<p>So I took the ACT last April/May-ish and got a composite of 25 (science killed me for no apparent reason), but it was a bad time overall. I thought about tutoring for a while, with the addition of taking the test multiple times again. I'm not the best at motivating myself when it comes to prepping for the material, so naturally private tutoring has been a big consideration for me.</p>
<p>At first I thought about going to Sylvan or somewhere like that, but then after checking in with it I don't know if that's the best option. I am close to WUSTL and I've found many sites advertising graduates/undergraduates tutoring (From $20-47 an hour, but money is not a huge factor). Is it worth doing something like that? Does anyone have first hand experience with private tutors? </p>
<p>Also should note will be taking the SAT in the future to see if I have better results.</p>
<p>Tutoring will help you…IF IF IF you put in the effort and do the work and review everything they give you. Remember that getting tutoring will not help as much as taking the tutoring and applying what you learn. </p>
<p>If you’re able to get it, by all means go for it. Good luck with future SAT’s!</p>
<p>How does it work? Is there a big difference between a tutoring program or an individual (independent) tutor? </p>
<p>I mean I feel like I’d get more help from an independent tutor (of course with good credentials), but I also feel like I wont have guarantee behind it. How do materials work, do they provide or do you buy (I know a program may include materials needed, independent may not). </p>
<p>My daughter took the Princeton Review ACT prep class last fall before taking the Dec. 2010 test. It was $500, if I recall correctly, and was a small classroom setting w/3 other kids. The class was 9am-12pm on both Sat and Sun for about 6-8 weeks. They gave her the red ACT book, and she had lots of homework and they took a mock ACT every other week (outside of the class time). It was very helpful in several ways: 1) It taught her test taking strategy for each section of the test 2) It was a guaranteed way to ensure she got adequate studying time in before the test, due to the homework and the sheer volume of time spent in the class 3) It gave her the chance to take 3-4 mock exams and receive feedback on her specific gaps. </p>
<p>Her score rose two points to 28, and she is dying to reach 30 so she is spending considerable time studying again this summer, prepping by herself for the Sept test. She’s put together a calendar with specific hours and is spending 2 hr blocks of time per day on 4 days a week studying solely from the red book (I think that’s the one called the Real ACT) and taking lots of mock tests. </p>
<p>I’ve been thinking about getting her a tutor and this time, instead of using the broad brush approach, like Princeton Review is good for, I am trying to find a single one-on-one tutor who “specializes” in the ACT and can help her pinpoint the few areas that she should hammer on. I don’t know if this is realistic, and I’ve interviewed a lot of tutors who claim they specialize in the ACT, but when I press them, it seems most are general tutors for the ACT and SAT, as well as GMAT and LSAT, etc. This wouldn’t do us much good, as she has already had decent prep but now needs to really hone in. Given that I can’t find a true “ACT specialist”, I think she’ll be fine to continue to plug away by herself with the book. </p>
<p>In your situation, I would see if you could do the same - take a good test prep overview course at one of the tutoring centers (look online for specials and coupons like we did, which can knock the price down a lot!) and then put together a schedule of studying in a focused way and taking lots of mock tests. </p>