<p>Maybe my D's experience is a fluke, but we decided we did not want to pay much for PSAT prep--nor was she very motivated to do a lot (she is very busy with AP classes, extracurricular activities, etc.). We analyzed her sophomore PSAT results which showed she needed to review basic geometry and other basic math strategies which she seems to have forgotten. Her PSAT math score of 66 was disproportionately low compared to her verbal scores. Sev'l of her friends were in the same boat (all very good students) and they all wanted to make NMSF. I found an excellent math tutor on Craig's list and told him what we wanted. He had done some SAT tutoring in the past and had great references. The group of kids and the tutor met for about 8 sessions of 1.5 to 2 hours each to review problems and strategies. He assigned homework that she generally did right before the sessions (she is a procrastinator!). My D didn't do any full tests to see if her score was going up during the review group meetings, but she came out of the PSAT saying she thought the math was "easy" (a first for her). She ended up getting a perfect score on the math section!!! I know this technique is not for everyone nor does every kid improve that much, but I think the combination of TARGETED remediation along with doing it with friends and not feeling overloaded with techniques and strategies really helped. Just one more idea for kids or parents who don't want to pay for a prep course.</p>
<p>Deb1225--</p>
<p>I think you had such a positive experience in part because you got references and called them.</p>
<p>In my opinion, that's probably the single most important thing you can do when finding a tutor. . . whether you're looking on Craigslist, in the yellow pages, or whatever. But not everyone does.</p>
<p>So kudos to you!</p>
<p>My son's score went down after taking a class - the math stayed the same, but the CR went from a 72 to a 650 on the SAT!! I think what happened is that he is a naturally good test taker, and the course made him overthink the questions. He took the ACT, we never even bought the book, and on the first try got a 32 composite, decided to give it one more shot, still never even looked at the book, got a 34, perfect 36s on the Reading and Science.</p>
<p>So I now think the courses hurt some naturally smart kids who are good test takers.</p>
<p>I feel like I was the victim of a scam....the prep school is very expensive (just local to the Dallas/Ft Worth area). It came very highly recommended from good friends of ours whose daughter went through it. Of course, like another mom said, if he'd had the same results without a prep course, I'd be feeling like "if only he'd taken a prep course, he could have done better...."</p>
<p>I think with the younger two kids, I'll send them to one of the Saturday courses that the varous school districts offer that familiarize them with the form of the SAT and the various questions, etc.</p>
<p>missypie, if you are talking about a place with the abbreviations of k<em>cough cough</em> d, don't listen to their critical reading strategies, or their writing strategies. The only thing that is good for is for taking practice tests. I had a high score when I first joined and after following their strategies it only got worse. When I stopped listening to them and started finding my own patterns, my score increased dramatically. Tell your son to take the practice tests and find patterns, THAT IS ALL THEY ARE GOOD FOR</p>
<p>Deb1225 said it best: ",,,.TARGETED remediation.... and not feeling overloaded with techniques and strategies really helped." Test early so you know what needs remediation and don't mess with the natural test takers. Too many strategies and you'll spend half the test trying to figure out which one to use.</p>
<p>missypie, would your son happen to be going to Karen Dillard's?</p>
<p>Yes, it was Karen Dillard's. SO....everyone else seems to know that they are no good, but I didn't????!!! I admit that the friends who recommended KD have an absolutely brilliant daughter, who would have received an awesome score no matter what she did or didn't do.</p>
<p>I'm anxiously awaiting the results of the December SATs....</p>
<p>I took a Kaplan course and the only thing it did for me was practice. I know what my strengths and weeknesses are so I need someone to help me in the area's I do need help. Would any of you by any chance know a private tutor in the washington dc/va/md area?</p>
<p>i honestly think test prep courses/"certified" SAT tutors are basically cheating ppl out of their money with minimal...return...whatever. in 6th grade, i took the SATs and got a 1300 (this was the old one / 1600) and after that i took had a $240/hour private tutor for my SATs and got a 1900 on the new SATs in 7th grade. which means i didn't improve at ALL and i probably spent a billion dollars for nothing. but then for my junior year i just bought SAT review books and problems that cost about $100, worked on it for a few weeks before the PSAT, and got a 235 (one question wrong on writing that was a scantron error!! >:| ) so yeahh i think anyone who's thinking abut getting a tutor/signing up for classes should just take that money and invest it in books and problems which will definitely make your scores increase a lot more than classes would.</p>
<p>I prepped by myself (and at my parents urging lol) and went from a 192 to a 232 on the PSAT. I agree w/ Narcissa, books are the way to go. I personally recommend the blue book, Princeton Review, and Barron's</p>
<p>Probably the biggest problem is too much prep. In elementary/middle school the students were forced to participate in a program called "Accelerated Reader." Basically, students are only allowed to read books in a certain range (determined by a numerical value assigned to each book called a "ZPD") and must achieve a certain number of points (each book is also designated a point value) by the end of the trimester, semester, etc. You receive a percentage of the possible points per book based on a test you take after reading the book. I had been an avid reader from day one, and being forced to do something I already loved to do had the opposite effect. For one thing, the test questions were entirely PLOT based, with no regard for the deeper meaning of the story. Students were taught to read only for the information given and not the life lesson that could be applied from the text. For example, if a student was to read Animal Farm by Orwell, the student would only be tested on what is explicitly given (example question: what is the name of the pig who dies at the beginning of the book?). There would be absolutely no mention of the book's role as a satiric fable attacking Stalinist Russia, the theme of perserverance over oppression, etc. The case is the same with bright students. There is no need to force curriculum on smart students in 3 hr prep center chunks. Chances are, a brief refresher of the material covered and 2-3 practice tests are enough. As one person put it, "if it isn't broken, don't fix it."</p>
<p>Those of you who have no improvement are out of luck. Kaplan has a policy where they'll give a refund or give another course if students havn't improved.</p>
<p>I got an improvement so I'm happy with Kaplan. A $900 well spent.</p>
<p>Yes I saw a decline after taking ACT prep with Princeton Review. I came into the first diagnostic and got a 27 afterward my scores were 26,25,25 and ended up with a 26 on the real thing in december</p>
<p>The costs of these programs are astounding. My dad handed my $40 and said, "Go buy one of those prep books." I can only imagine the look on his face if I asked him to spend $1500 on test prep. It worked out for me though, I ended up with a 110 pt increase and a 2330. Whenever people ask me what my strategy was, I reply "Get as many right as possible.";) I think people would do better just to relax and feel confident before the test. There's way to much emphasis on strategies, in the end all your doing is answering questions.</p>
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I think people would do better just to relax and feel confident before the test.
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<p>I agree that being relaxed and confident is the single best thing you can do for yourself. Yes, it is simply answering questions for which the right answer is on the page in front of your face.</p>
<p>"My dad handed my $40 and said, "Go buy one of those prep books." I can only imagine the look on his face if I asked him to spend $1500 on test prep"</p>
<p>Very sensible.I am deeply skeptical of the need for expensive courses for standardised exams.
I spent a total of $28 ( plus postage ) for the Blue Book and a PR from Amazon. My son then systematically practiced for a total of 10 hours from these books. He did adequately with a score of 2340 on his first ( and last ) attempt.</p>
<p>Getting a 2340 is more than adequate. Congratulations.</p>
<p>Hey i'm 16 and i just recently took a prep SAT from Revolution Prep and on the PSAT i scored an 1820 and i scored a 1620 EXACTLY on my Revolution Prep SAT. Its funny that they offer a 200 point increase at least, because thats exactly how far apart my scores were. I had friends that circled their answers in the test book as well as bubbling in the sheets, and the site gives you a review section to see what you got wrong, and my friends answers they circled in the test book were different (and WRONG) on the web site. This wasn't just one person had one mismarked question, EVERYONE did at least 200 points worse than on their PSAT's.</p>
<p>Scam anyone?</p>
<p>Is paying $1,500 to raise your child's score by 200 points really worth it? I'm sorry but someone really needs to get their priorities straight.</p>