Inside MasteryPrep’s Research-Based Approach to Readiness

Our readiness solutions are informed by decades of educational research, learning science, and ongoing analysis of assessments.

Not all readiness programs are built the same way. Some emphasize test practice, while others are more strategy-focused. But what separates the most effective offerings is that they are grounded in a deeper understanding of how students learn and the instructional practices that drive their success.

That’s the philosophy that has guided MasteryPrep since its founding in 2013. Our approach is informed by decades of educational research, learning science, and ongoing analysis of assessments and student performance data. The result is an experience designed not only to prepare students for high-stakes tests but also to help them build the knowledge and confidence needed for long-term success.

“A big part of what makes MasteryPrep work is that we built our programs around insights from cognitive psychology and proven instructional practices,” says CEO and Founder Craig Gehring. “That’s very different from traditional test prep programs.”

Our Development Process

Instructional design informed by scaffolding and learning science principles
Analysis of academic standards, assessment frameworks, and released test items
Review of student performance trends and common misconceptions
Identification of frequently assessed and high-impact skills
Alignment to assessment rigor, question structure, and cognitive demands

This commitment to evidence-based practice extends beyond our own research and development efforts. In a review of ACT and SAT preparation and coaching programs, the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, identified six studies that met its evidence standards, representing more than 65,000 students nationwide. The review found positive effects on general academic achievement and concluded that the evidence supporting these interventions was moderate to large.

The programs included in the review varied in their design and delivery, but they shared a common focus on helping students prepare more effectively for college admission tests. The interventions reviewed by the WWC included content-focused instruction, practice activities, diagnostic assessments, test-taking strategies, and opportunities for students to become more familiar with the structure and expectations of the ACT and SAT.

These findings reinforce an important idea: effective readiness support is about more than simply exposing students to test questions. The strongest programs help students build familiarity, develop skills, and apply what they have learned through structured practice. That belief remains central to how MasteryPrep designs readiness solutions today.

"A big part of what makes MasteryPrep work is that we built our programs around insights from cognitive psychology and proven instructional practices. That's very different from traditional test prep programs."

Craig Gehring, Founder and CEO, MasteryPrep

Evidence supporting readiness interventions is only one part of the story. From its earliest days, MasteryPrep has drawn heavily from educational psychology, instructional research, and established classroom best practices. Rather than treating readiness as a collection of tips and tricks, our programs are designed around proven approaches to teaching and learning.

One major influence is the research supporting the use of mastery-based learning, the idea that students learn best when they build a strong understanding of foundational concepts before moving on to more advanced skills. This philosophy is reflected throughout our solutions, which emphasize skill development, deliberate practice, and continuous progress through test day.

Our instructional design has also been informed by John Hattie’s Visible Learning (2008, 2023), one of the largest syntheses of educational research ever conducted. By analyzing findings from hundreds of meta-analyses involving millions of students, Hattie’s work identified the instructional practices most strongly associated with student achievement.

Many of these findings aligned closely with the instructional practices embedded throughout MasteryPrep solutions, including:

Connecting new concepts to prior knowledge
Providing opportunities for deliberate practice
Delivering timely feedback
Establishing clear learning goals
Helping students develop metacognitive strategies that improve problem-solving and decision-making

Similarly, our programs incorporate concepts from educational researcher Robert J. Marzano’s instructional framework, as detailed in The Art and Science of Teaching (2007, 2017).

Marzano Instructional Design Question	MasteryPrep Alignment Example
What will I do to establish and communicate learning goals, track student progress, and celebrate success?	Each lesson includes clearly defined learning targets, which are aligned to relevant standards and framed in terms of what students will know or be able to do. This helps learners understand expectations and monitor their own progress.
What will I do to help students practice and deepen their understanding of new knowledge?	Students engage in guided practice that begins with targeted skill development and gradually progresses to cumulative mini-tests and mixed-skill activities. This approach encourages students to apply new learning in varied contexts and connect it to prior knowledge.
What will I do to engage students?	MasteryPrep Boot Camp instructors are trained to use evidence-based engagement strategies, including purposeful wait time, active participation techniques, effective pacing, and smooth transitions. Instruction is designed to keep students involved and focused throughout each session.
What will I do to develop effective lessons organized into a cohesive unit?	Content is aligned to relevant academic and assessment standards (e.g., ACT College and Career Readiness Standards), helping students focus on the knowledge and skills most critical for success.

These research-based practices aren’t add-ons; they’re integrated into lesson design, student activities, teacher guidance, and professional learning resources.

Educational research helps inform how students learn, but assessment research helps inform what students need to learn.

Built on analysis of official test items, student performance data, academic standards, and assessment frameworks, MasteryPrep’s solutions are designed to reflect the rigor, structure, and skills students encounter on high-stakes assessments. These insights inform everything from lesson sequencing and scaffolding to practice question design, pacing, and instructional supports, helping ensure that students engage with the same types of thinking and problem-solving they will encounter on test day.

Rather than treating every topic equally, students spend more time developing the content and skills most likely to influence outcomes and less time on those that appear less frequently.

We also maintain an improvement-focused approach. Rather than concentrating exclusively on areas where students struggle most, we focus on skills where meaningful growth is both realistic and impactful. This helps ensure that instructional time is used efficiently and strategically. Combined with ongoing review of newly released assessments and student performance data, this process helps keep our programs relevant and aligned to the challenges students are most likely to face on the actual test.

Research-based readiness is the result of combining evidence from multiple sources and translating it into meaningful learning experiences for students.

At MasteryPrep, that means drawing on research supporting test prep programs, incorporating proven instructional practices from learning science, and analyzing assessments and student performance data to refine our approach.

The result is a program built on more than just practice questions or test-taking strategies. It’s a comprehensive system designed to help students master critical skills, build confidence, and achieve stronger outcomes on the assessments that open doors to postsecondary success.