<p>I posted in the SAT forum but no bites. Try again here...</p>
<p>DD#1 wants to prep for the 10/5 SAT. Options appear to be:
1. buy a book/self study
2. online course/self study
3. online group class - live with instructor
4. traditional classroom setting with instructor
5. private tutor</p>
<p>Obviously, price varies. Just wondering if other parents could share their experiences, strategy, results. If your child used a prep system, did it make a difference? How much difference? Worth the cost?</p>
<p>FYI, DD#1 scored a 2080 last winter on her first try (730r, 720w, 630m), so 1360 r/m. She is really hoping to get to get to 2200+ overall and 1450 r/m by pushing her math 60-70 pts and another 30-40+ in r/w to make her more competitive for her reaches. She should be able to do the latter. Since taking SAT last winter, she scored a 36 on the ACT reading section (30 composite), a 790 on the SATII Lit, and a 5 on the AP Lit. She gets A's in math, but does not score well (relatively speaking) on standardized tests.</p>
<p>Since your DD1’s ACT reading is a 36 I think she will most likely have a higher SAT score in the fall regardless of whether she preps or not. MY DS’s scores went up without any prepping and I thinks it’s because he had another year of high school and learned some things.</p>
<p>Did she use a study book to prep for the AP Lit? If she is comfortable prepping on her own that’s probably all she needs to do.</p>
<p>How about starting with the books of 10 actual old SATs, doing one under actual test conditions, then paying careful attention to where incorrect answers were chosen (particularly in the math section)? Then try another one after studying those areas or methods…</p>
<p>For math, a test taking tactic is plugging the provided answers back into the question; this can sometimes be faster than solving the question the usual way.</p>
<p>Generally, doing faster questions within a section first and then doing the slower questions minimizes the number of questions lost to running out of time (of course, one is not allowed to go back to previous sections).</p>
<p>Elimination of incorrect answers can also be used. Guessing gives a positive expected value if even one incorrect answer is eliminated.</p>
<p>I agree with above. Since she has already scored so well, and assuming that she did not undertake significant prep prior to last year’s sitting, I think she will be able to improve her scores by simply taking many practice exams under timed conditions and paying attention to where she makes mistakes.</p>
<p>Math SAT can be tricky because the test writers set out to trick students by including an answer the eye jumps to immediately when it is only an answer found part way through the problem solving.</p>
<p>We went with a private tutor for my older one and will do the same with my soon-to- be junior. My older one would not have done well in a class- too much day dreaming. She also would not have done well with self- study. She really needed a tutor to come to the house and light a fire under her and essentially hold her to a schedule. Her ACT score after tutoring was 7 points higher than her PLAN score, and she was not a big studier. We are using the same tutor for my rising junior. I asked about classes ( understanding that he is a private tutor) and he told me that these SAT classes " teach towards the average student." I tend to agree. If your student is above or below the average this might not be the best option. I believe that my rising junior can absolutely take an on line class plus self study, as she is driven and motivated. We are staying with the private tutors because we were very happy the first time.
Remember that your student will get out of it what he/she puts in. Regardless of what you choose, the student still must study and take practice tests to see an increase.</p>
<p>@twogirls: Actually, she called one of the online class companies to get more info. The guy she talked to asked her score. When she told him, he told her these classes are not for kids like her but for kids who are trying to get to 2000. I was actually impressed that he was that honest about it and did not try to sell her on the program.</p>
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<p>@MG: She did use study guides for all her AP exams (5’s on all). She is pretty self-motivated, but she struggled to keep up with the work in her self-study AP Psych class, though she ultimately scored a 5 on that test too.</p>
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<p>@CT: She took the SAT last year cold with no prep.</p>
<p>I’m thinking she can do this with self-study, practice exams, and maybe a math tutor if she feels she needs it. A class aimed at mid-level students is probably not going to help her much. Thanks for your comments.</p>
<p>DG that is very impressive and quite refreshing. I guess our SAT tutor was being honest as well. I read somewhere that these classes are geared towards kids scoring between the mid 1500’s and about 1800 who are trying to increase their score. You just confirmed what I thought- thanks!</p>