Mr. Fisher helpedher raise it enoughto gainearly admissionto GeorgetownUni versity. "He's great at breaking down the fun- damentalsand broughtmy math to a wholenewlevel,"shesaid. Ms. Gottlieb'smother,ShannonSuch, said her daughter enjoyedthe sessions. Possiblymoreimpressive,shesaid,was h o w m u c h M r . F i s h e r s e e m e dt o c a r e ." I gotthefeelinghereallyenjoyedhiswork and liked helpingthesekids," Ms. Such said. Indeed,Mr. Fisherglowswhenhetalks of the mentalgymnasticshe must per- form, confessingthat his favorite part of the job is when a student gets really stuck.It is then,he says,that he getsto exercise his creativity. How to get this techniquethrough to this kid? How to break down a complicated concept so each part is small enoughto digest? T h a t ' sw h a t e x c i t e sh i m . "Youcan'timaginehowrewardingit is to seea kid finally getit," hesaid."They get that giddy feeling.You can seeit on their faces,andhalf the time they wind upwalkingoutof my officesodistracted t h e y f o r g e tt h e i r c o a t . "
andcredits muchof his successto his tu- tor's methodanddisposition. "Eventhoughhe'sa lot smarterthanI am, he never made me feel that way," Mr. Feldmansaid."He wassolaid-back and patient, I instantly felt comfortable with him,andmy scorekeptgoingup." Mr. Feldmanstartedwith anotherAd- vantagetutor but switchedto Mr. Fish- er becausehefelt a quickerconnection, he said,addingthat he was impressed by how Mr. Fisher organizedthe ses- sionsandby howwellheunderstoodthe test. "He knowsthe LSAT insideandout," Mr. Feldman said. "He would sit and watch me take a practice test andfigure out,justby watchingme,whatI vas hav- ing trouble with. Then we'd work on that until I hadit down." ThoughMr. Feldman estimatesthat his two monthsof tutoring twice a week costhim "three-quartersof a year'stu- ition" (Tulane Law charges$33,000a year in tuition andfees),it was worth it, he said. "This wasaninvestmentin my future." VanessaGottlieb. on the other hand. startedout with a high sAT score.Still,
trance exam is an opportunity for a stu- dent to learn not only facts and proce- duresbut alsoa systematicapproachto learning itself. "My job is not to teach a student the trick to gettinga high score; my job is getting a studentto makethe knowledge theirsso it becomespart of them," Mr. Fishersaid. "I view standardizedtests not as a numberthat getsyouinto collegebut asa toolthat preparesyoufor the rest of your life. "When,not if, my students learn the 3,000to 4,000wordsfor the SATverbal section,"Mr. Fisher added,betrayinga determinationhis studentsmustquickly pick up on,"thosewords becomepart of their life, somethingthey can use forev- er." Mr. Fisher'sstudents eemto agree. SteveFeldman,a 23-year-oldManhat- tan resident.saidthat the three months Mr. Fisher tutoredhim for the law school exampreparedhim well for the mental rigorsofthelaw.Originallyscoringinthe l6th percentileM, r. Feldmanendedupin the 85thpercentile.He was acceptedto hisfirst-choiceschoolT, ulaneUniversity,
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