Golden Owl

Nakkisa Akhavan, the founder of Golden Owl Test Prep and Admissions Consulting, loves test prep. Nakkisa loves test prep so much she isn't even embarrassed to admit it to strangers. She's been told that sometimes she sleep talks her way through LSAT games. When asked what her favorite part of law school was, she often answers, "Studying for the California Bar Exam." She started teaching the SAT in 2006 with the Princeton Review. In 2009, she took a hiatus from test prep to go to law school. While awaiting her results on the California Bar Exam (she passed!), she tutored for two test prep companies, Academic Achievers and Varsity Tutors. After practicing law for a little over one year, she realized that her passion was working with students to teach them the skills and strategies they needed to beat the standardized tests--one important component of the admissions process. She also recognized that she was better positioned to help these students based on a philosophy of test prep that she developed from from her substantial tutoring experience and from having sit for and scored highly on the SSAT, SAT, and LSAT herself. She further developed her philosophy of test prep through studying for, taking, and passing one of the most rigorous standardized tests, the California Bar Exam. Nakkisa decided that based on her extensive experience, she could provide premier, professional tutoring at a fraction of the price of other test prep companies without sacrificing quality. In this inkling of an idea, Golden Owl was born.

 

Nakkisa took bits and pieces she liked from her experience at other companies and formed her vision: offer affordable test prep that doesn't sacrifice quality. Incorporate fun into lessons to help the learning process. Understand that standardized tests are obstacles to be overcome and should enhance, not define, each student's potential. Hire exceptional tutors. Focus on each student rather than offering a "one size fits all" tutoring scheme. Create a syllabus that makes sense for each student rather than just working passively through a book. Use technology to advance learning. Teach fundamentals and strategy. Ensure each student understands that there is not one "right" way to complete a problem or take a test. Set goals with students and constantly revisit them to ensure the students are making progress. Emphasize "active test taking"--focusing on strategies and analysis of strengths and weaknesses, rather than "passive test taking" which focuses on simply filling in bubbles and hoping for the best. Help students understand the structure of the test and how they can beat it. Train tutors in each test type they teach rather than leaving them to figure it out on their own.

 

We understand that these tests are obstacles. The material on a standardized test is not indicative of the applicant's true potential. However, virtually every school requires students to take the test and the scores can make or break the student's chances to be admitted. Our goal is to help each student beat the test and have the best chance of being admitted to his or her dream school.