Interesting that some posters focus only on the cost. The more appropriate focus should be on what one gets for the money. And it could be a life changing return both in terms of dollars saved & education received.
I think people who focus on the cost - like me - don’t have the money! I see that the merit trade off might be worth it, but is it if i’m Charging the $5k and paying interest for how long? Or it will be her first time testing and I don’t know if she’ll end up at 1250 or 1450? Think we’re going the more conservative route until we know more. A family member just charged $7k for test prep so it’s all relative, I guess!
Understood. But I do not think that OP has indicated that the amount is a hardship or unaffordable.
In my opinion, it would be a very wise investment.
I had my soph D take the ACT once with no prep. I wanted to see where her weaker areas are. Since then, we found a tutor who covers everything but will focus on her weaker areas. She goes 2 hours per week. She’ll have about six weeks of prep total before she takes the ACT again. If the scores aren’t what we were hoping for, we’re going to shift gears and put her in a test prep class that has about 10 other students. We have found that she’s a bit competitive about grades so that may motivate her to work harder. Months and months of ACT prep would kill her spirit and motivation. Plus, I wouldn’t want to put all my eggs in one basket. What is she doesn’t like the tutor or the test prep book the tutor uses? You’re still in the hole for 5k and not going to get much ROI.
My son took a class that offered: 8, 2 hour lessons of instruction (16 hours)- one on one
4, 4 hour proctored ACT Tests (16 hours)- at the tutoring facility, proctored in test like conditions
full review of each test with time spent on incorrect answers
A lot of homework
$1299
The mock testing is key. I have been through the process with two now, and firmly believe if your student isn’t taking mock tests in timed, test like conditions, they aren’t doing the real prep. I also believe that if your student is self-motiviated and will use Khan academy or purchased books- and dedicate several hours a week to review as well as take timed mock tests, they can do as well as taking a course.
I know some that have spent thousands on test prep, with no improvement. Either the student is going to put the time in or they are not. If they don’t, they are highly unlikely to see much improvement. Both of my sons are great test takers, but they also did everything the test-prep place told them to do. Neither would have likely been self-motivated enough to sit down and do so without guidance, however. Both scored around 95th percentile without test prep on mock tests/PSAT, and were 98th and 99th percentile for their ‘real’ tests.
I agree that 5k seems unnecessary.
Tutoring is a joint effort between student & teacher. Without committment & effort on behalf of the student, nothing much will be gained.
@DG congrats to your son. That is not only a lot of money, but a lot of time as well. Some students spend far too much time prepping for tests, to the detriment of extracurricular involvement and/or their class work. It’s a balance. I’m not sure I would have supported 5 months of test prep, but I applaud your son for his hard work and outcome.
LOL. For a prep program or bribe? Only kidding. But it depends upon your financial situation. Prep can be accomplished free by a motivated student using readily available resources. Or you can pay about $200 an hour for someone who will hover over your kid and make sure he/she is working hard and exposed to all the tricks (although the ACT is pretty straight forward).
Sorry, having the money and willing to spend it doesn’t come into play. We paid under $1,000 total and it ended up like $60/hour and got similar results. It is the person doing the tutoring not the cost involved. He gave my son very specific focused homework. It actually wasn’t that much but he nailed the areas that needed a boost. More like study smart not how much you study. He used the 5lb Act book and then various things online. Anyone could do this themselves but knowing what to study was what was worth it. Plus tricks and tips. We are in an area that people pay $100-250 /hour. Again, you just don’t have to pay these rates to get similar results is my point but yes test prep is great for the kids that need that guidance.
amen @publisher…congratulations to all of the families who’s kids had perfect scores with no tutoring or prep work…
to us, the tutoring was helpful, perhaps it isn’t for everyone…all the drills he did with him gave him the confidence to perform well. He took it once, to me that’s pretty time efficient, and 5k for 75k of merit money seems like a reasonable investment.
How do you know if your kid would have done better with self study and practice test taking? He might have.
@thumper1 - he did that too…he worked hard on his own to compliment his tutoring with practice tests etc, and am proud of how hard he worked, and how hard he’s worked throughout high school…
I don’t know if he could have done better. Maybe he could have, I don’t know. He didn’t miss a math question, so maybe he could have gotten perfect scores in the other three sections as opposed to 35s. He’s going to have to accept a 35 I guess…
College is expensive, as is tutoring. We’ve saved for it, and I am of the opinion that college admissions is crazy. But it is what it is, and admission into top schools, or even high quality public schools is very competitive. Just because we hired a tutor doesn’t mean others have to.
@foolfortravel - wait, so you PAID to have your kid take the ACT with no prep? why not get a copy of an old test for free?
What I am doing with my DS16 to prep for the PSAT this summer is to have him self-study math on Khan Academy and identify target areas where he is lagging, then meet with a tutor specifically on those topics. Luckily he has a NMS sleeping in the room next to him who can tutor him on any math topics that present a challenge, so hopefully he will show some improvement.
We spent ZERO dollars on test prep. We spent a fair amount on tests themselves. For the older one testing came naturally, and he participated in them beginning in middle school for the Northwestern Talent Search. But he never prepped for any college-admissions test. He didn’t need to. For the younger one, tests weren’t nearly as important as creating an art portfolio. She only wanted to attend art school. She did no test prep, and got decent scores. We spent money for her to participate in summer pre-college art programs (at the Art Institute of Chicago). Both kids got into great colleges.
For D2, we started tutoring 1 hour per week for the 5 months before the Fall PSAT/NMSQT. The results were good but still 200+ points shy of her goal (being Ivy competitive). With no tutoring for most of her 11th grade year, her score in the spring SAT was almost identical to the fall PSAT/NMSQT. It seemed clear that Kahn, the College Board Study Guide, and self study was not sufficient.
We resumed tutoring 1 hour per week that summer and four months later, her SAT score increased 100 points. After another 4 months of tutoring (into 12th grade) and on the last possible test date (November 30), her score increased another 100 points and she achieved her goal.
All told it was 40 sessions over a year and a half . Prices for a very small town do not compare to other places so it seems less important how much we paid ($20 / hour). This worked for both of our daughters with both increasing their SAT scores significantly. However, we started D1’s tutoring much later in the process and she only got ~8 months.Both used Kahn and the College Board book as well, but there was NO question that the tutor’s ability to coach them made all the difference in the world.
I wouldn’t commit to a long series of sessions unless I was confident in its quality and my child was motivated and worked well with the tutor. Hopefully, whoever you choose will allow a session without any commitment. D1 did 1 1/2 hour sessions. D2 did 1 hour sessions because her tolerance couldn’t handle more. That was also important to be able to figure out before a commitment.
Our youngest took the ACT in 7th grade as part of NUMATS, like @mackinaw. No prep Got a 25.
Took it in 10th grade, spent about 30 hours using books from Amazon. Got a 33.
Took it again in 11th grade, spent about 10 hours studying the weaker sections. Got a 36.
Total cost was about $150 for prep materials. Several of his friends had a similar plan and scored in the 34-36 range.
Every kid is different, but I’d try the book approach first. Get tutoring if necessary.