So currently I’m a junior, haven’t taken my official SAT yet. I’m planning to do so sometime this spring and then use the June date for subject testing.
Basically I’ve been taking practice tests for a year. First getting a 1200, then a 1250, then a 1320, and my latest a 1360. I haven’t really done any preparation for this ( no bookwork, prep scholar etc), besides maybe about an hour and half of Kahn Academy over the course of around six months- So essentially I think I improved just by familiarizing myself with the test.
My parents were wondering if they should get me a private tutor, as many kids do nowadays. Only thing is the test prep company in my area is ridiculously expensive (close to $200 an hour). They “recommend” you participate in 14 hour and a half sessions- Saying that you won’t receive any benefit unless you fork over thousands in cash.
My question is is there really any serious benefits to using a private tutor just a few times (vs regularly like the prep-company recommends)? Should I use these few sessions long before I take the test and build on the knowledge I gained or should I use them immediately prior to taking the test, in order to get some sort of refresher/booster?
I would be happy with anything over a 1400.
Any advice is appreciated.
Side note: I also think it’s really sad that this is part of the college admissions process. But everyone in my community is doing it and I feel as though I would be at a disadvantage if I didn’t do it.
It seems as though you are close enough to your goal score without a tutor. I would hold off on it now prep for the March SAT or something and if you get a 1400 or close to it chances are you won’t need a tutor because of superscore.
I know a handful of students who have used a private tutor and I have been shocked at how much they have improved their scores. So much so that I’ve begun to believe the SAT is useless. It has made me think about its validity when students who have the resources, can raise their grades significantly. I think part of the trick is to find the right tutor. There seems to be two in my area who get consistent results. So if you do go with a tutor do your research and find one who is highly regarded. It sounds like you are a hard worker who is motivated so you would do well with a tutor. They do leave you a lot of work to do on your own each week.
A 1360 is supposedly 90th percentile. It’s already a good score if the percentiles published by College Board are accurate still.
An over1400 will be possible by shooting to consistently get 1/2 less wrong than you are right now. I bet you could do that with the Khan Academy Website and a weekly practice routine. By getting half less wrong, consistently you should be baking in the possibility of a very difficult passage or unfamiliar set of math questions on your practice day. So I’d say shoot for 1460 on practice consistently.
I can tell you my son took it this Saturday and said that the reading questions were in cases far more ambiguous and one of the passages MUCH harder than any practice but the math was supposedly much easier.
I would think your practice should try to get you to account/hedge for the variance in practice to real exam, especially since the new SAT is only in its 2nd year?
A good tutor always helps. I think talking/vocalizing your learning 1:1 helps it “stick”.
PS - Another poster helped my son in a thread called “no calculator section” recently - he gave good tips.
My daughter did private tutoring and it brought her composite score up by 6 points-well worth it.
I had a 1250 SAT score. Took private tutoring, and my average was around 1350. Test day came, and I got a 1250 again.
ACT was a different story. I went from a 28 (practice test) to a 31. However, with discipline and study help, I was able to receive a 32C/33SS over two additional testing periods. I had some time-management struggles that tutoring was able to help. However, I think that I made more progress by buying tons of ACT prep books and spending many hours per week taking/reviewing practice tests and reading advice.
You sound like you could improve to at least a 1400 simply by continuing your current method of self-studying. Design a schedule in prep for your next SAT and see how you do. Khan Academy is great, but if you want more advice I would recommend buying a study book such as Barrons. Maybe consider a tutor if that isn’t working.
If you do pick a tutor, make sure you pick someone who is dedicated. My parents fired my first tutor after 2 sessions because she wasn’t effective. My second tutor was absolutely amazing; I’m glad we spoke up. If you are going to be paying lots of $$$, don’t accept mediocrity.
Good luck!