Every plan is different.
The result is the same — their best score.
For more than 25 years, Kristi Badoyen has built individualized SAT, ACT, and academic coaching programs for high-achieving students. No packaged curriculum. No generic strategy. Just an effective plan built around the individual student.
One size does not fit all — so we don't pretend it does.
Kristi BadoyenFounder & CEO
Badoyen Academics sets the standard in private test preparation and academic tutoring, working with students worldwide through individualized online sessions. Every program is tailored, never templated, to the way a specific student thinks, tests, and learns.
The practice is led by founder Kristi Badoyen, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Southwestern Law School and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University, and brings more than 25 years of tutoring expertise to every engagement. She's supported by a team of tutors who bring the same caliber: advanced degrees, extensive subject experience, or both.
Over the years, Badoyen Academics has helped thousands of students raise their GPAs, master Advanced Placement (AP) coursework, and reach the 95th percentile on the SAT and ACT, building a client base almost entirely through referrals and returning families.
“Never cookie-cutter.” — The philosophy behind every program
From confusion to confidence — then to the number that matters.
Built around the student, not off the shelf.
The five steps below shape every SAT and ACT engagement. The same student-first principle drives every academic tutoring session (from foundational math through AP coursework), whether the goal is a single test score or steady progress across a semester.
Diagnose the right test
A full diagnostic assessment determines whether the SAT or the ACT, never both, gives this particular student the strongest path forward.
Design around the student
The diagnostic identifies actual strengths and weaknesses, which we use to shape a customized program, never a fixed curriculum applied to every student the same way.
Eliminate the guesswork
Guessing at answers gets replaced with a repeatable process: the specific skills to work through a problem and arrive at the correct answer efficiently, not by chance.
Train confidence, not just content
Test-day anxiety is treated as a skill gap, not a personality trait. Confidence is built deliberately, over time, the same way any other skill is — that confidence is what keeps anxiety from taking over on test day.
Target the score that matters
Every session teaches the specific strategies and skills proven to move the score, so a student's limited study time goes directly to what pays off, not toward approaches that feel productive but aren't.
A sample of the record.
Before-and-after test scores are the clearest, most direct way to show results. The same individualized approach drives every academic tutoring engagement, too; it just shows up as steadier grades and stronger command of a subject, rather than a single score to hold up side by side.
Figures reflect real outcomes tracked by Badoyen Academics over the course of the practice; first names shown for illustration.
In their own words.
One of the best investments we ever made for our three children. All of their scores increased dramatically and were accepted at their top school choice. All had very different learning styles and were taught to find the best methods that unlocked their potential.
We've had both of our daughters work with Badoyen Academics. Both girls improved their scores significantly. Kristi is amazing. She created a detailed curriculum for each girl and really understands the way teenagers' minds work.
We have used Kristi for two of our children and she really helped them both with getting their scores way up for the ACT and SAT. They ended up doing much better than we ever expected! We have recommended Kristi to several friends and everyone loves her.
Two ways to work together.
Test Prep: SAT & ACT Coaching
One-on-one coaching for the SAT or the ACT, never both, plus PSAT preparation for juniors aiming for National Merit recognition. A diagnostic identifies the right test and the fastest path to a top-percentile score, for juniors starting fresh or seniors chasing a final retake.
Academic Tutoring
Subject-level tutoring across math, science, English, and history, from foundational coursework through AP and college-level classes.
What families ask before they start.
Is this in person or online?
Online only: every session, with every tutor, is conducted virtually. It's how we work with students anywhere, not just in Los Angeles, without losing the one-on-one attention of an in-person session.
Do you only work with SAT/ACT students, or academic tutoring too?
Both. Test prep is where we're best known, but the same individualized approach runs through every academic tutoring engagement, covering math, AP coursework, English, history, chemistry, and physics.
What subjects do you cover?
For academic tutoring, the full math sequence: Foundational Math, Algebra I & II, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus, plus Chemistry, Physics, English, and History, including AP and college-level coursework. For test prep, that's the SAT, the ACT, and PSAT preparation for students targeting National Merit recognition.
How do you decide between the SAT and the ACT?
A full diagnostic assessment, before anything else. Most students test meaningfully better on one over the other, and we build the entire program around whichever gives your student the strongest path forward, never both at once.
When should we start?
It depends which service. For academic tutoring, anytime: students typically start as soon as they need support in a current class, whatever grade that is. For SAT/ACT prep, a diagnostic in the spring of sophomore year or later is the usual starting point; advanced students sometimes test earlier, and some don't start until senior year for a final push. Either way, the diagnostic tells us exactly where to begin.
What does it cost?
It depends on the subject and the number of sessions purchased, so pricing is tailored rather than one-size-fits-all. Reach out directly and we'll go over the details for your student's specific needs.
Do you only work with students in Los Angeles?
Not at all. Badoyen Academics was built in Los Angeles, and many longtime families are still there, but every session is online, so we work with students worldwide, wherever they are.
Ready to talk about your student?
Every engagement starts the same way: a free consultation to see if we're the right fit.