How should a student even start?
What is the best way to understand the test’s strategy, rules, and pacing before drilling questions?
Why the app works
17+ years of test prep.
17+ years of test prep.
Finally organized into one app.
Families have more test prep options than ever—and less clarity about what a student actually needs. After 17+ years of teaching, we built one app that lines up strategy, practice, full-length tests, and tutoring—and tells students what to do next.
Before studying even starts
Parents are being asked to build the system.
1:1 tutoringCoursesPrep appsBooksYouTubeCollege BoardKhan Academy
Does my student need an app—or a tutor?
Should we start with a course, a book, or a practice test?
How much help is enough without overpaying?
Who decides what they should work on this week?
How do I know whether any of it is actually working?
The hard part isn’t finding prep. It’s knowing what to use, when to use it, and how to make all the pieces work together.
The coordination problem
Parents are left to turn a mountain of prep options into a working plan.
The stress isn’t finding resources. It’s deciding what comes first, what comes next, and when the plan needs to change.
The STAFFS Prep answerUltimate Crash CourseLearn the strategy before drilling questions.
What is the best way to practice?
Which skills should they work on today, and how often should they take a full-length practice test?
The STAFFS Prep answerAdaptive Practice SoftwareA daily plan for targeted work and full-length tests.
How do you keep improving after a score plateau?
What should change when more of the same practice stops producing meaningful gains?
The STAFFS Prep answerData-guided 1:1 TutoringWith data, an expert can quickly diagnose how to pick up more points.
The STAFFS Prep solution
Every stage, connected inside one app.
The app starts with the included Ultimate Crash Course, then schedules focused practice, figures out when to take a full-length test, and brings in 1:1 help when it can do the most good.
Ultimate CoursePracticeProgressMastery
Christian Villaran
Founder, STAFFS Prep
Princeton Grad
Wharton MBA
Degree in Operations Research
The research behind the app
We treated test prep like an optimization problem.
“How do we use a student’s limited time to create the largest realistic score gain?”
We looked at how often each skill shows up, how quickly students usually improve it, and what their results say they should do next.
The app now makes those decisions for the student, so families get a clear next step instead of another pile of resources to manage.
The decision engine
Every assignment has to earn its place.
Finding a weakness is easy. Deciding which weakness is worth fixing next is the real work.
Layer 1
Your weak areas
TrigonometryExponential growthTrianglesSystems of equationsBullet point analysisVocabularyGrammar rules
The app identifies the individual skills holding the score back.
Layer 2
Frequency
Grammar rulesExponential growthSystems of equationsVocabularyBullet point analysisTrianglesTrigonometry
Skills that show up more often move higher on the list.
Layer 3
Ease
Grammar rulesExponential growthSystems of equationsVocabularyBullet point analysisTrianglesTrigonometry
Then we move the quickest, most learnable gains toward the top.
Result
The highest-impact next step
- Systems of equations
- Grammar rules
- Bullet point analysis
- Exponential growth
- Triangles
- Trigonometry
- Vocabulary
The app gives students the work most likely to move their score—not just the next page in a book.
One coordinated roadmap
One app. Every stage of prep.
The student sees one next step. The app handles everything behind it.
01 · Ultimate Crash Course
Start by learning how the whole test works.
Our highly reviewed, formerly standalone $175 course is now built into every plan at no additional cost.
- Complete SAT or ACT Ultimate Crash Course
- Rules, shortcuts, pacing, and approach
- Live chat while students watch
- The app keeps track of progress
Watch a real lesson from the Ultimate Crash Course
02 · Practice
Today is already planned.
The app turns the test date and score goal into a focused daily checklist, then reshuffles the plan as the student improves.
- Task-based daily schedule
- Frequency + Ease priorities
- Estimated score monitoring
03 · Full-length tests
Take practice tests at the right time.
The app figures out the best time for each full-length practice test, then uses the results to update the roadmap.
- A baseline, progress check, and final-week test
- Real pacing under test conditions
- Results that update what comes next
UPCOMING CHECKPOINT23 days to test day
YOUR ROADMAP SAYS IT’S TIME
Take a full-length practice test
Your result updates your estimated score and what the app gives you next.
04 · 1:1 tutoring
Use expert time where it matters.
Once the app sees what is still costing points, students can book focused help with a real STAFFS Prep tutor.
- Book inside the same app
- Tutors see the student’s performance
- No repeating what the student already knows
+130point current average SAT improvement
+3.5point current average ACT improvement
★★★★★
“Helped me raise my SAT score from a 1200 to a 1360.”Caro · Student · Google review
1200 → 1360 SAT · Accepted to Maryland
★★★★★
“Her SAT score went up by 150 points!”Hannah Marie · Parent · Facebook comment
+150 SAT · Accepted to Northeastern
★★★★★
“I feel like we found a hidden gem. We tried books, question banks, Youtube, even private tutoring, and Staffs was the only one that worked for my daughter. She went up from a 1350 to a 1520!”Dean Phillips · Parent · Google review
1350 → 1520 SAT · Accepted to Duke
College names and marks identify reported student outcomes only; no affiliation or endorsement is implied. Individual results vary.
The entire setup
Tell us the goal.
Tell us the goal.
The app builds the plan.
Tell us your test date
The app works backward from test day.
Tell us your goals
Your scores shape the work and pace.
Show up
Open the app. Do the next assignment.
Compare the experience
One plan connects strategy, practice, testing, and tutoring.
Strategy lessons, practice, full-length tests, progress tracking, and tutoring all coordinated for you. Our Frequency + Ease framework helps the app choose what next step will most likely improve your score.
| Feature |  | Acely | Khan Academy | Princeton Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily plan built around test day | Included | Included | — | Included |
| The STAFFS differenceTopics prioritized by score impact | Frequency + Ease | — | — | — |
| Ultimate Crash Course ($175 value) | Every plan | — | — | Select programs |
| Live help from a real instructor | Included | — | — | Select programs |
| Practice questions with explanations | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Practice that adapts as you work | Included | Included | — | Included |
| Full-length practice tests | Included | Included | Separate Bluebook app | Included |
| Tells you when to take a practice test | The app tells you when you’re ready | — | — | — |
| Continuous score monitoring | Included | Included | — | — |
| Data-guided 1:1 tutoring | Included | — | — | Select programs |
A check means the feature is available in at least one current consumer offering; availability may vary by plan. Comparison reflects public offerings reviewed August 2026. Sources: Acely, Khan Academy, and Princeton Review.
No system-building required
Choose the test.
Choose the test.
Let the app handle the plan.
Everything your student needs from signup to test day—organized in one place.