<p>Tokenadult: I didn't say that colleges disregard all multiple takings of the SAT; I said that SOME disregard results AFTER THE SECOND TIME. I will note that even in the link you posted, Georgetown said that they disregarded some results after the second time. Some take the best single sitting of the SAT. There are others who say they take the best results from each section. It varies. But it is still easier and cheaper to do the practicing ahead of time, not during an expensive and time-consuming test.</p>
<p>Know your own or your student's aptitude. We had a large busy household, kids with a lot of ECs, and the discipline to do it ourselves was difficult. We found a smaller program, Study Works, that would customize the levels- the one with strong math took just the advanced math section and the regular verbal one, the reverse for one the others, and a private session for the one with scheduling problems. The Sunday class fit our schedule. Was worth every penny to have them set a schedule, do the Real SAT practices and walk through the sections for us.</p>
<p>dmd77, that's NOT AT ALL what the Georgetown rep said. The admission officers all said that they REGARD the best scores the students obtain, whether those scores are obtained after two tests or ten. What the Georgetown rep said, and what I reported that she said, was that in her experience it is unusual to see a score that is much higher than the score obtained after two tries. But if a higher score showed up later, Georgetown would regard it, Harvard would regard it, and (as I know from another thread on CC) Caltech would regard it. Duke would too, as I know from a reply to the emails I sent out in advance of the Exploring College Options meeting. </p>
<p>I agree with the idea that is more convenient and less expensive to practice at home with a set of genuine released SAT I tests (which may be obtained from a public library in many places) rather than signing up to take a real SAT I at an official test center a lot of times. I don't know why students take lots of SAT I tests "for keeps"--my kids don't and won't--but if young people do that, they don't have to worry about it.</p>
<p>I have even come across some who combine the best subsections of the ACT, which is more rare.</p>
<p>One way that schools get rated on is how high their average SAT scores are. There's no incentive for them to take anything less than the applicants' highest scores. I've heard that schools whose students have high average SATs have lower borrowing costs as well.</p>
<p>Mathson took a course, but only attended irregularly. The practice essays were graded so ridiculously that they were completely useless. (And that was the one part of the test I felt I couldn't really grade myself.) Luckily his school offers a huge discount or I would have been really cross. I'm using Weenie's method for the next kid - pay them the money I would have spent on the course and get a much more targeted review.</p>
<p>Mathson scored an 800 on the CR both times (and once on the PSAT as well), a fact I attribute to his reading about 100 sci fi and fantasy books a year, as well as endless computer and game forums on line.</p>
<p>One of the college admission books that I read said to practice plenty before the SAT test but don't use the real SAT test as a practice.
My point of view is to only retaking the SAT if the student did not perform his/her best because of sick/illness.
It's much more impressive to get 2400 the first time than trying several times for 2400 because you are only contribute to the statistics that HYPMS reject plenty of students with perfect scores.
I do agree with the poster that said it depends on the child, if the student has done very well in the past with standardized tests than its' most likely that student will do well with SAT I.
I used the Xiggi Method because I can be involved with the process and it worked out well.</p>
<p>The value of the course varies greatly depending on the information presented and the quality of the instructor. Some of the nationally known prep courses pay very little to their instructors and so the turnover rate can be high. It may be a great course, but if the instructor just started a week ago, your child won't benefit very much.</p>
<p>Just take a couple quick tutoring sessions (like total $500) and that can bring up your score a lot.</p>
<p>My S has always tested well on standardized tests and is an avid reader, so I was not concerned about review. But I honestly made him prep for the essay by practicing his handwriting. He did a single 25 minute timed run-through of the essay portion to make sure his handwriting was legible within the time constraints.</p>
<p>Does anyone else wonder about the reader bias with handwriting style or legibility?</p>
<p>From a student:</p>
<p>I never took a SAT prep course or even bought a prep book, and I couldn't be happier that I decided to do so. Most of friends began signing up for various SAT prep courses around the same time, and I tried to convince my parents that it would be a good idea for me to do the same. They didn't (and still don't) understand college admissions and/or the importance of standardized testing, so they kind of tried to dissaude me from an expensive course with the hope that my "smarts" would carry me through. </p>
<p>I signed up for the Collegeboard free SAT question of the day---delivered directly to your Inbox. It was stressfree, quick, and incredibly painless. I did that for about 6 months...which would probably make up one full practice test and maybe then some, with none of the Critical Reading passage-based questions involved. </p>
<p>Five minutes before I took the SAT, my friend told me to make sure my writing section had 5 paragraphs. That was the only instructor tip that I ever really received. I was incredibly nervous going into the test; I hadn't prepared at all, I didn't think my vocabulary was extensive enough (although I did read constantly), and I was sure that I would make numerous silly mistakes. I didn't know ANY of the "when to guess, when to leave blank" tips, and I was completely envious of all my friends who were confident after many practice tests.</p>
<p>By some miracle, I scored a perfect in both Critical Reading and Writing, and a 650 in Math. I ended up taking the test once more to raise my math score, but overall, I am incredibly glad that my parents didn't spend any money and that I didn't spend any time on prepping for the test. I think that lounging around my house on a Saturday reading a great book or The Economist (for fun, if you can believe that) was much better preparation than ANY prep course could have given me. Xiggi's method is famous here on CC, but I have posted "my tips/tricks" in the SAT forum long ago, if anyone is interested.</p>