<p>Do you find that the courses offered by Kaplan/ Princeton are beneficial? </p>
<p>I have friends who have taken no extra classes and did fairly well on their own (1800s and higher). My best friend took a Kaplan SAT class and got a 1900 on her first try, but her sub scores weren’t high enough for her dream schools. It was mostly because of her high writing score. It really varies and depends on what kind of person you are!</p>
<p>I bought a Princeton review book with some sorta decent studying and got a 1760 (M-560, Cr-560, Wr-640). A lot of the techniques that Kaplan teaches you are in here. HOWEVER, one thing that seems beneficial is the fact that they force you to take multiple practice tests. It can get a little tiring and wear you out, but sometimes all it takes is getting familiar with questions and being in a similar environment. If you can time yourself and grade yourself accurately or do some practice problems it’ll probably help.</p>
<p>The SAT is really just strategies and some knowledge. Learn about process of elimination… Picking C and moving up or down, “Joe Blogg” answers that seem too obvious, etc. </p>
<p>Big companies like Kaplan and PR often teach commonly known strategies that are often only helpful for beginner test-takers. Their books are even worse when it comes to emulating the actual ACT. In my opinion, self-studying is the way to go. That too, with proven resources/strategies. Some have found the Barron’s books to work, but just know that only the red book has official tests created by the ACT.</p>
<p>My kid took a group Princeton Review class on 10 Saturdays through their school that was subsidized if you attended all the sessions.
I think the most helpful part was that they got to take 3 mock timed tests that were proctored and scored like real tests. Apart from that, doing practice tests on your own after the class religiously and reviewing your answers is what will help most.</p>
<p>I’ll echo the other commenters in saying that it depends on who you are, where you are at in your prep process, and what you are looking for. Keep in mind that the best prep materials out there (in terms of tests) are the previously administered official tests that you can only find through the official prep books and PDF guides (some tutors/coaches like myself also have access to additional official materials). From there, whether you do a class or work independently from a prep book or hire a private coach depends entirely on who you are, what your goals are, and the extent to which you benefit from working in a group environment.</p>
<p>If you can offer more specifics into your situation, I would be happy to provide more specific feedback :)</p>