Self studying for the SAT ?

Hi guys & girls ,
I’m currently a class 11 student from India , throughout my life I have considered myself as an above average student although I do pretty well academically ( expecting a class 10 cgpa of 9.4ish ) . I have decided that I might as well prepare for the SAT this summer .The majority of my friends have taken up sat prep classes and they tell me that their institutions guarantee a score of 1900 + (this statement is noticeable on every other institution’s site ) . I really do not see why I need to shed out 30,000 + bucks (i.e 450 $ + ) just for the sake of 1 test . Hence , i would like to know if there is any difference between self studying and taking prep classes and which one would you guys recommend . Also please note that here in India the curriculum taught is nowhere near the curriculum of the sat , which means I would have to start from scratch .

@fucbse Only take the SAT (or ACT) if any schools you are applying to recommend/require it. For example, if you are applying to US universities and some of them require it, then take it.

If you are motivated enough and are already scoring well (the best way to know is to take one of CB’s official practice tests), you may be able to prepare by yourself with the aid of preparation books or the Internet. You can check out Khan Academy’s revised SAT preparation materials (note: the current SAT is on a 1600 scale).

If you feel like you may need substantial help in a particular subject, and if you can afford prep classes, then that might not be a bad idea.

Prep classes are certainly not necessary. As stated above, you can buy or look at many, many different prep books for much cheaper than taking classes, and if you truly want to succeed and are willing to put in the time, you can do extremely well. A guaranteed score of 1900 isn’t even that high to begin with if you’re shelling out so much money, and that score isn’t even relevant with the new SAT.