<p>Hey guys,
so I got a 225 on the PSAT without studying. my mom really wants me to get an SAT tutor because 2 of my friends are doing it. I think I can prepare by myself equally well. Am I erroneous in this belief? Please lay it to me straight. I just think 5,000 dollars is a little bit much to pay for a tutor. We aren't rich (though many of my friends are b/c i go to a pretty elite private school on financial aid).</p>
<p>On my own, I am planning on going to the free events my PR holds and going through the blue book and the gruber's (? is this the best?) book. Also I am planning to learn a lot of vocabulary.</p>
<p>Would a tutor really help me? How much could that really raise my score? Also, are prep classes a waste?</p>
<p>Not trying to be trollish or annoying so I'm sorry if this seems that way. Just need some evidence and opinions! I searched this but I guess I searched too vaguely because nothing relevant came up. Thanks.</p>
<p>Just take a test from the Blue Book, see how you do.</p>
<p>If you’re high enough, just study on your own…if it’s pretty low…well, you might need a tutor, but 225 on the PSAT probably means you’ll do very well…so no need for a tutor :).</p>
<p>I wouldn’t get a tutor. I had a really bad day on the PSATs (193), but you did extremely well. For you, I would say no tutor is necessary. I had no tutor but I bought the Kaplan SAT 2400 book and the Kaplan Practice Test book, along with the Official Collegeboard guide. To be honest, I skimmed the SAT 2400 book and didn’t read the cb one, but I took about 7 practice tests over the span of my two SATs. The first SAT i was very nervous, along with the PSAT, but with the second I just chilled and was confident in my ability. I did not study at all before the second SAT. Here was my score progression:
PSAT SAT 1 SAT 2
CR: 650 690 770<br>
M: 690 700 790
W: 590 750 760
T: 1930 2140 2320
This goes to show, if you believe you have the potential, just practice practice practice. The PSATs are a good indicator of your strengths. For example, with you 225, if you got 80 CR, 80 W, but 65 Math, work on math. I doubt that happened, but you get what I’m saying. In the end, $5000 is expensive. I wouldn’t bother.</p>
<p>My friend’s father spent an insane amount of money on tutoring for my friend. Her score was a 1700. I self-studied and got a 2250. It all depends on who you are and what works best for you. Self-study is much cheaper and possibly more personalized.</p>
<p>I studied for two weeks before the SAT and pulled off a 2250 (800 M, 780 W, 670 CR). A tutor/prep class is really a waste. If you want to learn strategies, use “Up Your Score”. It was good enough for me. I used that and did…4 blue book practice tests.</p>
<p>Tutoring is TRULY a waste of money. I took a class, improved by 100 points… self studied, increased by 420 points. Might be able to improve by like 60 more points, but Im good.</p>
<p>Thanks for your prompt responses. I used this thread as evidence for my mom, and I’m pretty sure it worked. Off to do some online shopping on amazon, I guess ;)</p>
<p>If you can get a 225 PSAT without studying, a tutor would be a huge waste of money. Blue Book should be all you need, perhaps a couple others for strategy. BB brought up my CR from 70 to 790 and writing from 73 to 800 (math went down, though).</p>
<p>Yeah, I just hope it wasn’t a fluke. Sophomore year (our school makes us take the PSAT then, too) I got a 219 though. So we’ll see. I think if I get my act together and really concentrate on prepping for it on my own, all will be well.</p>