I’m planning to take the SAT in a few months and I’ve been considering hiring a tutor, I really want to refresh my math and i want to be aware of the concepts on the test. Does anyone have experience with a SAT prep tutor? Was it helpful?
I don’t mean to sound mean, but isn’t the answer to your question pretty obvious? Sure, there are great tutors out there in any field of study who can help you understand key concepts fairly quickly, provide you with invaluable resources that you might not otherwise have access to, or point your weaknesses and develop your strengths. But it’s ultimately up to you to do the work and review everything thoroughly. Of course, money is always a factor and there is no guarantee that you will find the right tutor for you even if you hire an expensive one.
That said, if you are really desperate, then yes, it might be well worth the effort and money to hire a private tutor. But if you are motivated enough to do the deed on your own, then there are also plenty of free resources online that can be equally helpful.
You don’t need to get a tutor. Yes they can be nice but really it comes down to how smart You are and how much you put into it. Self studying works just fine.
Some are worth it, but not many.
I’m a private tutor who used to teach in middle and high school and that gives me the advantage that I know how geo and alg 2 concepts are taught - and how often SAT problems can be worked out faster with a different approach. Same goes for critical reading- as school teachers, we don’t teach how to skim effectively, and we certainly don’t ask those types of questions. Grammar is a bit neglected outside of parochial schools in my area of the country, at least.
The vocab- definitely study on your own- make your own index cards. Here are some book recommendations: PWN the SAT-McClenathan (math, and in terms of strategies, exactly what you want), ultimate guide to grammar- Meltzer, McGraw-Hill SAT for vocab lists by roots. Also, McClenathan will give you full access to PWN the SAT, the website, full of extra drills and answered questions. He even answers CR and Writing questions! So, yes, you can definitely get free help if you go that route.
Best of luck to you!
Many of the people in this forum are strong and motivated students who can self study.
A good tutor is worth it. At least I am.
Having a tutor helped me tremendously, because she gave me the most i to with a tutor (I met with my tutor four times and increased my score by a lot).mportant information about the test, and it was all accurate. Using books or websites will force you to sort through a lot of information, some of which might not be accurate. During junior year, it’s important to choose an efficient way of studying, and I think a tutor is the most efficient. A class might give you the same skills, but you’ll have to meet more than you would have to with a tutor.
Regardless of how you study, you will need to do timed practice tests by yourself (I did a section or two a day).
Personally, I don’t recommend studying vocab. I know people who learned hundreds of words from flashcards and not one of the words appeared on the test- it’s not an efficient way to study. If you have trouble with vocab, find a list of common word roots and memorize those.
I think some of them are really good but sometimes the problem would be if the student can apply what tutor would teach him/her. The student needs to study and practice. Some students think that the tutor is a bad tutor but actually it depends from both how well will the student be prepared for the test and if the tutor has experienced with the test.
I’m a math teacher who has done my share of SAT tutoring.
$80 - $100 per hour is an awful lot of money. And too many kids want a tutor to do work they could do on their own, or at after school extra help. (We’re not allowed to be paid to tutor kids from our school-- it’s an obvious conflict of interest. Any kid in my school can come to me for the exact same help after school, for free.)
Talk to your math and English teachers, or to other teachers in the departments, about extra help after school to prep for the exam. It’s part of our job.
Not all math or English teachers will do much free SAT tutoring. Also, not all can score 700+.
A good tutor can score close to perfect, knows the specific material and test taking techniques, and has a lot of experience just tutoring SATs. How does tutoring expense compare to college tuition costs?
@marvin100 that’s funny, my freshman year math teacher tutors me for upcoming algebra 2 tests for $50 an hour.
With teachers’ pay being what it is, I’m not surprised. Dismayed, but not surprised.
It’s a complete waste of time and money unless you’re really struggling (and I mean less than 1400). It’s not too hard to get a decent score.
Do you realize how hurtful that can be to some people? Fine, we understand that for you its not too hard to get a 1400 on M+CR. For others, it may not be hard to get a perfect score. But for many people, getting an “average” score is extremely difficult. If those people work hard and study efficiently they should be supported, not judged harshly.
Gee probably meant less than 1400 out of 2400.
^If that’s true, I apologize
The price of a tutor varies WIDELY depending on where you are.i charge $75 an hour, and I don’t know ANY certified high school tutor who charges less than I do.
Other parts of the country are very different.