# 720. WHAT MOTIVATES STUDENTS IN TEST PREP?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/tests-and-the-rest-college-admissions-podcast-563572/720-what-motivates-students-in-test-prep
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/tests-and-the-rest-college-admissions-podcast-563572/720-what-motivates-students-in-test-prep.md
Podcast: [Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/tests-and-the-rest-college-admissions-podcast-563572)
Published: 2026-04-07T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://testsandtherest.libsyn.com/720-what-motivates-students-in-test-prep
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/testsandtherest/TATRMotivatePrepStudents.mp3?dest-id=1349983
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/tests-and-the-rest-college-admissions-podcast-563572/episodes/720-what-motivates-students-in-test-prep
Duration seconds: 1878

## Resource

It's been said that pain in life is inevitable, but we can choose whether to suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. How can we help learners make the right choice when enthusiasm or available time wanes? Amy and Mike invited educator Athena Savino to explore what motivates students in test prep. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What's the biggest misconception tutors and parents have about what motivates students to engage? What is the best way to assess student needs and sequence instruction? Why should goals and expectations set the foundation for preparation and coaching? What time frames work best to maintain enthusiasm and focus? What separates the students who hit their goals from the ones who don't, and how much of it is within a tutor's control? MEET OUR GUEST Athena Savino is the founder of Top Marks Prep , a platform that partners with tutoring centers to help students achieve better outcomes on the SAT, ACT, HSPT, SHSAT, ISEE, and PSAT through smarter practice and data-driven instruction. The daughter of immigrant parents who came to the US to expand educational opportunities for their family, Athena grew up with a deep appreciation for what access to the right tools and support can do. She earned her undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She began tutoring while pursuing her MBA and discovered that what actually moved the needle for students was simple but underappreciated: repetition and the motivation to keep improving with each attempt. That observation led her to build TopMarksPrep, which now provides tutoring centers with a student-facing study platform and an admin platform that delivers actionable, insightful data — helping tutors and center directo…

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