Hey folks!
I’m looking to raise my SAT score by about 100 points on both reading and math. Ive got a rough 610 in reading and a 630 in math. Is it reasonable to think I could use the Khan Academy course to make that much of a score jump? How long will it take? Thanks!!
No. Khan isn’t going to have the tools to get you up to 700 in those subjects. I’m biased, but find a good private tutor in your area who can show you insights into the test that YOU need to know. Khan’s advice is very general in nature, and, in some cases, the opposite of what you should be doing as a strong student.
I’ve watched a few Khan Academy videos. It is very helpful, but it should only be a supplement to your core practice material. As the above poster said, its advice is very general. In addition, it only shows a couple of question stems from a particular category. You need to be shown many more, beyond what KA has to offer. The solutions and expanations are also limited. Get a tutor, attend a high level class, or study really hard with good books in addition to using KA.
What review companies do you recommend? Any tutoring services?
It really depends on your geography and your level of comprehension with the test. Urban areas have many choices, while lesser populated areas may not have that many. If you are scoring big on the test, you might probably find mainstream test prep companies that cater to the average to be less useful than others, though those same companies might have something just for you.
@GMKoon Thank you. We are beginning this process. Any suggestion at all is helpful. We are in a big urban area. Thank you
Try to find a smaller more individualized company. A Big box tutoring facility usually does one size fits all. Check the websites of the area’s private schools. Many will have lists of tutors for their students that are available.
Don’t listen to midtntutor, look at his name, he’s another of those tutors who steals your money for practice that you could do by yourself, Khanacademy helped me to get a 1380 (740 on math, 640 on english) and I’ve been living in the U.S for 2 years, it’s all about how much time and preparation you put for the test, I hope this helps you, you don’t need tutors to excel in these types of tests
Alvaro Szi, with all due respect, I don’t STEAL anyone’s money.
I talk to parents and students every week who have tried the Khan “Academy” and aren’t having any success increasing their score by watching TV. I am a professional educator who is able to look at practice tests and provide very specific tips to a student that a video can’t provide.
I also have students who come to me with scores similar to yours who have exhausted their level of success with Khan and are looking for, and get, further increases in scores.
When I was in high school I was, at best, a decent athlete. However, I improved significantly over the years thanks to coaches who showed me what I was doing wrong and how to fix MY specific problems. I wouldn’t have gotten that personal insight from a video. Personal instruction is the same whether it’s in sports, music, the arts, or any other endeavor. A good instructor can make a good student into a great student.
The correct answer is “maybe.” For some students, KA is enough; for others, it isn’t.
Might be worthwhile to read [url=<a href=“http://blog.prepscholar.com/khan-academy-sat-will-never-be-enough-heres-why%5Dthis%5B/url”>http://blog.prepscholar.com/khan-academy-sat-will-never-be-enough-heres-why]this[/url] article. Somewhat long, but I learned a lot. KA can be good, but I definitely wouldn’t rely on it for all of my studying. I have many good outcomes of students repeatedly taking practice tests and ending up with huge jumps or exemplary scores.
(also worth noting the source of that article–a paid service that competes with Khan’s free service. Not saying that makes it wrong, but it is something to think about.)
I have heard of many good outcomes* sorry. I’m not a teacher/tutor ehe. I do agree with you, @marvin100, but I think some of the points made were legit and made sense. Nothing wrong with being aware though
For sure, @pinklinks (and I’m a prep teacher, so if anything I should be anti-KA).
I’m with both of you. For some students self-study is all that’s needed. Others need a little help to get their maximum scores. Others need significant help. But from Day 1 CB has claimed that KA is the be-all and end-all of test prep and NO student should ever need ANY other source. That simply isn’t true. (Any test taker should know to stay away from extreme answers!!!)
Of course it isn’t true–and it represented a complete reversal of the CB’s longstanding claims that test prep doesn’t help.
My child did Khan plus all of the practice tests and did very well.
Am I the only one who thinks Khan Academy questions are unlike the ones found in the bluebook. o.o
No, @YoLolololol - I agree that they KA q’s aren’t super representative. But they’re still pretty good (for R and W at least–I don’t do math).
Definitely not. I found KhanA only useful for their test prep questions and practice tests, both of which are created by CollegeBoard. KhanA has the best resources to PRACTICE, but not to study. Their videos do not match up to the level of their questions, and it feels like KhanA just willy-nilly paired a vaguely related video to each question. I recommend Googling or Youtubing anything you don’t already know.
However, this is not to say that you shouldn’t use KhanA at all. I raised by score by 220 using mostly KhanA. It’s very good at testing you and revealing your weak points. It’s just that any actual learning and acquiring new information will have to be done on your part.