A+ Review
Test Prep for San Diego 

What are your office hours and phone number?
Office hours: 1pm - 5pm M-F
Office phone: 619-589-9900

Where are you located?
6784 El Cajon Blvd. We are located about a half-mile from the San Diego State University campus. From SDSU go east on Montezuma until the very end of Montezuma and turn left on El Cajon Blvd. We are located 1-block up on the left side. We are located directly across the street from Bank of America...and we are 1-block east of the Ralph's Supermarket.

 

 

Do you have parking?
We have 25 spots in front of A+ Review. Also there are quite a few spots along El Cajon Blvd directly in front of us. Also there is tons of parking around the perimeter of Tubman elementary school just behind us. These spots are always wide open. Don't park in the little neighborhhoods behind us. Park in front of A+ Review OR around the perimeter of the elementary school directly behind us (which is 100% empty and available after 4pm.)

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What does the review include?
Reviews include awesome live instruction, all the materials, food (usually baked pizza), drinks (usually sodas, bottled waters) and pencils.

What is the cost?
We charge a fixed fee (usually $99) that includes the 5 to 7 hours of expert live instruction required, materials, food, drinks, etc. We try to keep the price as low as possible for our students while at the same time maintaining extremely high quality of our instruction and facilities. We have a staff behind the scenes that is working very hard at writing perfect reviews (one that gets a high score on the exam). Most national review companies charge up to 3 times as much as A+ Review. (up to $50/ hour and more). Sorry we have to charge our small fee but we are entirely self-funded. While SDSU receives hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money, we receive zero money from the State. So we charge a small fee which contributes towards paying our high annual operating expenses.

When do I pay for the review?
Although you have the option of making a reservation in advance (sometimes required near the end of the semester), you never pay for a review until a few minutes before the review starts. We take cash, local bank checks, Visa, MC, AMEX, Discover. However, you or your family can pay in advance using PayPal on our website (Parents Pay Now page). Then just bring a picture ID, sign the PayPal paper and you are in.

Do I need a reservation?
Not usually. Reservations are generally not needed and you may just show up at the door. However, we do prefer that you make a reservation so that we have some idea on how many students to expect (first name, cell number, prof name only). Sometimes, a review will sell out...reservations are held until the review start time. Infrequently, a review time will change. We contact the people that made a reservation and inform them of any change. You should make a reservation in cases where your professor has hundreds of students in two or more sections. This is an indication that an A+ Review could sell out. However, you can always just show up at the door; but to avoid disappointment, make a reservation just in case. (first name and phone number and teacher's name). We keep all info VERY PRIVATE and we delete our contact lists at the end of a semester.

What is the review format?
We usually go about 3 hours, have our 20 minute break (with the food, etc), and then go 3 more hours. The review moves quickly as we blast through problem after problem, concept after concept. The review is "high energy", upbeat, moves fast...we only keep students as long as it takes to cover all of the material but we don't cut corners.

 

What should I bring to the review?
A calculator, pen or pencil, highlighter, and a jacket. Our powerful air conditioning system is always running so please bring a jacket.

What calculator do you recommend?
For College of Business students we recommend the HP17BII+ or TI83+ or TI84 for some professors.  For statistics, we recommend the TI83, TI83+, TI84, TI84+. For Chemistry it depends on the SDSU prof.

Other calculators are OK but the ones above are very good as far as having short-cut functions that we cover at the review. Feel free to bring ANY calculator. People with a cheaper calculator sometimes feel bad when we point out a cool short-cut on the TI83/84 that their calculator does not offer.

Do you have any restrictions?
1. For undergraduate reviews, we allow only registered undergraduate students enrolled in the SDSU class to attend.
2. We do not allow odiferous foods such as Fritos, Corn Nuts, Mexican Food, etc. to be eaten inside the review center. Other, non-odiferous foods (raisins, sunflower seeds, cookies, etc.) may be nibbled on inside the review center anytime during the review. We have a well-stocked snacks table available throughout the review.
3. We reserve the right to remove anyone that in our judgment is a distraction for any reason. This is a rare event. 99.93% of our students are fully respectable and cooperative and our students prefer that we remove anyone not respectful. It has not happened in a few years. All our students are focused on doing well on the exam.

Do you use Powerpoint slides on projectors like most of SDSU?
No. Although most professors use textbook-publisher-provided projectors and slide shows, we do not believe in them. We do NOT use Powerpoint slide presentations!
We write on huge "white boards" with thick black markers. It's a lot more work for us to write on the boards but we find it the most effective way to teach you. WE DO NOT READ McGraw Hill POWER POINT SLIDES TO YOU. Never have and never will. Students get enough of that in the 300 seat classrooms on the campus. WE know the profs are doing the best they can, getting through the Powerpoint slides but at our SMALL group workshops, we write on the boards and provide handouts.

How do your goals differ from that of the campus?
On the campus, professors appear to design the lectures and exams so that the average student receives a "C+/B-". Because our goal is for the A+ Review students to get "A's", we must go that extra mile to "perfectly explain" the material to you. Profs seem to HOLD BACK certain info to generate a lower class average. It's just how it works. Since we need "A's" for our students, we hold nothing back and tell our students every possible thing we can including short-cuts and tricks to look out for and test taking strategy.

What do the professors think about A+ Review?
Some think A+ Review is great in that it helps students learn the material. We have spoken to such professors. They say that the additional study time can only benefit students and they want their students to understand the material and perform well on the exam. Other profs do not care what students do to prepare for exams and have no steadfast opinion on A+ Review. A few profs, however, are upset (some, even truculent and extreme) that we help prepare students for their course...and explain how to get an "A" on their test. There have even been a few stories where profs "blow up" at the mention of A+ Review. As a rule of thumb: never tell the professors that you will be attending A+ Review. Never say the words "A+ Review" to a prof. You never know if the prof is a lover or a hater. So don't chance it. NOTE: sometimes a prof will ask students to raise their hand if they went to A+ Review. Do NOT respond. Profs have no right to know where you go and what you do in your spare time. Sometimes a prof "pretends" to not care about A+ Review but they are secretly attempting to identify the A+ students for possibly nefarious reasons. Do NOT respond. Period. It's not worth it.

I heard some professors tell students not to attend A+ Review. Is this true?
Sometimes, a professor will tell students not to attend A+ Review. We have recordings of such. We suppose that because profs need a "C+" or so average, they would prefer that you do not attend our expert review. These profs are under pressure to generate a lower class average we suppose. We have other theories on why some CA state empolyed union profs are hostile towards our private, VIP, exclusive, free-market, exam-cram sessions. (it's political, like so many things these days) HOWEVER, if you want to score above the class average, take matters into your own hands, be the director of your own life, take charge, and join our awesome exam-cram reviews. Keep your gpa as high as possible to increase the chances of landing a great job in the future and to keep the option open for attending grad school or law school or medical school! Make your life easier now and open more doors in your future...attend A+ Review. It's an investment in your future. The most successful companies in the world (and government entities) all use outside experts and consultants to help them achieve greatness.

See you at our reviews.
Mike, Walter, Sarah, and the support crew