Lawrence Silverman is an expert on study skills, as well as a specialist in the causes and treatment of test anxiety. As a school psychologist, Lawrence worked for the Shenendehowa School District from 1979 until 2011 where he implemented and supervised peer programs that included mediation, mentoring, and tutoring.
Lawrence is the founder and president of Capital District Consulting, an SAT prep company that services over two dozen schools and has prepared thousands of students for the SAT.
Lawrence’s interest in standardized tests goes back to 1974 when he took an enlightening college course that informed him how aptitude tests were constructed. Since he realized that it was going to necessitate taking several additional tests in order to get to an advanced degree in psychology:
- GRE’s: Essentially the SAT’s to enter graduate school
- The Miller Analogies
- The Psychology Board Exam
Lawrence embarked on a two year program to improve prepare for these exams, and It worked! With over 250 students competing for 12 graduate slots, he was accepted into three of the four school psychology programs he applied to, including the one he truly wanted. During the two years it takes to earn a school psychology degree Lawrence studied numerous IQ tests including the Standford-Binet and the Wechsler. The Stanford Binet was the first IQ test ever developed and the Wechsler tests are the most widely used, which you might recognize as the WAIS or WISC. His education included the theories behind IQ tests, as well as application courses on how to administer them.
