The 1500 LabFAQ
Questions parents ask
Straight answers, no run-around. If your question isn’t here, bring it to the call or email david@1500-lab.com.
Does the SAT still matter for my teen’s year?
Yes, and more than it has in years. For the class of 2028, every Ivy League school requires a score again. For the class of 2027, 7 of the 9 most selective schools do, and more than 60 colleges and university systems require one for fall 2027. The full breakdown, by cohort →
My teen is smart and works hard. Why won’t the score move?
Because there are eight ways to lose points on the digital SAT, and studying only fixes one of them.. the material they don’t know. For a capable teen the points usually go through trap answers, misreads, the clock or test-day nerves, and no amount of teaching touches any of those. We call them the Eight Leaks →
We already paid for tutoring and a course. Why would this be different?
What you bought wasn’t wasted. It was aimed at one leak. Tutoring, courses and Khan Academy all fix Concept Gaps and they’re good at it. If your teen is still stuck, that’s the clue the points are going somewhere else. We start with a full-SAT audit, all 98 questions, to find out where, before anyone teaches anything.
Is a stuck score just my teen’s ceiling?
Almost never. A score that won’t move usually means the preparation is aimed at the wrong thing, not that your teen ran out of ability. It’s normally a handful of specific, fixable leaks nobody has found yet. Students who were “stuck” →
How does the guarantee work, and what’s the catch?
Every student we take is guaranteed a 1500, in writing. Hit it, or you get your money back. The only conditions are your teen’s side of it: attend the sessions, finish the plan, sit the SAT. The catch, if you want one, is at the door.. if we don’t think we’re a good fit, we won’t take you on. The full terms, in writing →
How much time does it take? My teen is already overloaded.
Thirty to sixty minutes a day, aimed only at what’s costing the score, which is usually less than your teen is already spending. One session a week with their tutor and a full proctored exam every three weeks, and the schedule bends around their life, training schedules and AP loads included.
How fast can the score move?
For most students it takes ten or twelve weeks, because the work is aimed only at what’s actually costing points. It’s also why the deadline math matters. Count back from a fall test date and the runway is shorter than it looks.
What actually happens after we apply?
A short application, then a free assessment call. On the call we go through where your teen stands and work their results against the Eight Leaks as we talk, so you can see what’s taking the points and what it would take to fix. Whether or not we end up working together, you leave with answers. What to bring →
Does my teen need to be on the call?
Yes, with you. It’s their score, and the call is much better when they’re in the room. Both parents if you can.
What if my teen is done with prep and doesn’t want more?
This isn’t more of it. We cut the studying that isn’t moving the score, so they end up doing less. Thirty to sixty minutes a day, no busywork, and progress they can see every week. There’s a page written for them rather than you. Send it over →
Why is it fully online?
Because the SAT is a digital test now, and practicing it in any other format is practicing the wrong thing. The simulations run in the same digital format your teen will sit the real one in, on the same kind of screen. It also means no commute either way, which is a big part of why teens actually turn up every week.
Do you take every student?
No. The assessment tells us what it would take for your teen specifically.. the timeline, the intensity, the plan. If we don’t think we’re a good fit, we say so and we don’t take you on. The guarantee only works because of that.