I would like to take this opportunity to write a wholesome review for Matthew and his ACT prep methods. My daughter, a high schooler and in need for preparation for her upcoming ACTs required someone who could guide and counsel her on what to expect and prepare and also provide that one-on-one mentorship and moral support that a child is looking for. We came upon Matthew by chance when searching for someone or somewhere that our daughter could prepare with and gain some experience. While we were unsure of what experience Matthew would provide, we decide to connect with him. He had good reviews and a meeting with him exuded the experience that he has. The moment we said yes, Matthew wasted no time and he was quick to send our daughter material to start her preparations. The bi-weekly sessions to assist her in areas of weakness were quickly dealt with and we saw that her scores in the practice tests started improving which in turn improved her confidence in doing well at the real tests. I am happy to mention that our daughter's got the high score she was aiming for. It does take two hands to clap, so, while Matthew's methods are superb, the hard work that our daughter put in helped pull this off. But, it could not have been done without Matthew's help. Thank you Matthew! read more

We sought tutoring help for our high school sophomore when we relocated mid-year from another school district and found that the physics class locally was in a quite different place in the curriculum and was taught very differently from the one he was in. Our son was very frustrated by the whole thing (move, classes, teacher, etc.). We had discussed finding a tutor for physics, but just weren't coming up with a good match. Then we met Matt. He was responsive, respectful, and flexible. He connected very well both professionally and personally with our entire family. Matt clearly knows his material and is a smart, organized person. He helped our son get up to speed by spending time on what had been covered in the first part of the year here, as well as spending time on new material. While the sessions were rigorous, Matt also expected our son to do his homework and try the problem sets himself. Matt was very patient, and took into account where our son was emotionally with such a big move. We would highly recommend Matt for any tutoring needs, and would definitely use his services again. read more

We enrolled our daughter in the 30+ ACT Class in January 2018. The class is very thorough and there is ample opportunity for practice testing that feels like a real test. I believe our daughter had a 25 on the first practice test she took, however, with the class and the homework and the practice tests she increased her score by 1-point each week. If your child is to get the most out of it the time commitment outside of class is considerable. Our kid is a high level athlete training 24 hours a week, but she was willing to make this a priority because she knew it would help with everything from scholarship opportunities to NCAA recruiting. After the 30+ ACT Class and a few tutoring sessions with Matt, she earned a 33 on the actual test. We plan to have each of our kids enrolled in the class. We are a large family with modest means, having said that, this was money well spent. read more

Score Builder was recommended to us by a college counselor who has been working with my daughter. Mike tutored her weekly between March and May, helping her achieve a healthy gain in her SAT scores. His instruction was tailored to her needs and included a nice blend of test taking strategies and content. I also appreciated Mike's flexibility. Our neighborhood is a bit out of the way for him so while he wasn't able to come to our house, he was able to come up with an alternate location that worked for both of us. Additionally, he managed to work around her heavy extracurricular schedule and agreed to tutor her on Sunday evenings (which I thought went above and beyond the call of duty). Overall we were very pleased with this experience and will use them again when it is our younger daughter's turn to take the test. read more

As a family living in North county of San Diego, sending the teenager to south of San Diego for SAT/ACT prep is very challenging. I did it for my older son, it was not easy for a working mom. That is the reason I was chilled to hear about Matt's test prep center in Carlsbad. I signed my daughter up for 30+ ACT class. Yes, her score came out today and make our whole family sooooooooooooo happy! She got 32, higher than all her prep scores. Matt's test prep classes have the magic wands to make my daughter's dream score come true. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I highly recommend Matt's 30+ ACT class to everyone living in the north county. We don't need to drive to the south and pay much more $$$ if Matt can give our kids the scores they dream for. Won't wait but sign your kids up! read more

Matt provided the personalized tutoring we needed. My daughter is not a good fit for a boot camp as her schedule is ridiculous. And we had the added pressure of her wanting to be 'one and done!' so as not to impact her other commitments. Matt came to our home, provided the materials, kept the prep to a realistic weekly time commitment, and was consistent in his expectations of her. He was clear in reviewing baseline and built skills in the areas that made sense while teaching strategies in others. There was no busy work. He worked on her deficits and moved on. Matt is thorough and my daughter enjoyed working with him. He wastes no one's time while getting great results. I highly recommend Scorebuilder Test Prep. read more

Matt helped me study for the sat and my SAT score raised 110 points. We worked together for about two months over Skype, and he was incredibly helpful. We covered all the SAT topics but he made sure I was learning what I wanted to improve. Not only did he teach content, but he also showed me test taking strategies and how to approach questions that I struggled with. He was super flexible about session times and made sure I felt comfortable with the material before we moved on. The tutoring materials he provided were amazing and allowed me to practice a ton! I was so happy with the results and would highly recommend Scorebuilder Test Prep! read more

Matt did a wonderful job tutoring my son for the ACT test, and without his help my son would have scored much lower. From the initial practice test to the actual ACT, he brought his score up 5 points! My son wasn't sure initially whether to focus on the ACT or SAT, and Matt helped with that too. Matt is organized, provides the actual (hard copy) practice tests and study materials, and takes time to go over topics that are causing difficulty. His test-taking strategies are very helpful too. Matt follows up with progress information, and also responds to emails quickly. I highly recommend him and Scorebuilder Test Prep. read more

My son loved working with Matt! And I loved that Matt was really easy to work with and schedule, quickly assessed my son's strengths and areas to work on, and made efficient use of his time and my son's at each session and with homework. It's also not a cookie-cutter approach...I went in thinking that my son would take the SAT and instead Matt dug deeper into my son's sample test scores for SAT/ACT and recommended that he take the ACT. My son improved his ACT score 6 points and is happy to have his standardized testing behind him after one sitting. Thank you Matt! read more

Michael Stroup was just awesome! He tutored our son Thomas in our home. He was always so accommodating when it came to working around Thomas' busy football schedule. The materials he provided for ACT prep were invaluable and a great resource as Thomas prepared for the ACT. In just 6 weeks he got Thomas' score from 23 to 26. With another 3 sessions Thomas got 27. With super scoring he now has 28. Thomas could not have done it without Michael's help. I highly recommend ScoreBuilder Test Prep to anyone needing ACT or SAT tutoring for their students. Thank you Michael! read more

Matt helped my son raise his SAT score 200 points through personal tutoring sessions. He was great at knowing his strengths and weaknesses and customizing a plan to increase his score.. He helped him with time management strategies and how to approach various questions by looking for key facts, words and phrases and applying rules. He was able to compensate for his average English skills by getting an almost perfect math score of 770! This was not a one size fits all tutoring program. We are relieved and happy with his SAT score and highly recommend! read more

Matt has helped all three of my children move their scores from 2 - 5 points on the ACT. Those of you reading this review who have already started down the college path KNOW how significant even ONE point can be. Somewhere I am sure there exists a dollar spent/point raised matrix - if Matt and his team were part of this study, they would be at the apex of the curve (is that the right math term Matt???) If you are looking for concise, value-added test prep look no further than Matt and his Scorebuilder business. read more

Matt was a great fit for my son. We were interested in someone who could offer 3-5 individual sessions to ensure my son was prepared for the ACT. They worked together well in the prep sessions; the follow up work at home was extremely clear; and after my son did his practice tests, they reviewed the answers so when it came time for test day, my son was extremely well prepared. We were extremely happy with the results. I would highly recommend Matt to anyone interested in seeing quick and effective results. read more

After checking into many programs for my son's ACT prep, we are so glad we went with ScoreBuilder Test Prep and Matt Stroup. My son was part of a small group prep class. It worked very well for him. The once a week meetings were relevant and spot-on, targeted to the needs of each student in the class. There is a logical, sequential order to the materials taught. Matt communicated each week with updates and suggestions. I highly recommend this program for anyone planning to take the ACT. read more

Matt was an exceptional tutor for my son. He not only helped him with specific math and English skills but also test taking skills. With my son's busy schedule, it was extremely helpful that Matt came to our house. He was always prompt and prepared and was efficient with his time. The highlight...my son got an impressive SAT score on his first test and was even able to increase it 80 points on his second so now he can focus on his Junior year knowing he is finished with the test! read more

Matt Stroup was an excellent tutor for my daughter. His materials were fantastic. He traveled to us instead of us having to travel to him which was very helpful. He was always professional, prepared and communicated well with us (the parents) when we had questions about how to support our daughter's learning and preparation for the ACT. And....her scores improved dramatically from her ACT test pre-Matt to her ACT post-Matt tutoring. Thank you ScoreBuilder Test Prep!! read more

Matt is amazing! My daughter is dyslexic and standardized testing has never been her strength. In addition to reviewing content (which he knows inside and out) and providing materials, his strategies for approaching the ACT helped her bump her score a significant 4 points. He's friendly and his teaching style put her at ease during the review sessions. We will hire him again when our son is ready to prepare for testing. Highly recommended! read more

My friend referred us to Michael and ScoreBuilder and he helped my son to prep for the SAT and the ACT after taking it with no help. He raised his score on both tests with the biggest being the ACT that he raised 2 pts with only a few weeks of tutoring. I highly recommend ScoreBuilder and Michael, he worked around my son's busy schedule, was on time, effective, efficient and very nice and supportive. read more

My son worked with Mike and had an excellent experience. Mike knows the material inside and out and knows how to help the student. His instruction is most helpful, very much to the point and my son's scores improved dramatically. Mike was a pleasure to work with, always on time and very professional and friendly. My son enjoyed working with him very much. Thank you Mike! read more