CC Poll: Taking an SAT/ACT Prep Course?

<p>If you are shooting for 2000+, don’t take any Kaplan or Princeton Review kind of classes.</p>

<p>I have two kids who did no preparation for the ACT and each scored 34. None of the survey responses apply to them. It seems pointless to take the tests again since they are already in the accepted range for any college in the country.</p>

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<p>I’m not sure if that “your” is ■■■■■■■■. It’s just subtle enough compared to the sarcasm…</p>

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<p>You mean humans to supervise while these people take practice tests, right? I guess it just wouldn’t be right without a paid proctor…</p>

<p>If I could actually afford one, I would… But I can’t ^.^ lmao. Prep books for me though (:</p>

<p>^This. The registration fees are expensive enough.</p>

<p>True story^ </p>

<p>I think the bench prep ACT course is $25 now… But I’m not sure if it’s worth getting?</p>

<p>I improved by over 300 points to a 2290 in a 2 month span by self-studying. To be honest, all you need is enough willpower and motivation to prep. All classes do is regurgitate the same info and strategies in prep books and give you practice tests, both of which are readily available to buy online. There are also a myriad of resources online (CC is probably the biggest one). Tutors and classes don’t really bring anything new to the table; all they offer is discipline.</p>

<p>So yeah, if you can’t bring yourself to cracking open a SAT book everyday and following a strict, predetermined schedule, then a tutor or class may be what you need.</p>

<p>Well aren’t you a delight</p>

<p>I didn’t do any formal prep either. Mostly just the blue book.
What might really help some people that are struggling with the math section of the SAT is Khan Academy. It really just works through the blue book but if self-studying math isn’t improving your score it’s worth a try because it’s free. I think there is something similar on iTunes, too.</p>

<p>“If you are shooting for 2000+, don’t take any Kaplan or Princeton Review kind of classes.”
@jiggoha
I beg to differ. I raised my score from an 1870 to 2030 with Kaplan, then raised it again to 2170 with Princeton Review.</p>

<p>No I haven’t taken a prep course. But from what my friends tell me, for them its worth it because it really does FORCE them to study. Yea, I guess it can help to motivate you or whatever. I mean, we can all do well with a LOT OF practice and a lot of work. I think for a lot of people SAT/ACT prep makes them feel prepared because there’s some a kind of security that comes with it. It’s almost like a confidence boost.</p>

<p>Then again, if you’re overly obsessive and practice all the time you could still ace the SAT.</p>

<p>I don’t think people who practice for the SAT by themselves are “overly obsessive.” I studied by myself and aced it, and I’m pretty lazy. But you could still say that I’m overly obsessive, I guess.</p>

<p>Logically, studying for the SAT was common sense to me. I spent less than 100 hours studying, which is a lot, but not compared to the time I spend playing video games in one summer (200 hours?), the time spent reading (100 hours, probably more), the time spent practicing for sports (300+ hours), and time spent on schoolwork. </p>

<p>Over one summer, 70 hours averages out to 1 hour a day. Sounds reasonable. In that time, I did maybe 30 SATs, and some vocab card memorizing (which was pretty useless). I spent 2 hours on each SAT since I wouldn’t write the essay, which turned out to be a bad idea.</p>

<p>I think that people should at least try to self-study by themselves and then take a real test. If their score isn’t good enough, then take a class. This way you can tell exactly how helpful the class was, instead of spending a thousand bucks or more right off the bat.</p>

<p>I got a 34 my first try on the ACT cold turkey, and the night before I watched Keeping Up With The Kardashians as “studying.”</p>

<p>I wish i could self study but I don’t have any books yet. I have the motivation but not the books…</p>

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<p>I have to wonder whom you’re responding to here.</p>

<p>I paid for my 2370…college board loves money. Why invest in a prep course, when you can just pay off college board? Come on now</p>

<p>I’m taking an online SAT Prep course right now. It is completely free for people in my home-state, so I’m pretty lucky. I like the course mostly because it gives me an actual person to ask if I’m struggling with anything. I did really well on the critical reading and writing portions, but my math skills are lacking. That’s my main reason for taking the course. I also have a prep book that I’m using for extra studying, especially with the essay and math questions. I’m pretty confident that the combination will increase my score substantially. I think prep courses can be beneficial for some people, especially in conjunction with a test prep book for self studying.</p>

<p>Found some great companies that tutor my kids in DC area. Took me a while to find the right one though…</p>

<p>Hi,
I took the SAT twice already- my score improved from first to second time, but it did not reach my goal score at all. I am still trying to reach 1900 and cannot- i took a prep course, but this test seems to always put me down. So, are there any good books that may bring up my score? Please let me know. I will be taking the final sat in October- i will be a senior in high school.</p>

<p>I did an online ACT prep and it was the biggest waste of my time and money.</p>