Prep Expert

Prep Expert is a test prep company that sells live online SAT, PSAT and ACT courses, along with self-paced video courses, one-on-one tutoring and college admissions consulting, aimed at high school students and the parents paying for their prep. It was founded by Dr. Shaan Patel, MD, MBA, who says he raised his own SAT score 640 points from average to perfect in high school. The company lists a Las Vegas, Nevada address. Its site says its curriculum and courses have helped more than 100,000 students improve their scores, get into top universities and win over $100 million in college scholarships, and the homepage carries the line "Trusted by 100,000+ Families". Prep Expert also points to the investment deal Dr. Patel won from Mark Cuban on Shark Tank.

The SAT and PSAT course lineup

The live courses are taught online, and in each one students complete exams and homework between classes.

• 8-Week Capstone SAT Prep Course. For students aiming for 99th percentile scores. Instructors who scored in the 99th percentile teach twice a week in 3-hour classes. It includes the 200-point score improvement guarantee and an SAT Weekend Review that the site values at $699.
• 7-Week Founder SAT Prep Course. The only live course taught by Dr. Patel himself, for students who want to learn directly from him. It also carries the 200-point guarantee. The course finder lists a Founder Video Course as well.
• 6-Week Flagship SAT Prep Course. Marked "MOST POPULAR" and pitched at students after maximum score improvement, with the same twice-weekly 3-hour format and the 200-point guarantee.
• 4-Week PSAT Prep Course. For 9th, 10th and 11th graders sitting the PSAT in October, again twice a week in 3-hour classes. The page notes that a high PSAT score in 11th grade qualifies a student for National Merit Scholarships, which it puts at more than $35 million.
• Self-Paced Video SAT Prep Course. Video lessons plus SAT exams and homework done on the student's own schedule.
• SAT Prep Weekend Review. A crash course the weekend before test day, 6 hours on Saturday and 6 on Sunday, meant as a refresher for students who have already taken a full-length Prep Expert course.

The ACT courses are sold under a 4-point improvement guarantee. The guarantee terms also mention a 3-Week Fast Track SAT course, and the menus list an Unlimited Prep program, an All Access Pass, Academic Masterclasses, free book bonuses and gift cards.

Finding a class

The SAT course page works as a searchable schedule rather than a static list. Families can filter by course type, guarantee, the month the course starts, the SAT test date it prepares for, time zone (Pacific, Mountain, Central or Eastern), class days and payment plan, and can sort by earliest start date, highest instructor rating or lowest cost per hour. The test dates in the filter run from October 3, 2026 through October 2, 2027. Class days include Saturday and Sunday, Monday and Wednesday, Tuesday and Thursday, and single weekday or Saturday options. A course can be saved for later, and if a student's schedule changes after enrolling, Prep Expert lets the family switch to a different live course schedule for free at any time before the course starts. The pages print no course prices outside the Weekend Review value.

The score guarantees

The guarantees are the core of Prep Expert's pitch, and each one is a money-back promise tied to official scores. Under the 200-point guarantee, if a student's official SAT score does not rise 200 points from a previous official SAT or PSAT score after completing the course, the company says it refunds 100% of the money; the page names the 8-Week Capstone, 7-Week Founder and Flagship courses as carrying it. A 100-point version applies to the 3-Week Fast Track course. A third tier, the plain score improvement guarantee, promises a full refund if the official SAT or PSAT score does not increase at all from a previous official score. Each guarantee points to terms and qualification requirements on a separate page. One further promise covers the Unlimited Prep program: if a child does not receive at least $1,000 in scholarship offers after completing it, Prep Expert says it will provide a $1,000 scholarship.

Who teaches

The company says all of its instructors scored in the top 1%, and the course page profiles several of them. Miguel Chavira studied at UT Austin, earning a BS in Computer Science, a BA in English and a TEFL certificate, has five years of tutoring experience, and tutors subjects ranging from the SAT and ACT to AP Calculus, AP Biology, economics, physics and Spanish. Isabella scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT, ACT and PSAT, earned a full scholarship to the University of Texas at Dallas and later completed her MBA there; her profile describes a coaching style that blends high expectations with positive reinforcement. Ilia is a top 1% SAT scorer with a PhD in Linguistics who has taught university-level English and Linguistics as well as SAT and ACT classes. Shreya Ambekar, a neuroscience student at UNC Chapel Hill, scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT with a perfect math score on her first attempt, earned a 5 on seven AP exams and has more than 7 years of teaching experience.

Dr. Patel's own profile describes him as a bestselling author and board-certified dermatologist who received his MD/MBA from Yale and USC. In his founder's letter he says his perfect score led to admission to top universities and accelerated medical programs and more than $500,000 in scholarships, and that the curriculum is written from a student's perspective. The site also advertises a free webinar in which he explains how parents can help a child aim for a perfect SAT or ACT score.

Tutoring and consulting

Private tutoring is one-on-one and online, and the homepage advertises it across more than 100 subjects. College admissions consulting starts with a free consultation, and the homepage says 96% of its students get into one of their top 3 college choices. A separate merit scholarship consulting service sits in the same menu. Support runs through a knowledge base, an FAQ, a contact page and a toll-free phone line.

Who it suits

Prep Expert suits families who want live, scheduled SAT classes with a named instructor and a written money-back guarantee behind them. The course finder makes it easy to fit a class around a school timetable and a specific test date, and the free schedule changes before a course starts reduce the risk of committing early. Students who want the founder's teaching can choose the 7-Week Founder course, while the PSAT course gives younger students an early run at National Merit qualification.

The model is built around group classes, so a student who needs fully individual attention will want to add private tutoring. Self-directed students who prefer to study alone can use the self-paced video course instead of the live schedule. Families comparing costs should search the course finder for their test date, since it can sort classes by cost per hour.