Engagements & Fees
We price engagements, not hours
A score is not produced by sessions alone. Each engagement includes the diagnostic work, the between-session apparatus, and the reporting that make the sessions count — priced as a whole, around a defined outcome.
Where every engagement begins
Diagnostic & Strategy Session
The entry point to every engagement: a full-length proctored diagnostic, section-level analysis, and a private strategy consultation with a written score plan.
$1,500
2 hours
- Full-length proctored official practice test
- Section- and question-level error analysis
- 90-minute private strategy consultation
- Written score plan with target, timeline, and recommended engagement
The fee is credited toward The Ascent or The Full Cycle when a family proceeds within thirty days.
Engagements
Three ways to engage the practice
Private Session
$1,000
$1,000 per hour
A single one-on-one hour with a Segal tutor, for targeted work on a defined problem: a stubborn section, a timing issue, a final review before test day.
Included
- One 60-minute private session
- Pre-session review of recent practice data
- Written session summary with assigned practice
Current and former students, or families with a narrow, well-defined need.
Most engaged
The Ascent
$8,500
$850 per hour
A ten-hour engagement built around one official test date. Diagnostic-driven curriculum, weekly private sessions, and full between-session support.
Included
- Ten 60-minute private sessions
- Bespoke curriculum from your diagnostic
- Unlimited between-session question support
- Two full practice tests with written review
- Two parent briefings
- Test-day preparation protocol
Students within reach of their target who need structured, expert pressure over eight to twelve weeks.
The Full Cycle
$17,500
$700 per hour
A twenty-five-hour engagement spanning a full testing cycle — typically two official sittings — with complete curriculum, practice-test program, and admissions-timeline alignment.
Included
- Twenty-five 60-minute private sessions
- Bespoke curriculum, recalibrated after every practice test
- Unlimited between-session question support
- Five full practice tests with written review
- Monthly parent briefings
- Admissions-timeline alignment with your counselor
- Test-day preparation protocol for each sitting
Families targeting the most selective outcomes — 1550+, 34+, or top-percentile graduate scores — across a full cycle.
All engagements include admissions-timeline awareness; The Full Cycle includes formal alignment with your admissions counselor. Fees are quoted for one student and one exam; request a consultation for multi-exam or multi-student arrangements.
FAQ
Fees, answered plainly
- Why engagements rather than hourly billing?
- Because scores are moved by systems, not sessions. An engagement prices the whole apparatus — diagnostic, curriculum, between-session support, practice-test review, parent briefings — around a defined outcome and timeline. Hourly billing sells time; an engagement commits both parties to a result-oriented plan. Individual hours remain available at $1,000 for current and former students with a defined, narrow need.
- Why does the effective hourly rate fall as engagements grow?
- The Ascent works out to $850 per hour and The Full Cycle to $700, against $1,000 for a single session. Longer engagements let us plan and schedule a full arc in advance, and the diagnostic and curriculum investment amortizes across more sessions. The discount reflects commitment, not a lesser service — inclusions deepen as engagements lengthen.
- Is the Diagnostic & Strategy Session required?
- Yes, for new families. We will not prescribe an engagement without evidence: a full-length proctored official test, question-level analysis, and a strategy consultation come first. The $1,500 fee is credited toward The Ascent or The Full Cycle if you proceed within thirty days. If we conclude we are not the right practice for the student, we will say so and recommend alternatives.
- What does between-session support actually include?
- Assigned practice after every session, reviewed by the tutor before the next; a running error log maintained across the engagement; and direct access to the tutor for questions between sessions. In The Ascent and The Full Cycle, this support is unlimited within reason — it is where much of the engagement's value lives, since preparation succeeds or fails in the hours between sessions.
- Do you offer score guarantees?
- No, and we would counsel skepticism toward anyone who does. Outcomes depend materially on the student's work between sessions, and honest practices do not guarantee what they do not control. What we do instead: set a specific, evidence-based target after the diagnostic, report progress against it in writing, and decline engagements where we do not believe the target is achievable.
- What are the payment and scheduling terms?
- Engagements are invoiced in full at commencement; The Full Cycle may be split into two installments. Sessions are scheduled as a standing weekly appointment, with 48 hours' notice required to reschedule. Unused hours in an engagement remain valid for twelve months. We accept wire transfer and major cards.
Begin with the diagnostic
The Diagnostic & Strategy Session tells both of us, with evidence, what an engagement should look like — and whether we are the right practice for the student.
We accept a limited number of students each cycle. Admission is by consultation.
Request a Consultation