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General Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) For Quick Access Click:
Logistics, Class Make-Ups, and Locations
How do I Register for a Class?
You can register one of two ways: via our webpage or over the phone. You will need to register in advance before your class start date. Payment can be made via Credit Card or Debit Card with the Visa/MasterCard Logo. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.
Payment at time of Registration
Full payment is required at the time of registration. This applies to both internet and phone registrations. We cannot hold your information on file to save a place for you in a course if you have not paid the full fee.
Regular Registration
We do not have a registration deadline. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. We take registrations for a particular class until it fills to our usual 15 student maximum. We cannot guarantee space availability in a particular class during the last week of the registration period. If you do not see a class posted on our website it is no longer available.
Is There a Registration Deadline?
No. We accept registrations based on a first-come, first-served basis. Courses are available until they fill to our usual 15 student maximum. We suggest that you register as early as possible to secure your seat in class.
Many students call in and ask "when is the last possible date to register?" While there is no deadline, registering early ensures that your materials will be at your first class. It also ensures a place in class; if you register too late the class might be filled to capacity.
Walk-In Registration
We do not allow walk-in registrations to our courses. You must register in advance by phone or the webpage to attend a course. Instructors cannot accept payment at the door and are not allowed to admit anyone into the classroom who is not officially registered in the course.
Registration at Classroom Locations
You must register for our courses over the phone or online. You cannot register for a course at a classroom location. Most classroom locations are Hotel Conference Rooms set up in a classroom format. Others are at University Conference Centers. We rent these conference room and classroom facilities to save costs. The venues are not affiliated with us and cannot take registration and payment. They do not have information or brochures about our services and cannot answer questions about our company and course offerings.
Preview Policy
We do not have a first class preview policy. Only fully paid, registered students may attend our courses. We also do not offer a course materials preview policy. Unlike other companies, our courses are an entire "experience," an immersion process.
Do I need a registration ticket to attend my first class?
No. Our instructors will have your contact information on their course roster. You will not be mailed nor will you need to print out an admission ticket to attend your first class. Only those who are on the our course rosters will be allowed to attend class.
Transferring to a Different Start Date, Location Changes, or Changing Courses once Registered.
After you are registered, you can change to a different start date course if needed. This can occur when students have unexpected events arise, or if an adjustment is needed in the timing of your admissions process. If you decide to postpone your enrollment before your first class, you may transfer to any course that has a start date within 6 months of your original course start date without penalty. However, the entire tuition paid for your course becomes automatically non-refundable. We cannot guarantee any future course or location.
Location changes are also permitted. You may transfer your registration to another city if space is available.
You can also change your registered course before classes begin. If you decide that you would rather take the LSAT than the GRE we can change your course registration and charge the difference in course costs.
Late Registrations
Some classes are still available after the course start date. You may view these listed on our webpage or call us for more information. Registration for these courses is available for about 3-4 days after the official course start date. Courses are not prorated if you miss a class and the full course fee still applies. A $25 late registration charge will be assessed.
CBEST Partial Registrations (For those who have Passed Sections of the Test)
Our classes prepare for the entire examination which includes Math, Verbal, and Writing. We cover Math on weeks 1 and 2, Verbal on week 3, and Writing on week 4. You may register for the CBEST class and only attend the sections you need. Even if you have passed Math, we do strongly advise that you show for your first class to collect your materials and introduce yourself to the instructor. We do not mail out materials to students.
We do not have a discount or prorated policy if you only need to attend one or two sections of the test (e.g., you have passed math but need verbal and writing help). If you only need help on one or two sections you still must pay the full fee. Please do not call in to ask if we can waive this policy.
Do I have to pay a Materials fee?
No. All of the class materials are included in the course cost. There are no hidden fees, and there is nothing more to buy to fully prepare for your examination.
Can I change my Charge Card for my Course Fee?
If you would like to change the charge card you have registered under we can do so for a $40 fee. For Example, if you have registered under your credit card but a Parent or Friend will be paying for the class, we can refund the charge to your card and authorize the course fee on a new card. We can make these changes up until the Friday before your first class. We cannot make changes to the charge card after your first class had begun.
Can I receive a discount if I take more than one course?
From time to time we will see students who take two of our courses concurrently or one after another. Many times this is for joint programs, such as Ph.D./J.D., or MBA/J.D., or for those undecided between graduate and professional school. Due to our low cost structure we are not able to provide a multiple course discount.
We do not Prorate Course Fees if you Cannot make a Particular Class
When considering registration, we do not offer prorated course fees if you are planning to miss a class. For example, if you know you are going to miss one week, we cannot provide a prorated course fee that would result in a reduced fee.
Payment at time of Registration
Full payment is required at the time of registration. This applies to both internet and phone registrations. We cannot hold your information on file to save a place for you in a course if you have not paid the full fee.
Multiple-Student Discounts
Due to our low cost structure we are unable to offer multiple student discounts to those registering with a friend or sibling. All students are required to pay the same fee.
Financial Aid, Tuition Assistance, and Scholarships
We do not offer financial aid or tuition assistance. We know that test prep can be expensive and we've done our best to provide a low course cost. Competitors' test prep courses cost between $900 - $1,400. These are unacceptable figures, and the courses should not cost that much. We believe that test prep should be available to all and we work towards that goal through our low costs courses.
Payment Plans and Partial Payments
We do not have a payment plan, partial payment, or a need-based sliding scale payment system. Our courses are heavily discounted and are usually about one-third the cost of the industry leader. To register you must pay the full course fee at the time of registration. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.
Do I have to pay a Materials fee?
No. All of the class materials are included in the course cost. There are no hidden fees, and there is nothing more to buy to fully prepare for your examination.
We cannot Guarantee Materials and Books if you register within 2 Days of the course start date.
Sometimes registering late is a necessity (e.g., funds, commitments, awareness of courses), but if you register within 2 days of the course start date we cannot guarantee availability of books and materials on your first day of class.
At Sherwood Test Prep, instructors provide you with our materials at your first class. We do not mail materials to each student. Each instructor is allotted a projected number of books/materials for a particular course. We carefully calculate how many books/materials are needed and provide instructors extras for last minute registrations. At times there can be a rush of students at the last minute that exceeds the instructor's books/materials on file. If you happen to register close to the deadline and we cannot provide you your book/materials at your first class then we will ship you these materials by the Tuesday after the official course start date.
Sherwood Materials are Not for Sale Outside of our Courses
Sherwood Test Prep course materials are not for sale and are only given to students who register for our courses. You must be registered and attend our courses to receive your materials. We do not sell our materials to those not taking our courses.
Course Materials
Students receive all of their materials on their first day of class. We do not mail materials to students when you register for a course.
Can I Receive my Materials Early, before the Class Starts?
We are not able to send your class materials early, and we only distribute class materials on the first day of your course. Our course is an immersion process and the materials are designed for that format. One of our competitive advantages is knowing how to properly structure the class through the effective use of preparation materials.
Logistics, Class Make-Ups, and Locations:
I don't see the exact class location listed on the registration area of the webpage. Where can I find this information?
We have been a Western States Company for almost six years and decided this Spring (2008) to expand nationwide. Our original service area was California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Idaho. All our locations for cities within our original service region have had reliable and consistent locations for years (examples: UCLA, UC Berkeley, Quality Inn in San Diego, etc.).
We will begin nationwide service on our July 20th start date, and at that time will have solidified many nationwide locations. Thus we are in the process of obtaining locations for these new areas to commence class service and do not have the exact class location available at this time. When it becomes available it will be posted to our webpage. We do apologize for this uncertainty (and we've gone through it many times before when we have added a new city within our original service region).
What if I will miss a class?
Class Make-Up Policy.
Programs for Foreign Students or Students on a Foreign Visa
Foreign students and Non-immigrant alien students coming to the United States for the primary purpose of study should enter the U.S. on a student visa, or an F-1 visa. Unfortunately however, we are not able to issue an I-20.
Enrolling in our programs cannot be used as evidence of study to continue to stay in the United States. We are not set up to provide these services. Foreign students can freely take our courses but this does not constitute enrollment into an official program for entrance into or continued residency within the U.S.
Can I Transfer to Another Course Location Mid-Session?
Yes, if there is a running session in the area you would like to transfer to. Its does not occur often, but some students change locations because of work commitments, family vacations, and traveling. Please contact customerservice@sherwoodtest.com to request a transfer.
A Holiday Weekend is coming up, will you Hold Class?
We observe only four holiday weekends per year: Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Although there are many other "Holiday" weekends throughout the year we only have time in our schedule to observe the these four holidays. We understand that you might have plans for a fun 4th of July or Memorial day weekend, but keeping consistent prep programs throughout the year necessitates teaching on those weekends and other holidays. We thank you for your understanding.
What should I bring to my class?
Everyone should bring pencils and scratch paper. SAT students should bring an SAT approved calculator. Calculators are not allowed on the GRE, GMAT, or CBEST tests. All other materials will be provided for you at your first class.
Examination Authority
We offer test preparation courses but do not administer the actual examinations. All test preparation companies are independent of the test makers and no test preparation company can administer an official examination. You are required to sign up with the test makers and they now prefer students to register online. You can register for the tests at:
TEST COSTS as of January 1st, 2008:
Private Tutoring or "1 on 1 Tutoring"
We do not offer private tutoring services or "1 on 1 tutoring." To keep costs low we focus only on one type of product: classroom based test preparation courses. We recommend searching [www.craigslist.com] Craig's List for a tutor in your area. We do apologize, but none of our instructors are available for private individual tutoring outside of class.
Admissions Consulting
To keep course costs low, we have focused our resources on classroom based test preparation courses. We do not offer admissions consulting services nor academic counseling. We do provide an admissions discussion in the first week's class. If you have specific questions you may ask your instructor at that time.
How Large are your classes?
We usually have a 15 student maximum for our Courses. Time of year and geographic location influence the number of enrolled students. Courses are no longer available for registration once a class has filled to the student maximum. We do not have waiting lists for full courses should someone drop out before class start. Student maximums do not apply to our Sacramento courses.
Do you own the "sherwoodtestprep.com" website?
No. Our original website was "sherwoodtestprep.com" but we shortened it to "sherwoodtest.com" in 2003 for ease of use. After this switch we no longer used the sherwoodtestprep.com address and did not re-register the site. In 2005, some crafty company decided to purchase the website domain name and now offers advertisements from all of our competitors on it. We find this very amusing, and are rather flattered that other companies recognize our good work in test prep. We have no affiliation with "sherwoodtestprep.com"
Why is your headquarters in Sacramento, CA?
Sacramento is Jeffrey Sherwood's (our Founder and CEO's) hometown.
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