Work with Bara

Full ACT Test Prep Support — Achieve Your Target Score
Starting at $5,40010h+ of coaching
Save up to $6,000

Nail the ACT Math Section
Starting at $5,40010h+ of coaching
Save up to $2,400

Crush the ACT English and Reading Sections
Starting at $5,40010h+ of coaching
Save up to $2,400
About
Most test prep hands everyone the same course. I start with a diagnosis. Whether you’re just starting out or your score has stalled, these tests are more than content exams. They’re simulations of how you’ll perform as a leader: deciding with incomplete information, prioritizing under time pressure, and knowing when to move on. So my team and I work on all four pillars of test-taking success: content mastery, strategy, time management (through accelerated reading), and optimal mindset. I taught for The Princeton Review for six years before founding City Test Prep in 2005. My clients have gone on to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, INSEAD, London Business School, Columbia, Chicago Booth, and more. My mindset work is similar to what sports psychologists do with elite athletes. Drawing on hypnosis, NLP, and mindfulness, I help students reduce anxiety and build focus and confidence, so their scores reflect what they actually know. I also created MindFlow Speed Reading, which trains faster reading with stronger comprehension. I co-wrote The Full Potential GMAT Sentence Correction Intensive (Nova Press), co-host MBA Waves with Eric Lucrezia, and have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNN/Fortune, and on NPR. I’ve served on the board of the National Test Prep Association and in the leadership of AIGAC. When I’m not coaching, I’m walking my rescue pup, Murphy, and advocating for shelter dogs. Book a free intro call and tell me where you’re starting from.
Bara’s ACT Qualifications
Coaches professionally
400+ ACT clients
Welcome to my profile! As the Founder and CEO of MindFlow Speed Reading and City Test Prep, I have dedicated over 30 years to helping students excel in high-stakes admissions tests, including the ACT. My unique approach combines accelerated reading techniques and mindset tools, which are often missing from traditional test prep programs. These methods have helped thousands of students improve their reading speed by up to 5x and boost their scores by up to 28% on reading comprehension sections. I am passionate about empowering students to achieve their highest potential through customized action plans and holistic coaching. Our many years of experience guiding students through the ACT, we've developed a deep understanding of the unique challenges the ACT presents. Our approach is built on a thorough knowledge of each ACT section and the strategies required to excel, meeting the students where they need the most help. We provide students with a personalized study plan that targets their specific strengths and areas for growth, helping them build both knowledge and confidence. My methods are rooted in proven techniques to enhance focus, manage time effectively, and approach each section with a clear strategy, ultimately reducing the stress and anxiety often associated with high-stakes testing. In our work, we have seen students face a wide range of difficulties, from pacing issues to question misinterpretations. I draw on this experience to help students develop practical skills for each section, like quick reading strategies for the Reading section, effective elimination techniques for English, and clear, methodical approaches to the Science and Math sections. Beyond test content, I prioritize helping students become resilient and adaptable test-takers who can manage stress, stay composed under pressure, and ultimately achieve their best possible score, all within their timeline.
Bara can help with:
ACT English
ACT Math
ACT Reading
ACT Science
Tailored Study Plan
Test Prep Strategy
Why do I coach?
I coach because I kept seeing the same thing during my years at The Princeton Review: students who knew the material walked into the test and didn’t score anywhere near what they achieved in class or on practice tests. Their preparation was solid. What held them back was pressure, slow reading, or a self-limiting belief story they told themselves about not being “good at tests.” Content alone wasn’t fixing that, so in addition to content mastery and test-taking strategy, I started bringing in tools from mindfulness, hypnosis, and NLP, the kind of tools sports psychologists teach their athletes. What keeps me coaching 30 years later is how often a small shift makes a big difference. I regularly hear from students who worked with me for just a few hours, fine-tuned their approach and their mindset, and went on to meet or exceed their score goals. That never stops being gratifying. These tests are also practice for something bigger. The skills you build, deciding under pressure, managing your time, trusting your own judgment, stay with you long after test day.
Work Experience

Founder and CEO
MindFlow Speed Reading
January 2020 - Present
MindFlow Speed Reading is an online training platform that brings two game-changing skills to the test taker seeking top scores: accelerated reading and mindset tools. These are two aspects of test preparation absent from most if not all tutoring programs. MindFlow tools increase your reading speed, improve your focus and comprehension and boost performance on admissions tests, in school and professionally. Our learning program can help you achieve higher scores on most admissions tests (SSAT, SHSAT, ISEE, SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, EA, LSAT, MCAT, TOEFL, IELTS and PTE) with techniques that will support you in middle and high school, college, business school, graduate school, medical school, law school and throughout your academic and professional career. MindFlow's online platform is based on the in-person and online workshop taught since 2005 and offered exclusively through City Test Prep. It increases students reading speed p to 5x and scores improve up to 26% on reading comprehension sections/question types.

Founder
City Test Prep
February 2005 - Present
At City Test Prep, we help students prepare for and excel on high stakes admissions tests such as the GRE, GMAT, EA as well as others for acceptance to high school, college, graduate, law and medical school. Our tutors create customized action plans and work with students individually to help them recognize their ability to learn and exceed their expectations. Students achieve success when they achieve optimal performance in these four aspects of test taking: - content mastery - employing the best test-taking strategy - time management through efficient reading - embodying an optimal mindset The last two aspects are not traditionally incorporated into test prep study, however they are game changers for those seeking the highest scores. CTP incorporates their time management training through MindFlow, a mindful speed reading workshop launched in 2022, MindFlow, an online mindful speed reading training program. https://mindflowspeedreading.com To optimize mindset, students engage in holistic and mindful coaching which ensure they maximize their efforts, learning ways to emotionally regulate and perform their best when it counts the most Student learn techniques to be focused and feel relaxed, confident and anxiety-free. The methods are drawn from hypnosis, Neuro-linguistic programming, bilateral stimulation, breathing exercises, meditation, mindfulness, tapping, and integrated life coaching. The process is short and potent and typically a game changer for anxious students who don't perform to their potential. City Test Prep has guided thousands of students to top test performance, gaining admission into top academic programs nationwide and internationally.
Education

The Jewish Theological Seminary
MA, Education
2002 - 2005
A masters degree exploring methods to enhance educational experiences and outcomes by harnessing creativity, spirituality and mindset work.

City University of New York
NA, PhD program in Art History
2000 - 2002

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
AM, Art History
1991 - 1993
University of Michigan's Art History program is trains students in academic inquiry and provides a broad intellectual foundation necessary for developing independent critical judgment as well as the specialized training needed to conduct advanced scholarly research. The program is noted for its emphasis on theory grounded in historical practice, its commitment to cross-cultural and interdisciplinary study, and its large and distinguished faculty, representing a broad range of historical and geographical expertise. Sapir's coursework focused on gender representations and her thesis work was seminal research on one of the first 'witness' paintings completed after the Holocaust.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
BFA, Fine Arts
1987 - 1991
Fine Arts degree with a specialization in Mixed Media. Graduated cum laude.
Bara was also personally admitted to

Carnegie Mellon University

Washington University in St. Louis

New York University
Articles
Full ACT Test Prep Support — Achieve Your Target Score
Starting at $5,40010h+ of coaching
Save up to $6,000
Nail the ACT Math Section
Starting at $5,40010h+ of coaching
Save up to $2,400
Crush the ACT English and Reading Sections
Starting at $5,40010h+ of coaching
Save up to $2,400
Tackle the ACT Science Section
Starting at $2,8505h+ of coaching
Save up to $600
Bara also coaches for GMAT, GRE, College, and SAT. View all.

