How it all started
A letter from our president
Like most students, I absolutely detested the SATs and ACTs back in high school— the tests gave me a lot of anxiety. I was always told I was bright and I did well in school, but the thought of not doing well on the test terrified me.
What would the other kids at school think of me? What would my parents think of me? Worst of all, what would I think of me? What if I’m not as smart as I thought I was?
At the end of the day, though, I had to suck it up and see how the cookie would crumble.
My test prep consisted of my mom dropping me off at Barnes and Noble and sitting at the cafe for three hours at a time with my blank notebook completing practice tests from the prep books they had in stock. Finally, I took the test and after the longest three weeks of my life, I received my results.
I missed the mark. While my scores were okay, I knew I was capable of better.
After graduating college a couple of years later, something weird happened. I started working as a test prep tutor. And I loved it. I immersed myself in the tests— I took every test that was available, learned all of the strategies, and filled in all of my conceptual gaps. I even started sitting for the official tests myself, and, to my surprise, I scored near-perfect on the SAT and the ACT.
How could it be? How was it that after I struggled so much with the test in high school I was now doing so well?
I realized that after working for several SAT tutoring companies big and small and helping hundreds of students, I now had the strategies, the concepts, and more importantly the confidence to score highly on the test. With the right concepts, strategies, and mindset, any student could score highly on these tests.
I started Critical Point because I know what it’s like to struggle to increase my scores, and I’ve made it my mission ever since to give every student the skills they need to succeed on these tests.
Andre Kiss
President & Founder
Andre Kiss
President & Founder
Our Team
Andre Kiss
Founder, President
Highest Scores
SAT – 1600 ACT – 36
Andre started Critical Point a decade ago after falling in love with helping students reach their potential on the SAT and ACT. He graduated from Ursinus College Summa Cum Laude and shortly thereafter spent 9 months in the Amazon region of Brazil on a Fulbright Scholarship from the US Department of State. He has a Border Collie named Harambe who loves to play frisbee!
What parents are saying…
David Clarke
Associate Instructor
Highest Scores
SAT – 1590 ACT – 36
After graduating from Radnor High School, David attended Columbia University and studied Middle East, computer science, and philosophy. Since graduating, David has taught the DSAT while repairing an ailing bicycle for trail-riding. David’s goal is to drive his students to become their best selves, academically and personally.
What parents are saying…
Matt Gusdorff
Associate Instructor
Highest Scores
SAT – 1600 ACT – 36
A former Critical Point student whom we helped score a 1600 on his SAT, Matt knows the power of tutoring first-hand. After graduating Conestoga High School, he graduated from Haverford College with a major in Computer Science and a passion for AI and machine learning. A former German teaching assistant, Matt makes learning engaging and fun. When he’s not tutoring, he’s cheering on Philly sports, playing guitar and bass, or hanging out with his two dogs.
What parents are saying…
Roger Cheng
Math Specialist
Most of us thought we were pretty bright until we met Roger. A former professor from the “MIT” of Hong Kong, Roger has his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University, has coauthored more than 150 papers, and holds more than 25 patents. He assists students with any math, from pre-algebra to college level math, and helps students with physics and engineering as well.
What parents are saying…
Willie Swei
Associate Instructor
Highest Scores
SAT – 1590 ACT – 36
When his high school ran out of math classes for him to take, Willie took Discrete Math at Ursinus College, where he met his fellow tutor teaching the class, Nick Scoville. That’s how Willie was introduced to us. When not helping students master the SAT or ACT, Willie can be found cooking a life-changing Korean short rib or Oyakodon.
What parents are saying…
Jason Getchell
Associate Instructor
Highest Scores
SAT – 1560 ACT – 36
Through serving at his church’s youth group, Jason discovered his passion for working with students and helping them learn and grow. When not tutoring, watching Survivor, or getting in involved in local theatre, Jason teaches at Linville Hill Christian School with their special education program. Jason‘s goal is to give students the knowledge and the confidence to succeed!
What parents are saying…
Mahprat Ghalip
Associate Instructor
Highest Scores
SAT – 1550 ACT – 35
After spending 6 years developing curriculum for the largest SAT tutoring company in China, Mahprat came to the University of Pennsylvania to receive her Master’s in Education Degree in Reading, Writing, and Literacy. Luckily for us, she joined our team shortly after! She’s not just great at teaching students— she also taught her dog to put all of his toys back in its toy box after he plays with them!
What parents are saying…
Nick Scoville
Associate Instructor
Highest Scores
SAT – 1550 ACT – 34
After receiving his PhD from Dartmouth College in Mathematics, Nick joined the faculty at Ursinus College where he chairs the Department of Mathematics. Nick loves to cook Indian food and BBQ, play ragtime piano, and keep up with his 5 daughters.
What parents are saying…
Harambe Kiss
Tutor-in-training, Critical Point
A very good boy, Harambe loves to play frisbee and will never say no to a game of tug. He has learned sit, down, stay, roll over, and various other commands, but continues to have difficulty grasping quadratic functions and trigonometry.
We get results.
How the process works
Get a Baseline.
If your child hasn’t taken either test yet, we will have them sit for a full proctored official SAT and ACT tests to determine the test they have the advantage on. Virtual diagnostics are available.
Find the perfect program.
Depending on your child’s baseline test results and their goals, we will determine the perfect-fit tutoring program length. There are no long-term commitments and we’ll never recommend tutoring your child doesn’t need.
Pick a test date.
Involvement in sports, upcoming vacations, and other commitments help us determine the most optimal, distraction-free test date for your son or daughter.
