<p>My DD scored 2290 with no SAT prep classes, 35 on the ACT. She did work through a SAT prep book. Most of her friends did take some SAT prep classes. I think it depends on the kid. D2 doesn’t test as well and she will probably benefit from some extra instruction.</p>
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<p>I see this statistic frequently quoted along with the suggestion that the connection is parent’s money–>prep course–>test scores.</p>
<p>I submit that real mediating factor is parental educational attainment and intelligence.</p>
<p>Parental educational attainment–>higher income, and SEPARATELY,
Parental educational attainment–>language-rich, intellectually stimulating home environment, with emphasis on school/learning—>test scores.</p>
<p>Not to mention the obvious, that many people with higher incomes due to higher educational attainment are also intelligent and have intelligent kids.</p>
<p>In addition, parents with high educational attainment know what the SAT is, know what it may take to prepare for it, know it’s something that’s going to come up junior year of high school, and are aware that such things as prep books exist. There are plenty of kids whose parents know nothing of the College Board.</p>
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There is some truth to this. Wealthier students have access not only to expensive prep courses, though, but better schools, private tutors, an upbringing more conducive to education (less financial struggles for family, parents able to help kids more, kids not under financial pressure to get jobs).</p>
<p>I’m friend with about 25 people in my grade who scored 32 or above on the ACT, and I don’t think most of them even so much as took a practice test.</p>
<p>On the other hand, some kids are smart beyond our wildest imagination.</p>
<p>It never hurts to do prep (via class or self study), especially if the student tends to have trouble with standardized test situations. But many kids can and do walk into the test doing very well.</p>
<p>My D took the PSAT cold (as practice run) in sophomore year and scored pretty well. It wasn’t until we were considering an out-of-state move that we learned from that guidance counselor that her scores could rise to NMF range. In fall of junior year I insisted she take a 2 night PSAT prep course. Her “before” and “after” scores were the same in the course, and they had risen over 20 points from prior year. I credit her IB studies.</p>
<p>I don’t think the principal is correct. Many top scorers buy the book and do it on their own. I think that a prep course is more helpful for mid-range scorers who want to go up than for those who start out relatively strong.</p>
<p>My oldest got virtually the same score after attending some sessions of a prep class. (He really only wanted practice writing the essay, but most schools weren’t counting it.) He got great CR and M scores both times, W score didn’t budge. We didn’t bother with prep classes for younger son. He got very slightly better scores the second time. He self-studied a little bit, but not a lot. I agree that voracious readers are likely to do well without any particular studying. You don’t have to read fancy stuff either, they most read sci fi and fantasy. (My younger son spent the summer reading all the Star Wars books). One got an 800 the other a 790.</p>
<p>BTW the year our school first offered a Kaplan prep course average SAT scores (1600 scale then) jumped 100 points - considerably more than that average of 30.</p>
<p>i didnt get 2000+ but i did go from a 1710 to a 1940 after taking it again, this was with 0 studying or preparation. Being in AP English helped with the writing and reading, it was math that killed me, i could have studied more but i just didn’t. and honestly i think that this is why the SAT is such a joke. when people can pay for classes, spend months on prep, or not study at all, it really isnt a true indicator of someones education level or aptitude or whatever the people are trying to get from it.</p>
<p>All of the 2200+ scorers I know didn’t take a prep class; most just used the Official SAT blue book or that with a Princeton Review-type book.</p>
<p>My S scored well enough to be a NMF (PSAT 230+) and Presidential Scholar nominee (SAT 2300+) and he never took a prep class. He also did virtually no self-study for the tests.</p>
<p>He read a lot, starting at age 5. :)</p>
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<p>If they find CC early enough in HS, many have used xiggi’s method of self-study for the SAT.</p>
<p>I got a 2280, then increased to a 2350+ by a little self-study with the blue book–maybe three practice tests?</p>
<p>I encouraged the kids to set up the College Board “question of the day” (sent to email) and do the short daily drill. I don’t think they followed through, but I’ve passed the advise on to many others.</p>
<p>I got a 2240 my first time, after doing 3 practice tests or so. That was good enough for me, and for a national merit scholarship.</p>
<p>I did the ACT with absolutely zero prep of any kind and got a 35.</p>
<p>eqtakes, if your principal said that most of the high-scoring students have taken prep courses, it might be true, for students in your school–or perhaps his brother-in-law runs a test-prep company.</p>
<p>In our area, very few of the high-scoring students (2300+ scorers) have taken test prep courses. I think most have bought or borrowed a copy of the blue book, but I doubt that most have completed more than 2 or 3 of the tests in it.</p>
<p>Here are a few indicators that a student does not need test prep:
- If the student has taken the PSAT as a sophomore, add 15 to the total score, and then multiply the result by 10? Good enough?
- If the parents have taken the SAT, first adjust the scores on CR and M to take the re-centering in the early 90’s into account. This will generally raise the scores. Next, average the totals on CR + M. Now, multiply by 1.5. Good enough?
- Did the student participate in a middle-school talent search that used the SAT or the ACT? Take the score and look up the percentile, using the Duke TIP web site, or the information that you received when the score was returned. Now, assume that the result is the percentile among the top 10% of test takers, as opposed to the entire group. Convert to the percentile among the entire group (e.g., the top 10% of the top 10% is the top 1%, the top 50% of the top 10% is the top 5%, etc.) Then, look up that percentile on the tables for the SAT or ACT for high school juniors. Good enough?</p>
<p>If these indicators suggest that the student does not need test prep, then I think the money would be better spent on something else–or given to a charitable cause of one’s choice–and at the same time, one could avoid fueling the test-prep frenzy that exists in some areas. If many students are taking test prep courses, it creates pressure for others to do so, too. In fact, many of the students who don’t need test prep may take the courses, and score well, but that would have happened without the course anyway.</p>
<p>Students who might benefit from test prep courses:
- Students whose high school math courses were not strong enough to prepare them to solve the SAT math problems, or students who have forgotten math course content.
- Students who come from a different culture, and have not acclimated to the prevailing US culture. Students in this group may approach the CR with a set of values and assumptions that do not align well with those of the test writers. They need some practice to identify the hidden assumptions and/or cultural biases that could otherwise trip them up.</p>
<p>Could it be that so many people take test prep these days that most of the top 10% have, in fact, taken such courses? In a lot of places, the courses are offered in the school, or promoted by the school.</p>
<p>My kids only did some book prep, and scored very well, but a lot of their friends have taken prep courses, including some top students.</p>
<p>I’ll go against the tide above. At my sons’ private high school, everyone did some kind of prep. For both of my kids, targeted tutoring helped bump their already very good scores to excellent scores. I’m not a big believer in the commercial prep classes, but I do think good private tutors can be a very good investment; they were able to focus in on areas that made sense, and didn’t waste time on areas of strength. For the math piece, the tutor helped them review math that essentially math taken a couple of years before in high school; for reading comprehension, I think it was mostly advice on how to analyze the questions and recognize the standard questions asked.</p>
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<p>lol, I confess that did cross my mind. But the fact is that some of our teachers do test prep on the side, including one with a very lucrative high-end tutoring business.</p>
<p>When questioned about our relatively low test scores, the school’s response is that the “other” schools are heavy into test prep while our school is not. I view it as something of a cop out.</p>
<p>My daughter took a very expensive prep course along with all of her friends. She’s not a great tester. She did go up from her PSAT by about 200 points. She’s in an honors program at a state school.</p>
<p>My son, currently a junior, is a great tester. His guidance counselor jokes that she is going to write in his rec that he is the only student in her group who did NOT take a prep course. He refused to even use the books from his sister’s course. He took the PSAT cold and got a 207 (58 on the writing, but he has a documented and diagnosed LD in writing for which he was offered extra time, but refused to use it). He just took the SAT on Saturday, again without extra time. I begged him to look at the books. My 14 year old told me “He’ll LOOK at the book, but he won’t open it up!” and he was right.</p>