Hi, I’m in a dilemma: should I take an SAT prep class or study with PrepScholar?
The SAT prep class is $540 and is 3 months long. There are about 10 students in the class, and I’ve started a week ago. The Math problems were extremely easy and the others were chatting and laughing; couldn’t concentrate. Talked about my worries with a friend who’s finished that course and took a 1950 on the SAT. She said that the Math would get harder by time.
Only one girl who has taken that course got 2100 or sth on the SAT; the others didn’t get to 2000.
PrepScholar on the other hand, has a lot of students who get perfect (or nearly perfect) scores, and is cheaper.
Should I go along with the class and see if it really helps me, or should I study online? My worry is that I won’t be able to study as much online since English is not my native language.
Depends on what kind of student you are. For an independent student that likes self-study (the kind of student the traditional PrepScholar bundle is aiming for), I would just go out and buy a ton of practice materials. Saves time and money. It’s scary to not have a prep class, but being self-sufficient helps in the long run.
If you absolutely need the guidance, then either should be fine.
Go with the cheaper option and do your best. If you are a solid student then you really don’t need any prep course, just buy a book and use online resources. I am a piano teacher and a foster parent so know a good number of kids who took these tests and most who make perfect or near perfect scores, we’re just solid students, didn’t do much prep and didn’t attend any programs.
I signed up for the prep scholar thingy and improved my score by 100 points in the second attempt. That was a far cry from the 240 point improvement guarantee that is strewn across their entire website. But still, I think it’s got more to do with how diligently the student prepares, rather than only what the preps scholar programme is offering per se. I’ve taken the SAT again a few days ago and am praying for at least a 100 more points. I won’t ask for a refund if I don’t improve it by 240 points because it seems selfish or unethical do so after using their resources. Btw, my advice for you would be, don’t sign up for that programme if you’re reasonably confident about your ability to prepare on your own. but read all their blog posts on how to improve each section’s score because they’re remarkably informative.
Oh and, Don’t forget to finish at least 4 practise tests.