<p>...right. Okay. </p>
<p>What do you do in those anyway? The private ones, the expensive ones that most ppl can't afford - if anyone's taken one of those - I'm thinking they probably have you take tests, analyze your weaknesses, help you with test taking strategies. But you can buy that in an $100 online course. </p>
<p>So...is there anything else special?</p>
<p>Well for me, it forced me to take full-length tests.</p>
<p>I didn't take the SAT beforehand, but my PSAT was 193. I scored aroudn 2110 on the later practice tests. I got a 2230 on the actually thing. Take that as you will.</p>
<p>I think that if you're motivated enough, then you can do better without a class.</p>
<p>Oh, the whole analyzing weaknesses thing is stupid. Just take a test, go through each wrong or guessed problem and understand the reasoning. Keep in mind tips as you take tests. Don't memorize their list of tips; create them as you go as intuition.</p>
<p>Reading dense passages bores me, so a class is perfect for me to make me prepare for the SAT.</p>
<p>I went to this one last summer and that thing helped me a lot. This one super crazy math smart asian guy was so strict he would scare me to death so that I would be forced to learn the math LOL.</p>
<p>But really, these classes are just there because they force you to do the stuff. Unless you are super disciplined, it's hard to sit in your room for 4 hours on a Saturday or Sunday to do a practice test. </p>
<p>But that's what I need to do now. I haven't studied for the thing in months and I'm taking the Nov. test. I need to buckle down now, do at least 2 hours of practice every day and then a practice test on the weekend. Should have me ready by then.</p>
<p>super, crazy, math, smart AND asian. Oh and he's a guy. Lotta adjs, for 1 man. lol jk</p>
<p>
[quote]
SAT prep courses are USELESS
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I have always thought so. A lucrative industry is based on people who don't share my opinion.</p>
<p>Yea..I think that it's more to appeal those with lower than 2000, as it's easier to raise the score then.</p>
<p>once you know all the grammar and math rules you are fine. cr is just reading for understanding and connot be taught...its something that seperates the smart from the dumb</p>
<p>IMO SAT prep courses are excessively overpriced 'courses' that force people with no self-discipline/motivation to do practice tests.</p>
<p>Of course, there is an exceedingly large number of those lazy people so I'd say that SAT prep courses are definitely not useless. However, what's done in those prep courses can easily be done by oneself, but it requires a lot of self-discipline to get yourself to do those exhilarating and fun SAT problems.</p>
<p>SAT prep has ultimately forced me to practice full-length tests, and learn a lot of vocab and grammar rules. The practice, I think, is the most valuable thing (and I know I wouldn't've been able to do it on my own).</p>
<p>for once I have to agree with my parents.... :(</p>
<p>if you get something for free you do not know the real value until
you pay for it....</p>
<p>god, I am beginning to sound so ancient :D</p>
<p>I just love it when people make really strong statements without having any experience to back it up, and then postulate (vocab word I learned in my course; look it up) various assumptions to try to prove their point. I learned to do educated guessing through my class; it would be nice if we could share educated opinions here.</p>
<p>Haha I know 'postulate'
Actually my thread title was just that, a thread title. To get attention.
I just wanted to see if people agreed with the statement or not, and many of the people who took courses say that the most valuable aspect is the discipline... which <em>can</em> be very valuable. But I wanted to know if there was anything else.</p>
<p>Yeah, I responded to your post in another thread with your initial 2220 score. You probably know a ton of the vocab!</p>
<p>Discipline, definitely. Courses make you stay on top of things, esp when you're discouraged. Some courses use books that you can't buy in the bookstore (my PR class has diff materials), which I would expect, otherwise there's not as much point in doing it. </p>
<p>I think it also depends on how you learn best...if you learn more on your own than you do from your teachers, then self-prep is probably the way to go. That can depend on the subject, though. My French teacher nitpicks and corrects every little mistake I make, and when I finally asked her why she was on me all the time, she said, "This is the stuff you don't learn in the books, that make the difference between speaking a language and knowing the language. I know you'll learn it and not repeat those mistakes, so I take the time to correct you on the little things." I seriously hated her until then, and now I actually appreciate her. </p>
<p>I think, bottom line, it just depends on you. With your 2220, I'd say a course wouldn't do you much good!</p>