@hel{eiuU*k @imes TheMetro Section Tirtors Hold Key to Higher TestScores, for aHigh Fee
WEDNESDAY JUNE 1,2OO5
By HOPE REEVES
tl ,8
f, dam Fisherrememberswalking home from elementary school I lthinking not about Mister Softee or Ms. PacManbut aboutMs.Grace.his third-gradeteacher.Why, he wondered, hadsheexplaineda newmath concept in sucha roundaboutway? If only shehad laid it outlike this,herecallsthinking,re- working the lesson in his head,thenwe wouldhaveunderstood it immediately. Thiswas not the first time Mr. Fisher had pondered the art of teaching and learning. In fact,hehadbeentutoringhis classmates incethe previousyear,hav- ingdiscovered that hehada knackfor ex- plainingconcepts otheotherkidsunder- stood them. A slenderfellow with a goateeand a massof curly hair,Mr. Fisher,34,still tu- torsstudents. Onlytodayhisstudentsare seekinghighertestscores - andhis tuto- rials cost$375 to $425anhour. Mr. Fisheris amongabout100 tutors workingfor AdvantageTestingInc.,an UpperEast Sidetest preparationfirm. He joined nine years ago,with no for- mal teachingexperiencebut a mas- ter's degree in music from Juilliard and a Harvard physicsdegree,and is now one of the firm's most senior tu- tors. He says he consistentlyraises SAT scoresby more than 200points and achievessimilar resultsin gradu- ateschoolexams. The faculty members, as Advantage callsits tutors,havemadea profession of preparing students for tests like the SAT's and SAT II Subject Tests, the GraduateRecord Exam, the Graduate Management AdmissionTestandthelaw schooland medical collegeadmissions tests. To apply for the job eachhad to meet thefirm's prerequisite of scoring,cold,in the99thpercentileor aboveonany test in which they intendedto tutor - for Mr. Fisher,thelawschoolandgraduateman- agementtest and the SAT. Tutors are ll
Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times
Broadway and 73rd Street in
Adam Fisher inhis apartment office at Manhdttan.
Paying $375 to $425 , l. an nour to gatn ct systematicapproach to learning. paid $165 to $685 for a 50-minute session, dependingon seniority. (Lower rates are offered to needy students,and the firm doessomepro bonowork.) But while Mr. Fisher earns over $100,000 a year,he insistshe is not in the job just for themoney.And a visit to the sparsely furnished Upper West Side
apartmentheshareswith hiswife andin- fant daughter lends credence to his claim. Sitting in his homeoffice at Broadway and73rdStreet,hisprizedcellobalanced againstthe bare wall, he sayshe tutors for threereasons:because hewantstobe able to live comfortably in the city, he wants time to practiceand perform his music and, most important, he loves to teach."I earnenough to raisea family in Manhattan,"he said."I'm a teacherwho gets paid equitably.I don't feel guilty aboutthat." In fact, Mr. Fisher feels pretty good aboutwhat he does.He arguesthat test- prep canbe muchmore than rote learn- ing aimed at achieving a superficial score.To him, studyingfor a schoolen-
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