Episode 305 | Dan Marlin | Galin Education | The Knowledge Entrepreneurs Show

Episode Description

In this episode, Dan, Test Prep Director at Gallin Education, reveals how his company navigated the digital SAT transition while maintaining paper-pencil ACT prep in Wisconsin, where most testing centers haven't switched. Drawing from his journey starting as a graduate student recruited on LinkedIn who never left, Dan explains his diagnostic-first approach that helps families choose between ACT and SAT based on actual performance rather than regional myths about coastal versus Midwest preferences. He discusses his philosophy that having a test score is better than not—even in the test-optional era—because it provides flexibility for scholarships and specific programs that still require scores. Dan shares his perspective on AI in tutoring, acknowledging free tools like Khan Academy while emphasizing the human value-add of pattern recognition and dynamic adjustment that comes from knowing each student personally, especially when students struggle to identify what a mixed problem is asking them to do.