SAT classes? Can anyone recommend one?

Parent Cafe
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<p>My DD is entering her junior year. She took SATs last year to qualify for a special program and got 730 M 650 CR 680 W. Her essay was very weak (a 6, I think) because she writes very slowly (it takes her a long time to express her ideas). She would like to get her reading and writing scores up over 700 at least. She's close but needs help. </p>

<p>She did the College Board online course--not very diligently--and she'd like to take a classroom course, but the Princeton Review one is just too much time and money for her and us. Any recommendations for classes that were helpful for your kids? Thanks!</p>

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<p>Personally I think SAT classes are a waste of time...a friend of mine spent a tons of money in a course only to go from a 1800 to a 1900, definitely not he 200pt increase they promised. I'd say try to selfstudy, if not, perhaps you can hire a once a week tutor. And also consider that she's not even a junior, I'm assuming she was a sophmore when she took it, so thats a actually a great score for her. My advice: prep, buy the books ( and actually read/work with them) and take the SAT in say novemeber....and believe me selfstudy is a very effective method , I did it myself and went from 2100 to 2270</p>

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<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=216139%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=216139&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Just a suggestion.</p>

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<p>D took the class and scored within 20 points of the original scores. NOT plus 200 points as promised. (Well, the promise is that you can keep taking the course for free if your score doesn't increase by 200.)</p>

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<p>Your daughters scores are already pretty high. She would not really benefit a great deal from tutors or classes. I'd recommend saving that money for college :) Instead buy prep books and encourage her to REALLY study them. That means, not just do the exercises but really make an effort to understand the rules/concepts.
As for the essay, the answer is PRACTICE. It's really tedious, but practicing writing essays in 20 minutes will help her get her ideas out faster, or to think up more concise examples.</p>

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<p>wacky, my daughter was in the same boat as yours regarding the essay. On her practice tests, she never got above a 5 (total, that is). She is also a slow writer, and it takes her a while to organize her thoughts. We thought it was hopeless.</p>

<p>The key is to prepare maybe three or four books in depth (this is a tip I found on CC). Know the themes, characters' names (not as easy as it sounds), historical settings, etc., inside and out. Then, on the test, use two of the books to answer the essay prompt. If you hunt around CC, you'll find kids who are doing that. They even debate the merits of, say, 1984 as compared with Animal House. On the actual test, my daughter was able to get an 11. It was a victory for her, believe me.</p>

<p>But if I were you, I wouldn't worry so much about the essay. It isn't actually such a bit part of the total score. Instead, work on getting the CR up. That is much more important.</p>

<p>My daughter took a Princeton Review class that was given after school at her high school. The price was right, and I think it really helped her. I know she wouldn't have prepped that much on her own. It just depends on the kid. Some of them are very driven, and will indeed study independently for a test.</p>

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<p>The major problem with classes is that they teach to the majority of the class (as they legitimately must). So if your d is in a class with a bunch of kids who need help on the math section, that's where they'll concentrate. Or if she's the only one who needs help with essay speed, she's sunk. (Alternatively, they may just teach the syllabus, regardless of who needs what help, which is also a waste of time for most kids.)</p>

<p>That's why we went the tutor route - my d got exactly the help that she needed in the areas she needed. Much more focused, much less wasted time. (And we both knew she wouldn't do it herself just with books.)</p>

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<p>Mac, my DD is sitting here and I just read your post to her--about knowing three or four books really well and then making them fit into the prompt. I could see the wheels turning! I think this will really, really help her! It's that sorting and sifting process that slows her down, and she sees that this way she won't have to do so much of that. She's rereading 1984 for AP English this summer anyway, so that will get her partway there. </p>

<p>I'm still looking into SAT classes. I think taking one will definitely help her. Her vocab is pretty good but I don't think she's that great at trying to break words down into their roots and what they might mean. Also I think she reads and comprehends a bit slowly, so a class might help with that.</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

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<p>Wackymother, I do not want to discourage you, but spending 800 to 1200 on a generic class will not help your daughter a bit. The help you need is WELL beyond the very average instructor who gives classes at Princeton Review, Kaplan, and other SAT mills. The generic classes are particularly ineffective for reading comprehension and essay writing. While a couple of the pricier -and better- classes might help, I would highly recommend hiring a private tutor, but only after a SERIOUS and dedicated effort retaking the TCB online classes. By approaching tutors with a portfolio of essays written in answer to the prompts given by TCB, you will save yourself a ton of money. Pay your daughter 50 dollars per essay, and you'll come way ahead. </p>

<p>Regarding the essays, the suggestions given above are good. For the record, a very successful coach used an exotic method to prepare his students for the SAT Writing -when it was still part of the SAT-II. He would ask his pupils to prepare a typical SAT essay, polish it, and memorize it. Armed with a canned essay, they would take the test and amend the essay as to fit the prompt. Since you're daughter is slow to get started, she may find a method using the memorization of two or three essays -with examples- very useful. It is amazing how much a student may recall from prior work.</p>

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<p>My kid was successful with the study books--much cheaper than classes if the student has the self-discipline to do the work.</p>

<p>About the essay, I'm not sure if it is clear--especially for foreign students who might be reading this, so I want to repeat what is said above another way--</p>

<p>Memorize the structure, but don't try to use a memorized essay. If it doesn't fit the prompt, you'll get a 0. Also, regarding memorizing details from novels to use on the essay, there are many prompts that are about general high school/societal issues that wouldn't work well with literary examples, or might not fit at all with the ones you know. You might get lucky, but I'd warn against memorizing something specific or counting on using it--the topics really work against being able to use anything "canned." </p>

<p>I would advise practicing the structure: Take a position and state it clearly (points), recognize counter argument/s (points) with a few examples (points), but then show why your chosen position is better with many more detailed examples (more points). What some students don't realize is that accuracy of examples (dates, places, names, quotes) is not at all important. All of the examples can be made up as long as they fit in with the argument. You are not graded on proving you know anything, only how logically you can defend your position.</p>

<p>Using transitional phrases like "for example," "on the other hand," "first of all," "in conclusion" etc. will earn points. Writing A LOT will earn points. Using a variety of sentence structures--some complex and some simple--will earn points. Higher level vocabulary--but not misused "big words" --will earn points. Good handwriting isn't supposed to help, but I still think it might be an advantage. </p>

<p>I would suggest practicing the topics in the Real SAT, working on speed. Also practice on "nonsense" topics like "Do you think aliens from Planet X or Planet Y would be more successful colonists of Earth?" or "Compare the governments of "A-land" and "B-land" --which system would you rather live under?" or "Choose your weapon: Vorpal Sword or Light Saber?" etc. This type of exercise would help the student get used to quickly making up facts and details to advance an argument. You could try making your own "fill in the blank structure" with transitional phrases, etc. and see if you can get a wide variety of topics to fit into it.</p>

<p>BTW, there are very few vocabulary questions on the new SAT, so spending a lot of time on word lists--like students used to do--isn't necessary.</p>

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<p>wacky, I'm glad your daughter was open to the "CC strategy" of essay writing that my daughter used. D chose "Gone With the Wind" as one of her books. Even though I didn't think it was "literary" enough to base an essay on, it worked fine because she loved the book and was able to recall details fairly quickly. </p>

<p>Regarding Princeton Review: I agree with the other posters who say that a class may not address your daughter's specific areas of need. Here's a tip: D's high school is a very large, urban one. I was able to agitate (in a nice way) to get Princeton Review to offer the course on the school's property. Because D goes to a magnet school, all the kids are pretty quick to learn and on the same level, roughly. I'm sure PR geared the classes to the kids. Also, the price was about half of what the regular PR courses run. I don't know if you could do this at your daughter's school, but many of the high schools in New York City do this either through Kaplan or PR. Of course, private tutoring is great, too, when all else fails, but more pricey. </p>

<p>I looked at it as money well spent. With my daughter's score, she may be in line to get merit money if she does some good applications.</p>

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<p>I can tell you DON'T take Kaplan and expect any help with the essay. Grading was caprecious - twice they gave my son zeros which was ridiculous, they made no comments on the essays and they only returned two of them. He got a 690 on the SAT writing after having scored an 800 on the PSAT. Obviously the essay was the problem. I think for him having some examples in the bag will be a good strategy. He's not at all creative and certainly not a quick writer, but he can actually write pretty well. </p>

<p>As far as bringing up the reading score - I don't think memorizing lists, or learning cognates does any good at all. I think you just have to read, read, read. It doesn't have to be too onerous, but it probably shouldn't be the Gossip Girls either. My son reads mostly sci-fi and fantasy which tends to have a pretty good vocabulary built in, but I think most contemporary fiction and also non-fiction such as the type of essay you find in The New Yorker would be most useful. I'd go for a minimum of an hour of reading a day all summer long.</p>

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<p>She reads quite a bit, fantasy and a lot of other novels. She mentioned not knowing a bunch of the words on the test last year. She took the PSATs as a sophomore. She got an 80 on the writing PSAT so obviously she knows her grammar pretty well. The room for improvement there is on the essay. </p>

<p>On the CR section, there's something not clicking. On her math PSATs, she didn't put answers for every question, and her math score was somewhere in the 60s. She wanted to take the SATs to prove she could do better (I know, I know!) and we told her to take put answers for EVERY QUESTION whether she was sure or not. (She likes to be absolutely sure that she's getting a question right!) </p>

<p>That strategy worked well b/c her math score went up about 80 or so points over the PSAT score. </p>

<p>Now I'm wondering if something like that is happening on the CR. I think we need to impress upon her that she has to guess if she can eliminate even one answer. I should go take a look at that SAT book...but she has a lot of schoolwork to do this summer, and I think most of my nagging time will be devoted to that!</p>

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<p>One of my neighbors is a college professor as well as a writing tutor and SAT essay grader. As others have mentioned, she too recommends that a student familiarize him or herself with various example topics, although not exclusively based on literature. For example, the student might want to prepare and have ready access in his or her memory to specific details on a couple of novels, a couple of historical events as well as a couple of current events, In addition she gives her students prompts for essay topics and then has them practice writing a first and last paragraph along with outlined examples -over and over again. If it's mainly a question of speed, these techniques can really help.</p>

<p>As far as tutoring vs. classes. Tutoring or intensive self-study probably ARE superior ways to go, however these may not be feasible for the OP. Getting separate tutors for all three subjects can add up to big money (maybe a few sessions with a tutor could work?) and going the self-study route may not be best for a student who is is not a self-starter or who needs more structure or feedback. I know kids who improved substantially as a result of classes, and others who didn't. Much depends on how dedicated your child is and whether or not they do all the assigned homework. In this case, I wouldn't be surprised if scores naturally improve on the basis of development and further academic experience alone -these are excellent scores for a sophomore.</p>

<p>As for where, call around in your area and ask people you know for references. Some of the independently owned places can be more accomodating to your schedule and may be <em>slightly</em> cheaper. There's a reputable one in my area that I've heard of, where the kids can come in for a session any time during the week that it is offered. This does give a lot more flexibility, especially for working parents.</p>

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<p>Have you used the question and answer service to see what sort of questions she's getting wrong on the critical reading? It was the only way to impress on my son that he had to read the math questions more carefully. He knew the math he just misread the questions. </p>

<p>For building up vocabulary I think it helps to make a note of words and look them up. If you don't want to look them up right away use a post-it or write them down. I did this when we lived in Germany and I needed to beef up my German vocabulary. Any word I looked up more than once I made a real effort to learn. My son feels the new critical reading section is easier than the old one since he's very good at guessing what words mean from context. You may be right that she just needs to guess more.</p>

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<p>I thought my Testmasters class helped with my CR score. Once you see the questions and the right answers over and over, patterns begin to emerge. Taking the class really helped me recognize these patterns and choose the right choice easily. I was in a similar situation, with a 700 CR going into the class (signed up mainly for math help), and ended up raising my CR to an 800 with a 220 total improvement. </p>

<p>They also give you a generic formula for the essay and tips for thinking up pertinent examples quickly. The class is pricy, but they had a lot of great resources. The "Blue Book" was included as well as their own test bank with even more REAL SAT tests. Like the "xiggi method" on here, Testmasters only uses real SAT questions.</p>