I dropped out of an Ivy League law school to write SAT practice tests.

That sounds like a strange trade, but here’s my reasoning. Almost all of my own SAT prep was practice tests. After each one I sat with a tutor and went through every question I missed until I could say why the right answer was right and what was wrong with each of the others, and between tests I drilled whatever I kept getting incorrect. I scored a 1590, and it got me into my dream college.

Later I tutored the SAT full time and helped dozens of students score 1500 or higher through one on one lessons. So, I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t from both sides of the table.

My routine was simple, but it was expensive, and it depended on two things most students don’t have: someone to explain every choice, and enough tests to keep taking. College Board offers eight in Bluebook. A student who takes one a week runs out before the end of the second month (and you should really be taking more than one a week if you want to improve).

That’s why I founded Tryhard Prep. The tests are original and full length, adaptive like the real one, and every answer choice comes with a detailed explanation, which used to be the tutor’s job. When our personalized analytics show you a question type that you have room to improve on, you can drill that skill on its own.

I started building it while I was still in law school, and it became the thing I wanted to be doing, so I left. If something here doesn’t work the way you’d expect, email me at hello@tryhardprep.com and I’ll read it.