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Why Traditional Prep Doesn’t Work—and What It Takes to Close Readiness Gaps

  • Craig Gehring
  • June 16, 2025

High-stakes standardized test scores can be hard to improve. That’s because students who struggle the most with tests also need the most support—but traditional test preparation doesn’t give them what they need.

Consider the challenges our students face and how traditional test prep completely misses the mark. A student assessing below college-readiness benchmarks is often disengaged, multiple grade levels behind in reading and math, and a poor test-taker to boot.

If a student is disengaged, you can’t prep with “drill and kill.” If they have significant academic gaps, you can’t fix everything with a rapid-fire review. If they’re a poor test-taker, you can’t assume they’ll learn test logic through osmosis.

If you’ve prepared your students for a high-stakes test and haven’t seen results, it’s because the traditional test prep model just doesn’t work for the students you’re trying to serve. MasteryPrep represents a new way to prepare students for standardized assessments—one that meets the needs of students with the biggest academic challenges and improves outcomes.

Let’s take a closer look at what sets this system of success apart.

  • MasteryPrep Engages Disengaged Learners

No amount of preparation can improve the outcomes of students who have mentally checked out. The reverse is also true. If you can engage a disengaged learner, just that one change in mindset can massively change test outcomes.

  • Engagement Activities

That’s why MasteryPrep workshops and instructional materials include creative hooks, group activities, and conversation-starters that are proven to get students to lean in and actively participate. We believe there’s no topic a student can’t learn if they can relate it to something they already know. We strive to connect what students are learning with their everyday lives and interests.

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Motivation Matters: How MasteryPrep Keeps Students Engaged in Test Prep
Why does engagement matter in test prep, and how we make it a central focus in everything we do in the build-up to test day?
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  • Ready to Learn

If the material is either too challenging or too easy, students quickly disengage. Our programs incorporate a scaffolded approach that builds students up to the rigor found on the assessments. The skill areas students struggle on aren’t always the ones where they can make the most gains. In fact, plunging students into the most difficult subject matter will yield no score gains.

MasteryPrep’s software identifies the topics students are ready to learn—keeping students motivated and making progress.

"If you can engage a disengaged learner, just that one change in mindset can massively change test outcomes."

Craig Gehring
CEO and Founder, MasteryPrep
  • High-Energy, Relatable Instructors

All MasteryPrep instructors are developed and certified not only on content expertise but also research-based motivational and classroom management best practices. Our high-energy, relatable experts bring crucial concepts to life in a learning experience that students enjoy.

  • College-Going Culture

Students listen to their peers. If peer groups don’t value college and career readiness or tests like the ACT and SAT, it can be hard for an adult to convince students to care.

With our professional development programs, MasteryPrep supports teachers and administrators in cultivating a college-going culture on campus. Through incentive structures, messaging, and conversation starters, schools can intentionally, gradually tilt peer sentiment toward preparing for life after high school.

  • MasteryPrep Addresses Academic Gaps

The root issue for many students isn’t that they forgot the material; it’s that they never mastered it in the first place. MasteryPrep’s approach is built on helping students achieve mastery for the first time—not just reviewing content they’ve struggled with. 

  • Targeted Diagnostics

MasteryPrep’s assessments do more than identify what students missed—they help determine what students are ready to learn next. Our diagnostics and practice tests isolate high-impact, non-negotiable skills aligned with college readiness standards, then use adaptive algorithms to prioritize instruction for the areas where students can make the biggest gains. 

  • Master What Matters Framework

Instead of overwhelming students with every possible test concept, our curriculum focuses on the small subset of skills that drive the biggest score gains. We’ve analyzed the assessments and identified the high-frequency, high-value items that matter most for college readiness. 

Related Reading

Master What Matters: A Proven Framework for Test Prep Success
We designed our curriculum and end-to-end solutions around the Master What Matters framework, which focuses on three key areas: Content Mastery (70%), Test Mastery (20%), and Time Mastery (10%).
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  • A Mastery-Based Approach

Most test prep just throws everything at students and hopes something sticks. That doesn’t work. Students do their best when they have the time, the right support, and the right tools to really master the skills that matter. They need practice that meets them where they are. That’s what MasteryPrep is built to provide.

  • Multi-Year Reinforcement

Our programs are designed to begin as early as ninth grade, with lightweight touchpoints like bell ringers and skill-based activities that grow with students year over year. By the time test day approaches, they’re ready and equipped with the right test-taking strategies.

  • MasteryPrep Transforms Poor Test-Takers Into Strong Test-Takers

Students often label themselves as “bad test takers.” But test-taking is a skill. And, like any skill, it can be taught. 

  • Direct Instruction in Core Test Skills

Our curricula explicitly teach the foundational logic and habits of strong test-takers. We model the process of elimination, the discipline of checking work, and strategies for navigating difficult questions—skills most students are almost never formally taught. 

  • Practice That Builds Habits

We embed test-taking skills across our curricula so students have repeated opportunities to practice and internalize them. These aren’t just tricks—they’re cognitive strategies that help students think critically and confidently. 

  • Best Practices in the Classroom

Our programs train teachers to model and reinforce good test-taking behaviors. From walking through answer choices to using questions as opportunities for differentiation, educators learn how to help all students—especially those who struggle—engage more effectively with assessments. 

  • Live Demonstration and Review

Whether in boot camps or classroom lessons, live modeling of test-taking strategies shows students how to think through questions, eliminate wrong answers, and develop the mindset of a successful test-taker. 

  • MasteryPrep Provides a Complete Solution for Improving Outcomes

Most test prep solutions offer just one piece of the puzzle. MasteryPrep delivers an end-to-end system of support. 

  • Professional Development: We train educators to become test prep leaders in their classrooms, equipping them with strategies that improve instruction and engagement. 
  • Practice Testing: Along with shorter diagnostics, our high-fidelity, full-length practice tests mirror the real exam and produce actionable data. 
  • Curriculum: From bell ringers to full-year courses, our scaffolded, mastery-based curriculum helps students learn what they’ve never truly mastered. 
  • Adaptive Prep: Our short-form diagnostics and adaptive learning paths in the MasteryPrep Online Course allow students to work on the skills they’re ready to learn. 
  • Boot Camps: Our high-impact, on-site boot camps bring content and test-taking strategies to life in a fun, fast-paced, and engaging format. 
  • A Better Way Forward

Traditional test prep models often fall short for the students who need the most help. MasteryPrep offers a new approach. By combining student engagement, diagnostics, mastery-based instruction, and data-driven support, we help schools give every student—not just the high performers—a real shot at success.

Because every student deserves a path to college readiness. And every school deserves a system designed to help them get there. 

Picture of About the Author: Craig Gehring
About the Author: Craig Gehring

MasteryPrep’s founder and CEO, Craig Gehring, earned perfect scores on the ACT and SAT while in high school. He started tutoring and saw firsthand that students who needed the most help were the least likely to get it. More than ten years later, MasteryPrep serves over 500,000 low-income and first-generation students through partnerships with over 2,500 schools and school districts.

Meeting Students Where They Are

Our data-driven programs enable educators to gauge student readiness, access a library of practice tests and teaching resources, and equip students with the right strategies in the build-up to test day.
Learn More

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Coming This Summer: New Teacher Tools and a Reimagined Student Experience 

This summer, we’re rolling out new platform features designed to give teachers more control, streamline test management, and improve the student experience.

Read More »
June 5, 2025

Beyond Content Knowledge: MasteryPrep’s Guide to Test-Taking Strategies

While content knowledge forms the foundation of standardized test success, effective test-taking strategies can significantly boost scores

Read More »
June 3, 2025
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