotten are the number of private clients we service both in person and via Skype.

If you want to discuss the timing around test preparation, call CROSSWALK today! 

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula’s local resource for SAT® and ACT® preparation as well as academic tutoring for all subjects.