David Benjamin Gruenbaum

David Benjamin Gruenbaum is the co-owner of Ahead of the Class, a private education and test preparation company based in both Orange County and Sonoma County, California.  During the past 22 years, Gruenbaum has prepared more than 5,000 students for their SAT and ACT college admissions exams.

A nationally-recognized SAT and ACT expert, Gruenbaum has appeared on CBS’s Early Show and Fox National News. His work has also been featured in The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, Newsweek, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times and The San Francisco Chronicle. Gruenbaum is the author of three books, the most recent being 7 Days to a Better SAT Score (Research and Education Association, 2005).  This book, which is available nationwide, was the first book in the country that introduced the New SAT to students and parents. 7 Days to a Better SAT Score features Gruenbaum’s unique blend of education and humor.

Gruenbaum was the first person to suggest the New SAT.  In September 2001, he wrote a letter to the College Board suggesting that the SAT I and SAT II math and verbal sections be merged into a single test. Gruenbaum suggested this because he felt that the two tests overlapped each other, and a single test would cut down on the number of tests overburdened California high school students would be required to complete. In March 2002, the College Board announced that it would be creating a new SAT that would essentially merge the SAT I and the SAT II. 

After this success, Gruenbaum realized that the New ACT and New SAT would be very similar and that it would be possible to prepare students for both tests simultaneously. As a result, Gruenbaum created the first major SAT/ACT combination course in the country. Today, thousands of students have been accepted to better colleges because of Gruenbaum’s work. Gruenbaum continues to be innovative, working now on a cross-lingual course that will allow students to learn several languages at the same time.