The Future of SAT Prep and Student Counseling with Zinkerz CIO Karly Burke

Guest Introduction:

 

Karly Burke serves as the Chief Information Officer at Zinkerz, a growing education technology company that has transformed from a simple mobile test prep platform into a full ecosystem for academic support, counseling, and intensive SAT and AP preparation. She entered the organization as a freelancer creating math content and gradually expanded her role through a combination of technical curiosity, instructional leadership, and a deep understanding of student performance data. Today she guides Zinkerz through major pivots in technology, student analytics, adaptive testing preparation, and program expansion while helping the company scale both its digital tools and human centered education model. Her background as a math educator, curriculum designer, and program architect gives her a unique viewpoint on how technology supports real learning and how personalization must remain central in online education.

 

Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn:

 

• How Zinkerz transitioned from a fully automated SAT prep app to a hybrid education model centered on human instruction

• Why the combination of automation and personalization creates stronger outcomes for students

• How Zinkerz measures student performance and uses adaptive data to drive curriculum decisions

• What parents should understand about the return of SAT requirements across top universities

• The structure and philosophy behind Zinkerz counseling programs

• How Zinkerz summer camps deliver high impact SAT score increases

• Why Karly's unique path from teacher to CIO shapes her leadership style

• How Zinkerz continues to innovate its platform to support educators and students worldwide

 

In This Episode:

 

Karly Burke details how Zinkerz evolved from a mobile only test prep platform into a multifaceted academic support system that blends technology with personalized instruction. She discusses the company's early attempt to automate SAT preparation entirely and why the team realized that students needed far more interaction with educators. This insight sparked the company's major shift toward online classes, counseling, and immersive summer programs.

She explains how Zinkerz gathers and analyzes student data to identify trends, pinpoint strengths and weaknesses, and deliver realistic adaptive testing that mirrors the current digital SAT experience. The conversation highlights the growing importance of tracking attendance, homework consistency, question level analytics, and difficulty patterns to inform instruction in real time.

Karly also provides clarity on the national shift back toward SAT requirements. She outlines how many top universities, including Ivy League institutions, are reintroducing standardized test expectations and how families should approach exam planning. She breaks down the Zinkerz counseling model, which avoids a la carte programs in favor of full relational guidance built over several years.

The final section explores Karly's personal story. She shares her path from marketing to education, her eight year teaching career, and the unexpected moment when a former student introduced her to Zinkerz. Her progression from freelance math question writer to CIO is presented with humility and authenticity. It is a clear example of how curiosity, initiative, and a willingness to solve problems create opportunities for advancement within a growing company.