OUR FOUNDER AT A GLANCE:

  • 13 years of experience teaching SAT & ACT Prep
  • Perfect Score of 1600 on the SAT test
  • Perfect Score of 36 on the ACT test
  • Over 1800 individual SAT / ACT students taught
  • Over 14,000 hours of SAT / ACT teaching experience
  • Author of 11 Textbooks and Online Courses for SAT, ACT & College Readiness
  • Dozens of glowing student & parent testimonials

About Christian Heath, Founder of Love the SAT Test Prep

Christian Heath is a life-long Austin native, veteran SAT & ACT prep tutor, textbook author, and founder of Love the SAT Test Prep. A true veteran of SAT & ACT prep, Christian has been tutoring SAT & ACT prep full-time since 2011, working with over 1800 students and logging an astonishing sum of over 14,000 hours of classroom experience.

Christian got his start in the classroom as an AmeriCorps member with Austin’s own College Forward program in 2009-2010. Shortly afterwards he started Love the SAT Test Prep, which has grown into Austin’s top-rated local SAT & ACT prep center. His nearly unprecedented dedication and experience have earned him a place as a world-class SAT & ACT prep tutor.

SAT & ACT Teaching Experience:

  • The #1-Rated SAT & ACT Prep Tutor in Austin, TX on Yelp, Google, and Facebook!
  • 13 years of full-time specialized experience teaching SAT & ACT prep to high school students.
  • Over 1800 individual tutoring & group class students.
  • More than 6,000 individual lessons & classes taught.
  • 14,000+ hours of private tutoring & group class teaching experience.
  • Trains & manages a team of SAT/ACT tutors, practice test proctors, and customer service representatives.

Personality & Attitude: High-energy, intense, and highly motivated. Works with a spirit of urgency, but also ready at any moment to ease up, relax, crack jokes, and take a quick break from the pressure of test prep. Christian loves to throw himself fully into whatever he is currently doing!

Teaching Approach & Philosophy: Christian’s philosophy towards test prep is easily summarized: “Help students significantly improve their SAT & ACT scores, while providing a great experience to students & parents.” Teenagers are all unique and interesting personalities! Christian tailors each lesson to each student, even depending on how the kids are feeling that day. He utilizes a mix of highly-tested strategies and total content mastery to open students’ eyes to the secrets of the SAT & ACT. But! on test day, students have to do the work themselves. Therefore, everything Christian teaches in lessons is based around a solid core of personal practice, homework assignments, and grinding out practice problems.

News Coverage: Interviewed by KXAN Austin local news as an expert on the changes to the SAT test in March 2014.

Authorship of Books, Courses & Articles:

Christian is the author of 11 books & online courses and over 200 free blog articles, all focused on SAT & ACT prep and college readiness. Among them are:

History of Love the SAT Test Prep: Love the SAT Test Prep is a homegrown small local business focused on delivering the best possible service within our tightly-focused niche. Founded by Christian in 2011, he began by advertising for SAT prep students on Craigslist and driving from home to home, or meeting students in coffeeshops around Austin.

As his schedule filled with new students, Christian started renting a tiny broomcloset office in Northwest Austin to help centralize operations and meet with more students per week. He also studied the ACT test in-depth to add it to his repertoire. At this point he was teaching SAT & ACT prep for up to 12 hours per day!

The next step was to start building a team. Without any prior experience in business, Christian started hiring and training a team that included customer service, Saturday-morning testing proctors, and new tutors.

At present, the team hovers between 4-7 people depending on the season.

Christian’s Proudest Teaching Moments:

  • An ACT score improvement so great that it was (temporarily) flagged as “cheating” - in just 3 lessons.
  • Helping a student win a $20k+ college scholarship for his ACT score improvements.
  • When kids realize (or just remember) they actually like to read.
  • Hearing that classic “oh, that’s actually easy!” moment of a student’s realization.
  • Parents telling him their kid is finally confident in math after fearing it for so long.
  • Working with dozens of younger siblings of successful former students.
  • Completing his 300-page SAT & ACT Grammar textbook and getting great positive feedback on it.
  • Getting invited to teach SAT prep in China three times (see sidebar).
Current Test Scores:

  • Perfect 1600/1600 on SAT
  • Perfect 36/36 on ACT
  • Perfect scores on all test sections
High School & Test Scores:

  • Graduate of St. Stephen’s Episcopal High School in Austin (2005)
  • High School SAT Score: 1590 out of 1600
  • National Merit Semifinalist
  • 1360/1600 on the PSAT as a 7th Grader.
  • Invited to & attended Duke TIP awards ceremony, talent program & summer camp.
  • Perfect 800/800 on the Writing SAT II Test
  • 790 on the Math II SAT 2 test
  • 760/800 on the Physics SAT II Test
  • AP Test Scores:
    • 5/5 on Calculus AB
    • 5/5 on Physics
    • 5/5 on AP English

A Few Testimonials to Christian’s Teaching:

“the Mr. Miyagi of the SAT…” (Travis, Senior ’14)

“…an excellent SAT teacher, but more importantly a remarkable life coach!” (Alia, Junior ’14)

“Hello, I was looking to find contact info for Christian, I was in his recent SAT class and my new test scores were significantly higher!! I got them today and I’m extremely happy with it. Please let him know I emailed, I’d love to talk to him.” (Kyce, Senior ’19)

College Education & Awards:

  • Pomona College, Claremont CA
  • B.A. in Music with additional concentration in Piano Performance (2009)
  • Organized & led three chamber music ensembles and participated as guest pianist with Pomona College Orchestra
  • William F. Russell Prize in Music (2008)
  • Rudolph Polk Award in Music (2009)
  • William G. Blanchard Prize in Music (2009)
Teaching SAT Prep in China: in 2015, Christian’s articles and social media attracted the attention of CDIS, an international school in Chengdu, China. He was invited to teach SAT prep to top students in China, and has traveled there three times: 2016, 2017, and 2019, with plans to return.

His Chinese, Korean, and American expat students consistently mention his life-changing impact on their education and motivation. These teaching adventures on the other side of the planet make him the first and only person in his family - which includes a lifelong commercial airline pilot - to visit China!

More Testimonials for Christian’s SAT & ACT Prep:

“Thank you so much for working with her! She was very happy with her PSAT scores and how much she improved over the past year.” (Ann, mom ’14)

“Your class definitely made him more confident and excited about the SAT. I have told a number of family and friends about your class and will continue to spread the word.” (Carina, mom ’14)

“You explain the material from the test-taker’s perspective, and it helps tremendously. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH 🙂 However, I don’t think that interactive smiles can express the level of my gratitude to you ;)” (Anonymous online student, ’14)

“Hi Christian!! I just wanted to check in and say hi… And let you know that next year I’ll be attending the University of Georgia to study international affairs. I wouldn’t have been able to get into all my schools or had all the decisions I did if it hadn’t been for your help!! Thanks so much.” (Caroline, Senior ’16)

“I didn’t like to memorize things. I hated to memorize things. I thought i wasn’t good at memorizing things. I met a teacher, his name was Christian. He always smiled, everytime had a happy look in his face. He was also really energetic, he went from one side to the otherside of the classroom. First day of summer school. He taught us about the basics of a SAT course. He made a pyramid and on the bottom there was motivation. He told us that motivation was the most important thing that students needed. Those words just struck in my mind. I wasn’t even close to the top of the pyramid. I figured out that I didnt have any motivation. I thought about my life after school. The first thing that I do when I go back to home is watching a television show. Even from this I could feel that I didn’t have motivation. Throughout the summer school, every single class Christian told us that we need to have motivation in order to be good at anything in this world. After hearing these words for a week. I finally got some motivation. I closed everything, every electronic device that would bother me. I spent just 20 minutes everyday after school memorizing vocabs. After few months I figured out that I had learned more then 500 words perfectly. I realized that it wasn’t me who was bad at memorizing things. It was myself who didn’t have motivation to do things. I was going the easy, lazy way. Although it was a short time being with Christian, I had learn alot of things from him. He was the engine that started me to get going. If I meet him again I really want to thank him. I wish i could eventually meet him again.” (Anonymous student in Chengdu, China, ’15)

“I’ve spoken at length with Christian about the SAT and his philosophy toward tutoring and test prep. I’ve always been very impressed with his insights and approach to instruction. As a test prep professional myself, I meet a lot of charismatic people who sell their personality over substance or emphasize fake tricks and tips over real learning. I’ve never suspected Christian of falling into this camp. He’s a highly motivated educator, who cares about his students and works diligently to hep them succeed. If you’re in need of test prep, I highly recommend you give him a call.” (Matt McCorkle, Cofounder of Clear Choice Test Prep, ’16)

“Hey I just took an ACT on July 14th and my tutor was Christian soooooo if you could pass this message to him tell him I got a 31 on my ACT and that I got a 36 on the reading section and I qualify for automatic admission to A&M. Thank you so much Christian, really life changing things you’re able to do.” (Will, Junior ’18)

“I just wanted you to know that our SAT/ACT saga is over.  Sam scored 1300 on the SAT, a 100 point improvement and 33 on the ACT.  Needless to say, she was ecstatic about the ACT score and has added Johns Hopkins to her list of possible schools.  Please pass this along to Christian, as his part in Sam’s scores was profound. Best investment we’ve ever made!” (Mike, dad of Senior ’17)

“Thanks to Christian’s help with ACT prep Jacob will be attending Birmingham-Southern College in the fall with a very generous scholarship. (He was admitted and received scholarship offers at all the schools to which he applied.) We have a friend who is looking for tutoring for his son, and we’d like to refer him to you…” (Colleen, mom of Senior, ’16)

“I got my September ACT scores back about a week ago and received a 28! I’m so happy with my score and want to thank you and Christian Heath for y’all’s help! Please tell Christian I said thanks and for bringing my score up 11 points in reading!! Reading has always been a struggle for me, and to have this section as my highest sub-score is unbelievable! Thanks again, and I will surely recommend y’all to anyone who is looking for future SAT/ACT tutoring!” (Kalli, Senior ’16)

“Elise was able to get a 29 on the last ACT, which bumped her up to the next scholarship level at UMHB!” (Amy, mom of Senior ’16)

[That one student whose ACT scores improved so much - by 7 points overall from one test to the next - that the ACT assumed she had cheated, and temporarily cancelled her scores!] (Cameron, Senior ’18)

“Hi Christian, I just wanted to share my gratitude for you and your co-workers for helping my son improve his scores.  Below are the ACT scores from December (he took the Kaplan course beforehand but it really was no help) and then his scores after you worked with him one-on-one.  As you can see his composite improved from 25 to 30!!!! I am so happy for him - this really changes his options for which colleges he can attend, and just opens doors in a very real way.  We are so grateful for your service.  Hard for to explain how much this means to us.  Your tutoring was an excellent investment in my son’s future and I would highly recommend ‘Love the SAT’ to any family - please feel free to use this as a testimonial.” (Esther, mom of Senior ’18)

“…he then took the SAT in Dec. while your advice were still fresh in his brain. (I think all the techniques were in there during the PSAT, but he was probably under a lot of pressure and felt stressed as it was a big deal to us that he make it to NMSF ).  He did a lot better on the SAT, he got a 1560. Way better than we expected, after the PSAT result. So thank you, thank you!” (Anna, mom of Junior ’19)

“Hi, thank you for everything.  Please let Christian know that Trevor’s ACT score was an 18 and increased to a 24!” (Tiffany, mom of Senior ’19)

More About Christian

None of the following info has to do with SAT & ACT prep - but you can learn a bit more about Christian’s favorite hobbies, books, movies & music!

In his free time: Christian stays very busy when he’s not working on SAT & ACT prep!

His favorite interests & hobbies include:

  • Motorcycles
  • Reading
  • Movies
  • Travel
  • Small Business & Entrepreneurship
  • Songwriting, Piano & Guitar
  • Distance running
  • Hanging out with family and friends

Christian’s Favorite Books:

Christian has loved reading his whole life. He’s always ready with a book recommendation (or three) for students!

Sci-Fi & Fantasy are his favorite genres - but he also likes the classics, suspense, nonfiction, and books about entrepreneurship and business.

  • Snow Crash
  • When Gravity Fails
  • Neuromancer
  • The Harry Potter series
  • Born to Run
  • The Wheel of Time series
  • Atlas Shrugged & The Fountainhead
  • For Whom the Bell Tolls
  • War & Peace
  • Macbeth

Christian’s Favorite Movies:

Always looking out for a great story, atmospheric sets & memorable music from any era of film. Christian’s favorite movie genres are Sci-Fi, Action, and Suspense / Horror.

  • Blade Runner
  • Jurassic Park
  • Star Wars 4-6
  • Alien
  • Batman Begins
  • Monty Python & The Holy Grail
  • Goldeneye
  • Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade
  • The Matrix

Christian’s Favorite Music:

Christian is a trained classical pianist and modern pop/rock/electronic songwriter - so as you can imagine, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to music…

  • Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Frederic Chopin
  • Radiohead
  • Enya
  • The Cure
  • Arcade Fire
  • Brian Eno
  • Bob Dylan
  • Neil Young
  • The Beatles
  • Led Zeppelin

Christian’s Favorite Shows:

  • Battlestar Galactica
  • Breaking Bad
  • Stranger Things
  • Cobra Kai
  • Family Guy
  • Attack on Titan