How much additional standardized test preparation is the norm these days?

Parents Forum
1

Back when I was in high school, the norm for standardized test preparation was:

SAT: familiarize oneself with the sample questions in the booklet that contained the form to register for the test. If one really wanted to prepare, there were various prep books in the library and prep classes, but using them (particularly the latter) did not seem very common.

Achievement tests (now called SAT subject tests): the associated high school class was the preparation.

AP tests: the associated high school AP class was the preparation.

Is this still the norm, or do students these days typically do lots of additional studying for the standardized tests? It seems that many students and parents posting here are concerned about how to schedule the tests to allow for lots of additional studying for each test, or the amount of time available for such additional studying alongside regular school work and extracurriculars.

2

Remember doing a one-evening prep class for the SAT that covered test taking strategies. It must have been fairly common or I would never have thought to take it. It also must not have been too expensive and may have even been free. I don’t remember taking any achievement tests and did not take AP classes or tests. I was a first generation college student. My husband didn’t do any prep at all for the SAT.

D14 did take a SAT test prep class that consisted of a couple of evenings and cost under $100. She didn’t think it was very helpful. She took ACT once with no prep and then self studied for the ACT take 2 for maybe an hour just to figure out the pacing on two sections she didn’t finish on the first attempt. She didn’t take subject tests, and did spend time studying for some of her AP exams with some text prep books. It was more than she usually studied for an in-class test.
D16 didn’t take a prep class, and self studied for about a week before the June SAT doing practice exams from the blue book. Same for the ACT using the red book. She also skipped subject tests and has self studied AP exams wth prep books.
I haven’t heard of kids we know doing more than this level of prep. The thing that seems most different to me is the prevalence of taking both the SAT and ACT, and taking them multiple times. That and the sheer number of separate tests to juggle. Spring of junior year was full of tests.

3

The norm for most kids is probably just the practice test (PSAT or whatever) and the actual test.

But if you’re using the students/parents on here as a benchmark for “norm” then you aren’t asking about the average student.

4

I am sure it runs the gamut of none to hard core study and drill for months.

5

One cannot generalize, it depends on the kid’s needs and strengths. Some kids will need more than others and not just for academic reasons. My kids, who were educated in French schools but spoke English at home, both did prep books on their own and did fine. It will be different for yours.

6

It depends on whether it is the norm in the outside world or in CC. :wink:

7

“Is this still the norm, or do students these days typically do lots of additional studying for the standardized tests? It seems that many students and parents *posting here * are concerned about how to schedule the tests to allow for lots of additional studying for each test, or the amount of time available for such additional studying alongside regular school work and extracurriculars.”

Keywords: Posting here. The students / parents posting here are FAR more into the “college game” than the vast majority of students / parents, who (if they are fortunate enough to be able to attend a residential college in the first place) are picking based on what they can get into, cost, availability of a desired (often vocational) major and proximity to home.

But you are right in general. “In my day,” prepping for the SAT meant reading the booklet and perhaps buying a practice guide at the bookstore. You took it once - taking it more than once was a sign that you weren’t very bright and needed a chance to improve, or there was some other extenuating circumstance such as falling ill during the test.

My kids had practice guides, and one of them did take some kind of (group) class. Never any private tutoring. I don’t think they’ve ever had any private tutoring on any academic subject.

8

The norm here is private tutoring. This means 8 weekly one hour sessions. $150 a session. This is an upper middle class area with a small low income population. Academically talented low income kids are part of a special program here and they get free tutoring services. The private tutors here take on some pro bono kids and the program lays fir the rest. The average ACT ( few take the SAT) is a 28.

There are a few kinds of tutoring. High achieving kids tend to use this one tutor who focuses on a few tips in the reading and science sections that really brings these kids scores up. Most of her students end up with a 33-36. Her methods don’t work well for kids who aren’t naturally good test takers. She doesn’t even tutor in math. My older daughter used her because she was a naturally good test taker who knew she could score high in math with no prep. She got a 35.

My younger daughter used another tutoring service known to work well with kids who aren’t as good test takers. They helped bring her score up 4 points to a 30.

9

I don’t know what the norm is in my area. Neither of my daughters took a test prep class or had a tutor. The older one might have self studied; I don’t know. She got a 34 on the ACT and didn’t take the SAT. Younger daughter studied quite a bit on her own; she got a 35 on the ACT and 2350 on the SAT. I think that doing well on standardized tests runs in the family; my husband and I also did well on them, back in the day.

10

Welll, I guess there is indirect preparation and direct preparation.

Indirect Example: Many of the the top Asian students (and some non-Asians) in metro Atlanta and elsewhere typically go to Kumon (or Enopi) for many years, doing daily math homework at a minimum, and sometimes also daily English homework including reading comprehension, grammar and writing. Not only does that help them excel at school, but it is also excellent preparation for the standardized tests. It’s one of the real secrets behind their success in academics, science, math and standardized tests – years and years of extra time spent learning techniques and practicing.

Although we’re not Asian, I sent my daughter to Kumon and Enopi for math a few months at a time at three critical points in her education – in elementary and middle school whenever the math started to get more difficult, and again in high school when some new math concepts were introduced. Each time they were able to find out the underlying problem with her understanding and mistakes and get her solidly back on the right track. So although she didn’t have the benefit of years of tutoring and daily math practice, she did have the benefit of getting help when she needed it to remain at the top levels in math achievement at her school.

Direct Example: My daughter used books and College Board’s online practice exams to prepare for the SAT and did nothing for the ACT, but she started doing this in middle school already. She took the SAT first in 7th Grade (gifted kids are invited/allowed to do this as part of talent searches), then again in 8th grade. She also took the similar SSAT when she applied to private high schools in 8th grade – she was admitted everywhere she applied, but wound up at a public magnet high school. Then she had the PSAT in 9th?, 10th and 11th grade at her high school, and took the SAT and ACT once each in 11th grade.

Nearly every time she had to take these exams, she would do some prep work by practicing one or more tests online, or at least practicing the math, except I think senior year she was too busy. She especially practiced before the 11th grade PSAT since she was aiming for NMF and got it. She wound up having the highest SAT score at her high school. What am I saying by all this? Lots of practice exams over several years went into her success. Also, her attitude helped – she loves taking tests, and looked at all of this as fun!

In the Past: When I was in high school in the dark ages, it was considered cheating to prepare for the SAT, and it wasn’t really necessary either to get into college. Most people I knew only applied to a couple of state universities, and you could basically get in if you were breathing, plus tuition was rather cheap. Now it’s so much more difficult to get admitted to college and pay for it, so the stakes are higher, and competition is fierce. I think preparation is essential for the best outcome.

11

This did not seem to be the norm for high performing (in school and/or standardized tests) students when I was in high school, including for immigrants, kids of immigrants, or Asian students.

12

Back in my high school days, I read the pamphlet and I took the SAT. I took the SAT in my senior year. Now my kids went through the red book, blue book, and several others and then the online ones. This is the summer before junior year is when they actually took the test.

13

I don’t even remember the pamphlet…

14

For SAT subject and AP tests, do most students these days do a lot of additional preparation for them, or do they tend to just see the associated class as the preparation?

15

I’m not aware of any test prep class for AP and SAT subject tests. But I got the test prep books for my kids. Everything costs less than $100.

16

None of Happykid’s pals did prep classes, and they live in the DC suburbs. Some might have done independnet prep at home. The school district offered a lot of test-prep activities in the regular classes, the PSAT in 9th & 10th grade, and SAT word-of-the-day in the morning announcements. None of my nieces or nephews did any prep at all, and they live in a different part of the country. One niece did take the ACT several times but claimed to never have time to study the prep book her mom got her.

Happykid didn’t even take the PSAT, SAT, or ACT because she’s a lousy test-taker and ultimately didn’t choose to apply anywhere that required a standardized exam.

17

I’d be shocked if the “norm” anywhere is private tutoring… except at the most elite private prep schools.
Maybe in one’s circle but certainly not in the broader community.

18

The teachers of the AP classes typically prepare the class for the tests. Many of my son’s AP classes used previously released questions from old AP exams on the in-class unit tests, for example. We also bought some exam prep books, some of which he barely used.

19

For students applying to top tier colleges (at least me and the ones I know) are doing about 15 weeks of classes. I personally do a three hour weekly class, 1 hour of my own studying per week, and my school’s prep class that is part of my schedule. MANY of my friends are just doing the schools prep class and even that they’re only doing because it required. I would say the “norm” is a little studying right before the test and the psat.

20

Re:#16 - I’m not sure that the intensive private test prep is as prevalent at private schools as it is in affluent, suburban public school districts. A lot of private schools are selective enough that their students already have demonstrated an ability to test well. The schools sometimes offer in-house prep classes, and they have very intensive, one-on-one private counseling. Furthermore, many prep schools have team-sport or extracurricular requirements that would cut into outside tutoring time. Academic assistance is offered for coursework. Boarding school students are unlikely to travel off-campus for test prep, although some families might set it up for the summer.

Kids at private boarding schools can always snatch up prep texts from seniors for little or no money, if they’re inclined to do any prep.

Here’s the inconvenient truth: the most qualified, sought-after applicants will not be the ones who dedicated untold hours to test-prep. They will be the students whose after-school time was dedicated to a variety of activities and interests which the students pursue and participate in at a high level while maintaining outstanding grades and scoring well. I think the absence of extracurricular activities for an affluent suburban kid will always send up warning flags that the kid spent all of his or her time being tutored and prepped.