About Us

Our Story

For more than two decades, we've worked with literally thousands of students. In that time, we’ve seen that most prep courses taught by the big preparation companies just don’t deliver. They’re too time consuming. They’re boring—which makes them hard to read—and they demand an enormous amount of self-discipline for any student to complete. If the format is a large group classroom presentation, the class is geared to taking practice tests, not to instruction.

 

Even worse, the presenters are former students who did well on the SAT or ACT, not teachers who understand how students learn and know how to explain difficult problems to students who are having trouble.  We are education professionals who understand how to teach the content. 

 

Hi! I'm nationally certified master teacher Dr. Kay Van Der Burg. I co-founded Counterpoint with my son, Damien, who has more than a decade's experience in teaching science and math, including AP coursework. He is also a successful entrepreneur and certified high performance coach. So, we are education professionals who understand how to teach the content. 

 

We understand that there is a real need for quality college preparation that is simple, yet effective.

 

And that's why we created Counterpoint Test Prep. 

 

Here's How I Can Help You

Meet the Counterpoint Founders

Dr. Kay Van Der Burg

Dr. Kay is a nationally certified master teacher and has a Ph.D. in education from the UW Madison. She has had training at both Harvard and Stanford universities, and was the AP English teacher and district SAT/ACT prep lead for one of the highest ranking districts in the country. She has been tutoring students for more than two decades and is the co-founder of Counterpoint Test Prep.

 

Damien Van Der Burg, CHPC

Damien has a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology from UC Santa Cruz and a Master’s degree in biology from Point Loma Nazarene. He has taught  high school science and math courses for 15 years, including Advanced Placement (AP) coursework. In addition to co-founding Counterpoint Test Prep, Damien is also an investor/entrepreneur, and is a certified high performance and leadership coach.

 

Our Mission 

Fulfilling a student's potential through higher education prep. 

 

 

Our Vision 

Helping students prepare for the biggest test of their lives and successfully set them on their path to achieving their true potential. 

 

What Makes Us Different

We are not simply students who did well on the test and now want to make a buck off our success.  We're dedicated educators who are passionate about having an impact and making a significant difference in the quality of people's lives.

 

We Can Help Those Who Want to Succeed

In just a moment, I’m going to show you how you/your student can benefit from our vast experience and proprietary systematic approach to college prep, so s/he too can be on the way to the college or university of her dreams!

 

But first, let me tell you what inspired me to create my own system.

THE COUNTERPOINT

POINT-ADVANTAGE SYSTEM

 

"I designed the Point-Advantage System as a specialized strategy to provide the best, most effective tools needed for students of ALL ABILITIES to achieve success on the ACT, launching them into the college or university of their choice."

-Dr. Kay Van Der Burg

Why I Developed My Own System

In preparing a standardized test prep course, I looked to the established professional ACT preparation companies and programs. As a former teacher and school principal, I was disconcerted with the quality of products that were being offered. 

 

I discovered that even the best test prep books sold in bookstores or on Amazon only copied the superficial structure of the SAT or ACT and, aside from practice, did very little to actually put students in a position to succeed.

 

But even more surprising - what was really shameful - was that these prep companies  did not consistently  replicate content or test the same skills as those tested on the actual ACT.

 

No wonder many kids are disappointed with their ACT scores.

 

And when I worked with individual students, I was astounded to find that even top students weren’t learning the appropriate reading strategies and writing analysis skills to do well on the test.

"With more than two decades worth of experience preparing students  for college, I developed a one-of-a-kind, score-boosting, proprietary system that I call the Counterpoint Advantage-Point Strategy, and it's as elegant as it is extraordinarily effective."

-Dr. Kay Van Der Burg

 

Here's How I Can Help You

I created the Counterpoint Advantage-Point Strategy because many unsuspecting students are unknowingly preparing for the ACT test using the WRONG strategies!

 

There is a huge need for quality test preparedness to position students for success on standardized tests like the ACT.

 

That's why I set out to analyze these tests with the single mission to identify and deliver only the best, most efficient tools and strategies needed for my students to achieve success on the ACT.

 

Because the test is constantly changing, it’s very difficult to predict exactly what’s going to be on the test year to year. However, I worked diligently to catalogue each ACT test question given over a number of years. I summarized and categorized the presentation and structure of each test section.

 

In fact, I discovered exactly which standardized test-taking skills needed to be coupled with what specific tools, strategies, and tricks. I developed concrete tricks and strategies that every student needs to learn to be successful. 

Who can benefit from the Counterpoint Advantage-Point Strategy System?

When I created this system, I wanted to be sure it was designed for busy students of all abilities. I wanted it to be an alternative to cramming, and so I designed it in a way that allows students to quickly and efficiently prepare for college admissions tests.

The Counterpoint ACT Prep courses prepare students to dominate their ACTs, while the Counterpoint College Application and College Essay Writing courses strategically help students maneuver through the college application process and write top-notch college entrance essays.

 

Counterpoint courses are advanced enough to help all students—even the best ones—SAVE TIME and MONEY getting into the finest universities in the country, including Stanford, MIT, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, UC Berkeley, and NYU, to name just a few. There’s nothing else like it on the market today that can so thoroughly prepare you/your student.

 

 

What If An Ivy League School Is Not Desired?

 

I get it - those schools aren't for everyone. But, regardless of your school choice, my Counterpoint strategies and techniques are battle tested and proven to generate real results, no matter what kind of student you are!

 

My program boosts scores for all students, including those who may choose to go to the less competitive schools, because sometimes students are just happier in a less competitive campus atmosphere.

 

So, whether you’re just starting to think about taking the ACT, or you’ve already taken the test but weren’t as prepared as you thought or hoped, the Counterpoint ACT online study system will give you practical knowledge and tools that can help boost your scores right away.

 

Counterpoint offers an extensive library of exceptionally powerful college and ACT prep courses, designed to help ANY college bound student get into the school of his/her dreams.

Here's How I Can Help You

Have Questions?

Fill out the form below and let's connect. 

 

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