<p>I felt pretty strongly about SAT prep in HS; I didn't take any prep classes and I did alright. But I have to wonder about those that could've raised their score and gotten into a better college but they couldn't or did not want to take prep classes...</p>
<p>So a few people took them at first and them many more took them to not be at odds with the initial people. Sounds like a great social parallel to the nuclear arms race. Everyone wants to get the "upper hand" but when does this get out of control?</p>
<p>Is it fair to those who refuse (or do not have the $) to take prep classes? Do extra-preparation activities ruin a genuine and fair application process for all?</p>
<p>Of course not. If a student wants to improve, he can go to a teacher in his school and recieve assistance. A student can ask a friend for help. There are free practice tests online. There are free practice tests by the dozens at libraries.</p>
<p>plus, prep classes can only do so much for you...those who do take them, and inflate their scores artificially, are only setting themselves up for failure.</p>
<p>kudos for you for going it alone...now you know that you have actually earned the scores you received.</p>
<p>"those who do take them, and inflate their scores artificially, are only setting themselves up for failure."</p>
<p>Clarify please. Does this mean that people who score 1900 the first time but really want to break say 2100 to make them selfs more competitive and get into say Yale or some other Ivy are setting themselves up for academic failure in college!?! I think a work ethic is more important than being a natural-born 2400 scoring genius when it comes to college work...</p>
<p>Anyone can order a prep book at Amazon for <$20, and, if motivated, practice themselves using the xiggi method. A $1k course is definitely not needed.</p>
<p>I got three or four giant prep books from my parents so as long as I review those often I think I have good chances to greatly improve my scores. As for prep classes, I'm taking them in March only for guidance and a little assistance, I'm not expecting the teacher to give me "SATs 101" through "AP SATs".</p>
<p>zel are you serious? by your absolutely backwards logic, if you don't study for the sat, you "earned" your score. what an absolute joke. not everyone is naturally inclined to tear right through the little tricks on the sat, and it takes diligent practice to get better at it. are you saying that unless you have natural success at these types of problems (which by no means necessarily coorelates to your overall intelligence, work ethic, or overall academic achievement), you will never be successful? as for me, i like to earn what i get, and if it takes practice classes, so be it. that arrogance won't get you too far buddy.</p>
<p>It would be pretty hard to artifically inflate one's score using a prep course. Over a course when things are repeated, one actually has to learn the material. Learning all before the SAT is no different than learning it the first time through in class, except for all together.</p>
<p>As long as you're not cheating on the tests, everything is fair game. People who take SAT prep classes actually have the will to LEARN the things required for the SAT, while the people who don't take the prep classes just don't care. In other words, prep classes give an advantage to the people who deserve to do good on the SAT.</p>
<p>And as Carpe Aeternum said, you're not artificially increasing it; you are learning things just like you learn in school to help you take tests.</p>
<p>I don't think that prep classes give people an unfair advantage. The classes don't really teach any material that you couldn't learn just from studying on your own. Rather, when I took PR classes, I found that it was mainly just a way to keep me focused on studying for the test, like a guide. And if its any indication, I took the SAT twice, the first time with prep classes and the second time a year later without. I scored almost 200 points higher the second time just from studying on my own. Also, my friend who never took classes scored higher than me both times she took the test -_-</p>
<p>i find that prep classes can't really teach you anything. They only give you the motivation to study. If you already have that motivation, then a prep class won't really help.</p>
<p>whoa, hold up there ppl...i didn't say don't prep altogether...i meant that classes aren't an advantage in the "real world" (note the sarcastic quotes) b/c the scores that you receive aren't a true reflection of your scholastic aptitude, what SATs were originally supposed to test.</p>
<p>although you may be learning material, you are learning for the test and for the test only...this goes to the whole "teach to the test" philosophy...this is just my personal belief, but i think that it's more beneficial to learn for the sake of learning than for a specific assessment...prep classes teach SAT strategies as well as content, so it just decreases the accuracy of the test.</p>
<p>i'm not saying SAT is a good measure, and i'm not saying that classes give students an unfair advantage over others...i'm just disputing the long-term benefit of a change in SAT score caused by a prep class.</p>
<p>but i am happy to promote healthy disagreement! =p</p>
<p>ps--i happen to like my particular brand of backwards logic, btw.</p>
<p>i'm not saying you don't have to work!!! i'm saying that a score received after prep class is not an accurate reflection of your personal "scholastic aptitude"/college readiness...if you're prepping differently than everyone else, clearly the test will be measuring something else for you. that's ALL! </p>
<p>it'd be like practicing for an IQ test...IMHO...</p>
<p>In a prep class all you are doing is remembering stuff you learned a long time ago and bringing it back to the surface. Why is that an inaccurate reflection of your aptitude? It's just like doing a review for a chemistry test in school. You are not doing anything illegal or unethical, either.</p>
<p>The only people who are at a disadvantage are poorer people who would like to go to a prep class but just can't afford it. Most people just lack the initiative to actually go and sit through a prep class because they don't care. The people who are getting the advantage deserve it.</p>
<p>Even poor people can afford to buy a 20$ prep book which is more than enough. Get 10 Real SATs (the blue book) + Barrons 2400 or something similar, and for 30$, you can score high.</p>
<p>I agree with everyone here that prep classes are very limited in their helpfulness. The only reason I took them was because they were a way to keep myself disciplined, since the class required me to study every week.
Study material is everywhere with countless companies and books and the free pamphlet you get when you register. Classes are not that costly.
Generally, I don't see it as unfair.
I don't agree with some people that the SAT is an IQ test and that studying is useless. The SAT is DEFINITELY NOT an IQ test. I know not-so-bright people who hire private tuturs and study for it intensely and get a good score. I also know people who are truly exceptionally intelligent and talented get scores that do not reflect their abilities. The test is very much merely a way to measure how much you've studied for it.</p>
<p>okay, i did not say the SAT IS and IQ test...i said taking a prep class for SATs would be like practicing for an IQ test...as in, you're taking a test to see where you fall, but changing it by introducing another factor...scientific method, ppl...only one variable at a time.</p>
<p>b/c although (to continue the analogy) <studying for="" an="" iq="" test=""> might change your score, it's still not an accurate reflection of your abilities...if the situation described by tapedDuck is what occurs, in terms of more of a review class, alright, it is a reflection of what you knew, but needed help to recall...will someone be holding your hand in college? and for the ones that it's just strategy (which is pretty much all i've heard of around here), you're really just screwing yourself over.</studying></p>
<p>and the SAT is not a foolproof examination. yes, there are some few geniuses who don't do well with tests. but that's not what we're debating here.</p>