Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Another ACT Success Story

A direct quote from a student and more proof that hard work and determination pay off: 

I wanted to give you the fantastic news that after my last ACT, with super scoring from my past tests, I now have a 32! I did what we hoped for and improved both my Reading and English from 33 and 34 to 35 in both! And I improved my math score 4 points to 28! So, with my original 31 in Science, 35 in English and Reading and 28 in Math all from this most recent test, my Super score improved to 32!!

Thank you for your patience, your diligence, and your dedication to help me do my best and build confidence in myself. It's giving me great hope for the future and I can't wait to keep updating you on what happens with college apps.


This particular student put in the time to improve. 

When she started working with CROSSWALK, she was scoring in the high teens on the ACT. One year later and she is in the 30s. What a difference a year of consistent and quality practice makes. 

There really is no secret to improving your ACT or SAT. If you are willing to put in the work and you have the time to do so, you too can experience a significant score increase. 

If you need some guidance along the way, contact CROSSWALK. We offer private tutoring and small group classes for SAT, ACT, PSAT, SSAT and more. 

Learn more here. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Best Part of Tutoring: Success Stories!

Despite my almost two decades of teaching test prep, there is one thing that will never get old: hearing from students about their successes. 

Here is a recent e-mail that put a smile on my face (name is changed to protect the students): 



“I wanted to let you know that Sierra just received her test score from the September ACT and she did so well. She increased from a 28 to a 31. She is really happy and we wanted to thank both of you for your help.”

Sierra spent some time with two of our tutors, but more importantly she put in the practice time. 

And here is a text that brings me joy (name is changed here, too): 

“Bianca got a 30 on the ACT! Thank you. She did better in the science part. The first thing she said after she left the test venue was that your strategies really helped, how you taught her to approach each question, etc.” 

Bianca, too, put in the time. 

As much as I share in the student’s success, the real story for both of these students is that they put in hours of practice and preparation. 

Test-taking is a skill. And like any skill, test-taking improves with consistent and quality practice.

Want to be a CROSSWALK success story? Contact us here to learn more. 



Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Another ACT Success Story!

Success stories never get old so let’s tell another one from CROSSWALK. The following was emailed to me:

“We were very pleased with Dan’s tutoring. He worked very well with Nicole and Nicole has improved in her practice tests consistently over the weeks. Her overall score has improved by six points and we are very impressed. Overall he was a wonderful tutor.”

Go Dan! Go Nicole! A six-point increase on the ACT is exceptional. 

While there is no doubt that Dan helped create this success story, the biggest impact on score improvement comes from Nicole’s willingness to put in the practice time and improve. 

Time on task is crucial to improving a score. The more dedicated and diligent practice time you commit to the SAT or ACT, the higher your score will go. Couple this with the guidance of one of our outstanding tutors–like Dan–and you have a guaranteed recipe for score improvement. 

To learn how to boost your ACT, SAT or GPA, contact CROSSWALK today. 

Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Incredible SAT Prep Success Story

It wasn’t long ago that I posted a recent success story at CROSSWALK. While that was certainly fun to tell, a better story unfolded this past month. 


This latest story starts with a student who performed below her expectations on the PSAT. A smart student with a good GPA, she scored in the 39th percentile on the PSAT meaning that she scored better than just 39% of the population while 61% of test takers scored better than her. 

Based on this score, the student felt really low in the water. From a GPA perspective, she was not an average student. However, her test scores indicated she was below average. 

This result can mentally derail any student. But not this one. 

Fast forward six months later, and this is what the mother emailed CROSSWALK: 

“She increased her score by 720 points including an 800 in Math!!! 700 in Writing and a 620 in Critical Reading. Thank you for setting us up with tutor Dan. He has changed her life by making her competitive for Ivy, the academies, and other highly ranked schools.”

What was the secret? How did she turn it around? 

While I would like to believe this success was solely due to Dan’s work as a tutor, the real success started with the student’s desire to improve. Put bluntly, this student put in the time to get better. When you put in quality time to learn a new skill, the results speak for themselves. 

The student took it upon herself to maximize her time with the tutor. She spent many hours working on problem sets. She made test preparation a major priority in her life. She learned and practiced the strategies frequently. And now she relishes the results. 


Congratulations to the student. A 720-point increase is truly remarkable!

Do you want to increase your SAT or ACT score? Contact CROSSWALK today. We offer private tutoring for SAT and ACT preparation in person or via Skype. CROSSWALK is Monterey Peninsula’s resource for tutoring and test prep. 

Prefer to learn on your own? Start your SAT prep by reading 2400 SCORES: 24 Life Lessons to Demystify the SAT and Boost Your Score. 



Brooke Higgins Uncategorized

Another SAT Prep Success Story

Time to celebrate another success story at CROSSWALK!

Sure, bragging about our own success may make us appear less than humble. Nevertheless, we take great pride in helping our students and we all celebrate when a student achieves his or her goal.

The latest example is Morgan, a student who worked on SAT prep with one of CROSSWALK’s finest tutors, Dan. 

Morgan had a goal to increase her SAT score to improve her chances at attending California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Opisbo. She and Dan started SAT prep sessions last May. After a break in the summer, Dan and Morgan met regularly throughout the fall. 

Morgan’s diligence, coupled with Dan’s guidance, yielded strong results. This is a direct quote from the mother in an email she sent to Dan:

“I’m super proud to tell you that all her hard work has paid off, as Morgan was accepted Early Decision at Cal Poly! This was her first choice college and all we’ve been working towards for the past couple years. Thank you for being such an integral part of her success.”

But wait, there’s more:

“She raised her last SAT by 300 points overall. We appreciate the hard work you put in with Morgan, she truly feels that you were a huge part in her raising her test scores overall. She felt confident in her ability to tackle the tests with an organized plan, and obviously she was prepared and ultimately successful.”

Early Decision to the college of her choice? Awesome!

Congratulations, Morgan! On behalf of everyone at CROSSWALK, we wish you continued success.

If you want to be one of CROSSWALK’s success story, contact us here to learn about SAT prep, ACT prep and other tutoring options.

Also, read “2400 SCORES: 24 Life Lessons to Demystify the SAT and Boost Your Score” by Brooke Higgins to learn how to approach life and the SAT.