<p>So I got a 180/240 on the PSAT this year, as a freshman, but I'm going to take some SAT Prep classes at the local Elite Institute (hell). The guy said I can raise it to ~220 PSAT & ~2100 by the end of the summer with their boot camp program...</p>
<p>Any of you guys also do these SAT prep classes? I know a lot of the Asians in my community, especially Koreans, do this.</p>
<p>I’m going to take some SAT prep classes summer before Junior year…</p>
<p>I live in a competitive school district (and state), so all parents try to get their kids an edge… Perfect scores are uncommon here, but not rare.</p>
<p>i have to go to hagwon (korean cram school) for 6 hours monday-friday this summer.</p>
<p>fun.</p>
<p>I took it but it really just helped me learn how to write an essay (which I could teach a friend in about 5 minutes) and helped me with better reading strategies for like $500.
My scores did go up though.
Soph PSAT 178 (Not sure)
Junior PSAT 205 (77 M / 61 CR / 67 W)
1st SAT 2030 (800 M / 620 CR / 610 W)
2nd SAT 2220 (780 M / 680 CR / 760 W)</p>
<p>nicee, good job pbbuff!
yeah…these prep classes cost a lot</p>
<p>@md5hash
ahh, i feel your pain. i got 10 hrs. on me</p>
<p>wow… 6 hours… I’m happy that I don’t have to go (being Korean).</p>
<p>My SAT prep classes would only be 2 hours 2x a week during Junior year. I’m going to start studying for the SAT this summer, before sophomore so I can do well on the psat.</p>
<p>I really think SAT prep classes are a waste of money and time unless there’s no way one would study on his/her own. And, really, I don’t even know anyone who studies for the SAT.</p>
<p>So, yeah. Prep classes. Def not for me.</p>
<p>@TRUFFLIEPUFF: How much is the summer boot camp at Elite?</p>
<p>for 8 weeks, ~$1880</p>
<p>yeah…that shiet right there.</p>
<p>i considered taking an SAT prep class last summer, but decided just to study out of a book since they are rather pricey and many people did not see as much improvement as they hoped for.</p>
<p>anyone with enough motivation to study on their own should consider that, as my scores went up nicely and often those classes are a waste of money.</p>
<p>^That’s not too bad if you get something out of it…</p>
<p>^^^I honestly do not understand how anyone justifies $1880 for info that can be found in a $30 book at Barnes and Noble. Explanations, anyone?</p>
<p>I can’t justify either. I’ve spent 60 dollars so far on school prep books. They will come in handy and I’ll probably spend more.</p>
<p>it’s not info, it’s also strategies, essay writing, etc. there’s also the fact that someone is pushing you to learn 200 vocab a day and the mentality to reach the teacher’s expectations. they formulate meticulous teaching strategies. that’s like saying we shouldn’t go to school because we can just go read our own books. it’s a little pricey…but as long as you sign up for any class at Elite, they give you free college planning and counseling and help you on SAT subject tests and some of the teachers there are admission officers who give insiders. it’s a pretty sweet deal, & the SAT prep (boot camp at least) increases on average for each person’s SAT by 400 points…that’s really good.</p>
<p>I didn’t take a prep class and scored a 1900. I met with a Princeton Review teacher and she said she could help me bring it up to a 2300. My dad wanted to pay for the class because it was the weakest part of my application but I ended up not doing it</p>
<p>The classes, when taken with Princeton or Kaplan or another legitimate prep school, are a HUGE help. Is it possible to get the same results with a prep book and a summer? Not for some people. It’s hard to stay motivated and harder to pick up on techniques that actually make testing so much easier. I said I’d study all summer. I didn’t. There are people who will and do and those are the type of people who can pocket the 1800 dollars and still go up 300+ points. If you’re not that type of person, then consider the prep course. Get in touch with your Guidance Counselors. For low-income students, a lot of schools will fund or partially fund classes. My school did.</p>
<p>Don’t take the 300-500 dollar ones offered at your high school: they are crap. My friend went from an 1830 to an 1890. For 500 bucks? Big whoop.</p>
<p>I have a friend who took the Princeton class (for 1800 dollars omg) and she went up from an 1860 to a 2230. It’s a huge difference. Another friend who scored really poorly on his PSATs and a 1610 on his SATs. He went up to a 2040 with Princeton. He was highly motivated though.</p>
<p>I scored a 202 PSAT sophomore year.</p>
<p>Started studying around the start of junior year, and scored a 2330 in March. Prep classes are a waste of time if you’re scoring 1900+. Studying alone is more efficient.</p>
<p>If you can’t motivate yourself to save $500+, I question your ability to succeed in any venture. Use the blue book and the SAT forum.</p>
<p>The place I go is ran by a really well known lady for SAT prep and ISEE prep too.</p>
<p>It’s around $1,000 for like 8 months… not horrible… but still $$$</p>
<p>If I do okay on the PSAT (like over 210) by self studying, I wanna convince my parents to not spend their money on the tutor because I can get a good SAT score then by self studying. my older brother got like a 232 on the PSAT… :/</p>
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<p>really? that’s weird. i thought it’d be the test that people would at least try to study for. but that’s just me, probably.</p>
<p>Eh…i don’t know, some of my friends have taken the Princeton Review course, and they all agreed on one thing: they teach stuff to you as if you know nothing at all. I personally would just study on my own for math and writing. But i might get like a cheap tutor for reading and essay. </p>
<p>I don’t believe in average increases. 400 points average does not reflect the majority. It could just mean that some ppl had a higher increase than the majority, thus bringing the average to 400.</p>
<p>First, it’s good to see opinions other than “Prep classes are useless for everyone” that’s constantly posted on the SAT prep section.</p>
<p>Did you study at all for your PSAT? If you got a 180 as a freshman without studying, prep classes may not be for you (even with studying they may not be for you). My recommendation is that you take the PSAT as a sophomore and junior before you dish out money for prep courses. What the person from Elite Institute didn’t tell you is that your score will most likely improve next time you take the PSAT, particularly if you put enough effort into studying.</p>
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<p>By not knowing anyone who studies, I mean not knowing anyone who studies the way described in this thread, wherein one starts preparing many many months, perhaps even years before one takes the test. I do know people who do perhaps two practice tests, and most people I know do look at the study books, but we start a few weeks before. The most extreme case I know is my friend who studied vocab flash cards for a month or two before she retook.
It’s not as if we don’t take the SAT seriously or as if we don’t do well on it. Pretty much all of my friends are smart, care about their grades, and want to – and do in fact – achieve. This kind of intense prep is just not common around here.</p>