Zakiy Gharad

After graduating from Amherst College in 2017, I began a full-time career tutoring the SAT and ACT. I have worked with several hundred students for over 4000 hours in 1:1 and small group settings prior to joining Top Score. In that time, I’ve honed comprehensive concept mastery of tested content to deliver highly effective, personalized instruction for my students. Being a Mclean High graduate, I understand the uniquely competitive nature of selective college admissions in the DC region and appreciate the importance of high standardized test scores in earning a relative advantage. I also understand the anxiety that can accompany a test prep program and strive to motivate student confidence through demonstrable progress and moments of insight.

In addition to content mastery, my pedagogy is built on a deep understanding of test design logic and common test taker fallacies. My students develop the proficiency they need to get through the mechanics of any question while also strengthening their own abilities to parse confusingly worded questions, dense passages, and employ eliminative strategies to arrive at confident answers. Key to this process is the interactive engagement by my students and their comfortability at asking questions whenever they arise. In the instructional setting, I believe that there are no bad questions and my job is to meet students where they are and consistently point us in the direction of score improvement.

Middle School Services: SSAT • ISEE • HSPT
High School Services: SAT • ACT • PSAT • Pre-Algebra • Algebra I • Algebra II • Pre-Calculus • AP Macroeconomics • AP Microeconomics • AP English Language and Composition • AP English Literature and Composition • AP Biology • AP Physics

Comprehensive ACT/SAT Test Prep Program: $4,920
Hourly AP Academic Tutoring: $175
Hourly Non-AP Academic Tutoring: $150