Andy Lutz

Andy is Brainscape's lead product director and former VP of Product at The Princeton Review. He has built and managed educational products with annual revenues over $100MM. Andy’s e-learning products have earned both the Brandon Hall Excellence in E-Learning Gold Award and a Codie Award Finalist nomination. As a spokesman on learning and educational concerns, he has made radio/television appearances including NPR, CNN, CBS Evening News, and The O’Reilly Factor. Andy has also served as VP of Client Services US at ClearPoint Learning Systems, an eLearning / communications company serving the pharmaceuticals sector. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

Andy Lutz's Posts

How Kids/We Learn: Dinosaurs, Coins, Football, Music

By Andy Lutz, 1/27/2011 at 4:27 pm

I have two young kids–Sophie, 5, and Jack, 3. Obviously, they are what’s most important, which is probably how I rationalized writing about them for this blog post!

I’ve previously mentioned being impressed that the kids seem to learn some things in but one or two exposures, in other words, without repetition (or Brainscape’s Confidence-based Repetition). I always attribute this to their youthful brains–in contrast to the brain of their aging Dad. And to their good genes, of course, ha! Simple and wonderful.

However, a myriad of recent experiences (and my job) had me contemplating my navel recently, so, of course, I have to share. First I’ll share the raw experiences or thoughts, and then I’ll bring them together in the end. (more…)

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Steelers CRUSH the Patriots!

By Andy Lutz, 1/18/2011 at 7:15 pm

Steelers Crash Course App

Being at a start-up with big ideas, we at Brainscape occasionally have rather, well, interesting thoughts as to how and where our learning platform should be used. Therefore, it may not surprise you to learn that we decided to have some fun with the NFL Playoffs. That’s right: Brainscape is the fastest way to learn more about your favorite football team–that is, if you love the Steelers, Patriots, or Jets!

That’s not why I’m writing this, however. I’m writing because the Brainscape Steelers beat the Brainscape Patriots in iTunes. And it was a blowout! Huh?

I’ll admit: I’m a huge Steelers fan, having grown up in Western Pennsylvania. So, of course, the first Brainscape football app published was for the Steelers. Now, these apps take some work, so unfortunately we could not do all the teams this year. However, we did pick one more team; (more…)

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A New GRE in 2011

By Andy Lutz, 12/13/2010 at 10:27 am

The GRE General Test is changing next year. I’ll share some thoughts on the new test in a moment, but for one of the first times in my career, I’m going to actually refer you directly to the official info posted at ETS.org, the folks who write the GRE.

Now that I’m with Brainscape, no longer working at a giant test prep company, specifically the test prep company (Princeton Review) that worked hardest to be a thorn in the side of the creators of some of these flawed standardized tests, I’m less hesitant to simply direct you there. In the past, I would have spent hours attacking the new GRE / ETS in a variety of ways — from new product design to PR and everything in between! But today I’ll just send you there. It’s a great place to start for an overview of the revised GRE versus its current incarnation.

But I also cannot resist making a few comments, of course. :) (more…)

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Some General Advice on the GRE

By Andy Lutz, 11/30/2010 at 1:20 pm

The following, which originally appeared in the Sigma Tau Delta Fall 2010 Newsletter, was written by Stephen Heiner, who I did not know before reading recent press on the GRE. Stephen brings the kind of no-nonsense approach to GRE prep that we respect at Brainscape. BTW: it can be hard to find much written WELL about the GRE on the web. Seriously, google it. 9 out of 10 links are to sales pages or bad advice. Anyway, Stephen, thanks for good advice!

The GRE? No Sweat. By Stephen Heiner

Standardized testing is a blight on our educational system. It exists simply because of the overwhelming number of applications to undergraduate and graduate programs. (more…)

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Perfect One-Hour SAT Vocab Cram

By Andy Lutz, 11/1/2010 at 4:37 pm

Looking for a quick way to add points to your (or your students’) SAT/ACT score? This post, which provides a free tool for learning vocabulary, is for you!

If you know my background as well as what we’re up to at Brainscape, you know that we may be able to help. We can, so I whipped up a really simple, fun, and effective tool: the attachment below includes both a short vocabulary quiz (not in SAT question format; just a vocab quiz) AND free access to a web or iTunes study app that will help you (or anyone) learn words fast! Click on the link below and get rolling. If you’re already using Brainscape, take the quiz and enjoy how well you learned the first 50 words in your vocab deck! For those who need a bit more info, read on.

Vocab Quiz and Study Instructions

I’m generally not a fan of cramming for anything, so I’m using the term somewhat facetiously. The best way to prepare for standardized tests is (more…)

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How to REALLY Improve Your Vocabulary

By Andy Lutz, 8/16/2010 at 8:55 pm

“Contumacious” means “stubbornly rebellious or willfully disobedient.”

The importance of a good vocabulary–in life, work, or for standardized tests–is inarguable. Still, few of us make consistent vocabulary enrichment part of our busy lives. Why? In my opinion, it’s because the subject too rarely fits either of our two primary learning modalities. Did you say: “too boring?” (more…)

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New iPhone App Uses Cognitive Science Techniques to Help You Learn about – Booze?

By Andy Lutz, 8/4/2010 at 4:18 pm

Brainscape’s “Bartender Crash Course“ drills you on all that stuff about beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails that you were supposed to know but never learned.Amid hundreds of “reference” apps on iTunes for buying wines, mixing drinks, or tasting beers, one app has been designed to actually help you learn all those key concepts. Brainscape’s intelligent flashcard algorithm presents you a carefully spaced knowledge feed that repeats booze concepts in just the right interval for your brain’s maximum memory retention. (more…)

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How are Free Throws like College Admissions?

By Andy Lutz, 4/22/2010 at 11:28 pm

What do standardized tests such the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, or MCAT really measure? In my not-so-humble opinion, honestly, not much.

In an alternate universe, a young man named Shaquille steps to the free throw line. He knows he’s not good at this. He wishes he had practiced free throws long and hard instead of worrying about acquiring actual basketball post moves, dunks, and the ability to throw foes around the basketball court at will with strength and mobility. That stuff is all nice. But now he’s at the test: the free throw test. (more…)

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How to choose the Best Test Prep for YOU

By Andy Lutz, 4/20/2010 at 7:40 pm

Advice from an expert on how to maximize the effectiveness of your prep—and your score!

There is a bewildering array of choices and tools available to improve scores on standardized tests (SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, etc)—and with it the chance one will gain admission to a most desired college or graduate program. With this post, I hope to reduce confusion around these choices to help you find the clearest, most-efficient, cost-effective path to maximizing your score.

As a former, long-time test prep executive who ran product development for the world’s largest SAT preparation company (Princeton Review), I know first hand the diversity of products in the market. I spent over 15 years trying to help as many students as possible with our programs, so I understand what makes test prep effective (or not). (more…)

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Why so many Test Prep companies/choices?

By Andy Lutz, 4/18/2010 at 1:47 am

In 1999, the Princeton Review (my old home) provided two primary ways to help students to prepare for standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, or MCAT: live instruction in small classes or a couple of books one could buy at the local bookstore. Eight years later, when I left the company, the choices had practically multiplied exponentially.

I referenced 1999 because that’s when my team started building Princeton Review’s first online courses. By 2007, companies offered up to 10 different books to prepare for a given test, online courses available at prices from free to $1000, shorter live courses at your school as relatively inexpensive as $200 up to retail courses for $1500, one-on-one tutoring for $400 an hour or more, and even prep on mobile devices such as a cell phone! Whew, long sentence. (more…)

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