Media Coverage

Please follow the links below to read about some of Advantage Testing's press in various publications.

The New York Times Magazine, January 10, 1999

A cover story on SAT tutoring.

“[Advantage Testing] teaches students specific test-taking techniques… but also uses the SAT as a vehicle to offer a long-term tutorial in vocabulary, reading comprehension, and math.”

“At the heart of [Advantage Testing’s] approach is the egalitarian belief that effort pays off.”

“[AT founder Arun] Alagappan uses the SAT as a source of motivation for students to learn a range of skills that, he argues, are important in any intellectual endeavor – among them the capacity to break down and reason through a difficult problem or to acquire information that applies across disciplines.”

“In the end, [Advantage Testing] is simply bringing to the SAT the same qualities we value in any teacher – passion, patience, clarity, inspiration.”

“[Advantage Testing founder Arun] Alagappan isn’t so much teaching the test as simply teaching – in this case, intensive tutorials in math or reading.”

“[The Advantage Testing model] does suggest that it’s possible to attract a better pool of teachers by paying them exceptionally well, and that the tutorial form can be a very effective method of instruction.”

“Working with [Advantage Testing] produced not just a significant increase in SAT scores but also a major improvement in school work and a burgeoning intellectual self-confidence.”

The New York Daily News, June 5, 2006

An article about the extraordinary success of LEDA's first cohort of scholars. AT founder Arun Alagappan serves as Vice President on LEDA's Board of Trustees, and LEDA's New York scholars work pro bono with Advantage Testing tutors to prepare for standardized tests.

New York Magazine, May 15, 2006

New York Magazine recently featured our founder and president in its list of “The Influentials,” a compilation of “The people whose ideas, power, and sheer will are changing New York.”

Please click here to read the full article.

The New York Times, June 1, 2005

A profile of one of our senior tutors that appeared in the paper's Metro Section

The Harvard Crimson, March 1, 2001

An interview with Harvard Law School alumnus Arun Alagappan, founder of Advantage Testing.

The Private School Insider, January-February 2002

An article surveying Manhattan tutoring groups.

The New York Observer, January 15, 1996

A profile of AT founder and director Arun Alagappan.

The Stowe Reporter, July 9, 1998

A Letter to the Editor of The Stowe Reporter responding to an article about Stowe High School’s top ranking.

The Wall Street Journal, January 28, 1994

A profile of Advantage Testing founder and director Arun Alagappan.

And Still We Rise, Perennial Press, 2001

A nonfiction book by Miles Corwin, documenting the lives of 12 inner-city high school seniors in South Central Los Angeles.

The Upper East Side Resident, August 28, 1989

One of the first articles to appear about Advantage Testing.

Other Mentions

– Crain's New York Business, August 4-10, 2003

"This year, 900 people applied for positions at tutoring firm Advantage Testing. Five were hired."

– The National Law Journal, August 25, 1997

"Advantage does not just hire any hypereducated professional. To qualify to be interviewed for the LSAT instructor position, one must have scored in the 99th percentile on the test. And of those interviewed, Mr. Alagappan says he accepts only 'a small minority.'"

– The Village Voice, April 28, 2005

"[Advantage Testing offers] individualized boutique tutoring….top-shelf...."

– New York Magazine, July 19, 2001

"[Advantage Testing is a] local favorite..."

– “Why America Needs the SAT” by William C. Dowling

"Advantage Testing is a hugely successful tutoring operation that demands a great deal of its teenage clients."