Self studying vs prep ?

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 .

Have you looked at the Khan Academy resources for SAT prep - high quality and free! You will be taking the new SAT, and I am not sure if the tutors have updated their stuff. The max for the new SAT is 1600 , not 2400. Also, Kaplan and Princeton Review also have free online sessions now and then. Also, look at collegeboard.org for all info about the new SAT.

I am from India too. I totally understand you. For Math, high schools teach us very advanced topics instead of the basic stuff, which is exactly what SAT tests.
And English taught in our high school isn’t as tough as SAT.
Did you complete 11th grade or 10th? I completed my 11th and right now I’m prepping for June SAT. I am prepping on my own. I bought a lot of books Princeton Review, College Board, and Barons. I am using Khan Academy’s free resources too.
You should register for Manya Academy - Princeton Review. They send you emails about free webinars. You don’t have to pay for it.