Agreed. It seems as though the incremental benefit of SAT/ACT prep/tutoring is relatively limited. But going all the way back and getting the kind of education one needs to be prepared to take that kind of test is, I believe, rather determinative. Sure, there are people born to take those kinds of tests, and you can put a sack of potatoes on their heads while they take it and it won’t get in their way. It’s like a lot of sports - it’s what you’ve been doing over the last many years that is going to drive your ability to manage those tests well, not a super hard intellectual workout 6 mos. before.
The other piece that’s worth mentioning is that a lot of athletes get into those elite schools, and exposure to club sports and all that goes into that, which is a good proxy for wealth, is a big part of how that all works out. I’m one of the people who has conferred that advantage to my children, so I know how spendy it can get. And the fact that I even thought of it to begin with is an example of me being exposed to the information, another advantage my kids enjoyed. When my soccer player decided to spurn D1 playing opportunities, I can’t tell you how many people outside that circle didn’t understand our play. “I hear she’s going to a small school. What was the thinking behind that?” This is coming from people who knew she had offers from Eastern Wa, Idaho, Montana State, etc. and could not fathom why she’d want to go east to a small school with which they were barely familiar, and some had never heard of. Just having parents who understand the lay of the land is a huge leg up. My player was getting attention from schools like Chicago at player tournaments when she was in the spring of her 8th grade year. She had no idea what Chicago was … I had to tell her, “um, great school. return the e-mail.”