<p>So i am in a great dilemma.
I have to decide do i need a prep course.THe course started today but i didnt have to pay the money,as i have the chance to decide if i still want to continue .It cost about 250 $ .The money are not problem at all,but i am not sure that i really need it.What can the tutor can tell me that i cant read on a prep book (Barron`s ,the BB etc ..)
We had a three-hour diagnostic test today.The whole course is 70 hours that will be covered for about 2 months.SO what do you think ?Is it possible to get a 2200+ without this course.The math sections are quite easy for me,i expect at least 740-760 ,but i think i need to improve the CR. :) I have never taken the SAT before.
P.S
This prep course covers only the CR and Writing sections ,not the math ones.</p>
<p>it's almost always possible to get a 2200+ without the course, it just depends on how hard you work. personally, i'd wait to see how i did on the diagnostic test - below 500, i'd definitely take the course. anything higher, though, you're probably capable of doing better on your own.</p>
<p>tutors are worthless.
they know only what is taught to them through training sessions.</p>
<p>I think you should give the tutor a test to see if he knows what he's doing. :P</p>
<p>^aren't tutors supposed to get a certain score on the SAT in order to tutor?</p>
<p>I personally had a tutor from Sylvan.
He was a nice guy....with really really bad breath.</p>
<p>He knew what he was doing, no doubt since he probably went through the book 20+ times before he started teaching me. </p>
<p>But I found out that he only went by the book, and he told me things I could find out through reading a prep book..</p>
<p>after the course, I felt no better even with much practice.
I had wasted a couple hundred bucks.</p>
<p>then I bought BB, Barrons, and PR. I sat down and read them anf what do you know? My scores improved!.</p>
<p>I think it's not the teacher, but the style of teaching.
I learned more when I was the one teaching myself.</p>
<p>The prep course isn't necessary. If you're determined, you can up your score by yourself.</p>
<p>So i dont take the course.Anyway,i am pretty sure that this diagnostic test is not decisive at all.Once i go through the 3500 barrons words and work on these long CR passages,i am sure i can get about 700-720 points on my CR.</p>
<p>At the tutoring place I went to, the tutors have to take the SAT twice a year and score above 2320.</p>
<p>Did they really help you ?How much did you pay ?</p>
<p>I paid 2500$ for 14 hours of tutoring....I also took 10 proctored practice tests for free. My diagnostic test when I started was a 2140. My last 3 tests were all above 2300 and I'm expecting a score somewhere in the 2300's for the Oct test.</p>
<p>But I doubt there are any good prep places in Bulgaria...your best bet is to use the blue book, 10 real sats book, and Barrons 2400 book.</p>
<p>Bad tutoring < Self-studying < good tutoring</p>
<p>Well,international students cant get a good diagnostic result ,as we have a lot of unfamiliar words.My tutor that i am thinking about is a 60 -year - old granny .I am not sure she could help me.I started memorizing the 3500 Barron`s words and i have 1500 left.A lot of people on these forums assert that i dont need to memorize 3500 words but this is the best solution ,at least for the international students.Yes ,it is hard ,but there is no other way.At least,if i want a good result.</p>
<p>Memorizing words isn't my style. The thing is, they never just give you a word on the SAT and ask you to define it. They're always in the context of a sentence, paragraph, or longer passage. So you should read difficult books in English.</p>