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Coming soon for iPhone

Five minutes of SAT prep. Then the apps unlock.

Set it and forget it while your student masters the SAT words most likely to show up, one short, strategy-packed session at a time.

Contact usSee how it works
A SATShield session on an iPhone: a recall question for the word implacable, with social and game apps locked until the session is done.
Illustrative sample screen.

Sound familiar?

Your teen checks their phone dozens of times a day. SAT prep? Not so much.

It's not that they can't. Daily discipline at fifteen is rare, and the SAT feels decades away when it's really about two years out. So prep gets squeezed into a stressful few months junior year, and vocabulary is the first thing to go.

SATShield builds the habit into the one thing they already reach for.

How it works

Set it up once. It runs itself.

  1. Choose the apps.

    You decide what's gated: social media, games, video. They stay behind the shield until today's session is done.

  2. Your student does the session.

    5–10 words, about five minutes. Each word climbs five levels of mastery.

  3. Everything unlocks.

    Automatically, until the time you picked. The shield comes back on its own.

  4. Watch it add up.

    Words mastered, streak and accuracy, all without asking “so… how’s it going?”

No reminding. No negotiating. No being the bad guy.

See the full walkthrough →

The method

This is not a word list.

Most tutors will tell you not to sink much time into memorizing SAT vocabulary, and they're right. Word lists have poor returns.

So that's not what we built. SATShield teaches real SAT strategy, using a curated list of the words most likely to appear on the test as the vehicle.

  • The right 300 words. Pulled from official College Board practice tests and leading SAT prep resources, then reviewed by expert tutors. They're words with a documented history of showing up, not words that just feel “SAT-ish”.
  • Real test formats. Every question is an SAT question type or trains a skill the SAT tests, including Words in Context.
  • Strategy built in. About 40% of example sentences use the punctuation cues the SAT uses to signal a definition. Students absorb the pattern before anyone teaches it as a rule.
  • Every question does double duty. Wrong answers are other words from the list, so students review while they practice.
Read the method →

Sample word

implacable (adjective)

impossible to calm or satisfy

Her critics were implacable: no apology, however sincere, could satisfy them.

Cue: the colon signals that a restatement of the meaning comes next.

Five levels to mastery

From “never seen it” to “I can use it in a sentence.”

Each word climbs five levels, and each one asks for a little more:

  1. Meet it: learn the word, its meaning and an example, then a quick check.
  2. Recall it: pick the right meaning with no hints.
  3. Use it: choose the sentence that uses the word correctly.
  4. Read it in context: an SAT-style Words in Context question.
  5. Write it: your own original sentence. You can't fake a sentence.

Miss one? The word drops one level, not back to the start. Words return right before they'd slip from memory, which is what makes them stick.

The real advantage

Start early. That's the whole advantage.

A student cramming three months out has to squeeze vocabulary into an already punishing schedule, so it gets dropped first.

A student who starts in 9th or 10th grade does a handful of words a day, at the intervals memory research calls for, with no pressure at all. They walk into junior year with vocabulary already handled.

Nothing is borrowed from test prep. Time is taken back from social media.

Built for everyone in a student's corner

  • Parents

    Screen-time limits that turn into study time, with no nagging.

  • Students

    Five minutes, then your phone. Fair and fast, and it actually helps.

  • Tutors

    Homework that gets done, a vetted list, and a log of every miss to guide your sessions.

  • Teachers and counselors

    A low-lift, research-based habit to recommend to families.

“For as long as I can remember, parents have asked me, ‘Is one-on-one tutoring really necessary?’ The honest answer: it depends on the kid. Most students won't study on their own. Not because they can't, but because daily discipline at fifteen is rare. SATShield builds that discipline into the thing they already reach for forty times a day.”

Our founder, an SAT tutor for more than 20 years

Quick questions

What is SATShield?

SATShield is an iPhone app that turns a teen's daily screen time into SAT vocabulary and test-strategy practice. A parent chooses which apps to lock, and a short daily session of 5–10 words unlocks them until a time the parent sets.

What grade should my student start in?

9th or 10th grade is ideal. Starting early lets students learn a few words a day at the intervals memory research recommends, so vocabulary is handled before the busy junior-year prep season. Juniors and seniors can still benefit, especially with a few months or more before their test.

How long does a daily session take?

About five minutes. Each session covers 5–10 words, with reviews of words that are due coming first, then new words if there's room.

When does SATShield launch, and how much will it cost?

SATShield is coming soon to the App Store for iPhone. Pricing will be announced at launch.

All questions →

Coming soon for iPhone.

Questions in the meantime? We read every message.

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