<p>Each of my four children took the SAT in 7th grade, partly because it was encouraged by their middle schools, and because it was a prerequisite for certain summer programs (like Duke TIP). Each spent time with SAT Math and Verbal private tutors, $500-1000 total for each. My wife and I felt it was worth the investment because each kid gained a great deal of test-taking confidence and success (one with 800-800-760), and our first two are at their first-choice schools (University of Florida and MIT). The other two (11th and 7th graders) took the SAT yesterday for the first time, so we’ll see.
No matter the environment (elite/competitive prep school, public HS, etc.), a motivated student can prepare well for the SAT by talking to other kids and using websites like collegeboard.com and ************.com. Spending money on group courses and private tutors is an individual decision each family faces, and there’s no doubt in my mind that there’s value in it. Whether it’s fair that it’s not affordable for everyone is another issue. Make the best of what’s available to you.</p>
<p>My parents spent about $15 for preparation (by purchasing the Official SAT Study Guide, Second Edition on Amazon.com). I had a nice score so that was basically all that was needed.</p>
<p>This thread seems like a place for people to boast about how well they/their children can do using the most limited resources. </p>
<p>On topic - personally, my parents spent about $2000 dollars giving me SAT prep. However, considering the facts, this is inexpensive. I attended a prep school based mainly in California called Elite. After calculating, I realized I was being charged $9/hr. I, not to mention half of the people I know, spend more on things like clothing, music/sport lessons, tutor, etc. and considering that the SAT is more important than many of these, I did not consider its price unreasonable at all.</p>
<p>Further, I’m not a “talented” kid. I’m not super smart, like a lot of the people on CC are. I needed this and it helped me in a big way. Also, living in Los Angeles (seeing as this is where a lot of “rich” ppl reside), a LOT of parents opted to spend the two or so grand and send their kids to Elite. It lasted perhaps 3 months and during that time, I met lots and lots of friends from school. It was a fun time - a little summer school for me - and I don’t regret spending those $9 an hour on it. </p>
<p>Elite is very, very good at what it does. I recommend it completely.</p>
<p>Both S and D took our local public school’s 13-day summer SAT prep course each summer. Each session cost $150. Each child took it during the summers prior to 9th, 10th and 11th grade. PSAT scores were 217 and 199, respectively. S hasn’t taken the SAT yet; D scored a 2020 on her best test.</p>
<p>So: $450 total for each child.</p>
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<p>The truth is that the average student does not have the luxury of receiving personalized multi-thousand-dollar instruction. Although many parents from the upper socioeconomic echelons may pay upwards of $3,000 for their child’s SAT preparation, for the majority of students (including myself coming from a $40,000 per year family) this option is not available.</p>
<p>limbwalker- great answer.</p>
<p>As a student, I think it is wrong when other students (by means of their parents) spend lots of money on SAT prep. It is an advantage for whoever has the most money and time to be spent, and one that compromises the original intention of the test. The SAT was intended to be an accurate reflection of a student’s ‘scholastic aptitude,’ not a reflection of whoever puts in the most time studying for it. I believe this is why collegeboard has been changing it frequently in the last decade, and seems liable to keep changing it- so it cannot be studied for, and is thus a more accurate interpretation of a student’s natural intelligence.</p>
<p>I suppose it is one thing if you simply buy “the blue book,” to help take a practice test or two so you are familiar with the test before paying $45 dollars to take it, but hundreds or thousands on tutors, classes, multiple prep-books, etc in my opinion is ‘cheating the system.’
Just my two cents.</p>
<p>Thanks for a balanced entry. The “I spent zero and anyone who’d pay a nickle is a fool” posts don’t move the ball much, one way or the other.</p>
<p>@cjester: Excellent response.</p>
<p>Princeton and Kaplan seem to be overselling their product, but I think the confidence gained going through the prep does help. Is it worth the price? Who knows?</p>
<p>It’s worth it even if it increases your score by only 10.
Getting into the college of your dreams is priceless.</p>
<p>$1500 + $30</p>