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Kate is an incredible teacher and tutor!  She is a hidden gem in the NOVA area and has been helping students for over 30 years!  Kate helped my 3 children over the past few years, and did in a few weeks what other places try to do in months, to prepare students for the ACT and SAT.  In addition to practicing & reviewing the tests every week, Kate teaches students how to read, think, analyze, and answer questions properly!

All my 3 children scored in the upper 30’s on the ACT, the highest being 35 (out of 36), an increase of 5 – 10 points per child.  And at least a couple of hundred points higher on the SAT each.  Kate is truly magical and transforms children’s thought process and improves their critical thinking skills with her vast knowledge and experience!

A trusted friend had enrolled her daughter with Kate Dalby a year or two earlier (the daughter, who is extremely intelligent in any case, got 800s on her SAT).  She recommended Kate to us and we have enrolled our three kids, one for Spring 2017 (now underway), two for the summer (have not begun).

After one session, our daughter’s ACT average went from a 31 to a 34.5; after a few sessions, a session later her math SAT was up to a 780 and she knew exactly why she had missed the two questions that cost her a perfect score.  Her verbal had increased slightly to mid-700s – both are still works in progress.  We have found Kate always available to consultation in person and by phone – and our emails have been answered almost instantly, even over the weekend.

We began the process with complimentary, no-obligation practice ACT tests, diagnosis and recommendations for each of our kids.  The tests were graded immediately and the feedback was interesting and useful.  A friend of ours had his two kids take the test and was amazed at how quickly and accurately Kate was able to identify the specific areas where they needed help.

The office is small and comfortable, and Kate teaches all the classes herself.  Her maximum is 12 students per class; my daughter’s Spring class has two students (one Langley, one TJ), very personal attention.  We have yet to see class size for the other two.  I am writing this review a bit early in the process because, but for our trusted friend’s recommendation, we would not have known about Kate and thought others might like to consider her.  We will update when all the classes are complete.

Kate helped my older child with TJ admissions and PSAT test prep. It helped a lot, I credit kate for the extra boost that helped achieve National Merit Scholar Semifinalist and an 800 on Math SAT and  TJ class of 2015. My younger child also found Kate’s course offerings helpful and thinks that extra boost helped secure admission to TJ class of 2020 to great relief, because child was really determined to follow older sibling and has no doubts about wanting to excel at TJ. My kids looked forward to sessions with Dalby and Inspiring Test Prep and always found them enjoyable.

I started with a 29 act composite and got a 32 on my first test, 35 on the second one. She really helps, and she knows the tests inside and out. She will give you one on one review for all the tests you take, and prepare you as best she can