<p>I'm a sophomore in High School and I'm starting to get organized for the SAT's. A lot of my friends already have tutors booked and ready to go. Only thing is, they all seem really steeply priced and I'm not sure if its really worth it. If I can do just as well without them, I would prefer not to have my parents pay that much. Can't I just buy some practice tests and get going on my own? </p>
<p>Any thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>My kids prepped with just books. D2, who is generally a better test taker and specifically better at math, ended up with a 2380 SAT super score, 35 composite on ACT, and subject tests of 800 Lit and 800 Math II. But she studied for all of them.</p>
<p>If you have the self discipline AND a way to make sure you are really getting to the bottom of why you miss problems on the practice tests, then self study can work well. As a parent I did provide some test prep help – went over each question missed on practice tests with them to make sure they really got why they missed it. And sometimes they hadn’t actually really understood, so that second set of eyes was helpful. But a fellow student could possibly provide that help, too, if your parents can’t (SAT study group :)). We worked on prep every Sunday afternoon for several months prior to the test, so making sure you start early and are diligent about it helps, too.</p>