<p>My Daughter took the ACT prep course at Sylvan Leaning Center after a 29 score on her ACT. We paid their asking fee of $799 wherein they claimed a 3 to 4 point increase. There were 3 other students in the class. One of the other students was trying to increase her 13 score to perhaps an 18. After two classes, it was obvious that they would spend most of the valuable time catering to the "weakest link." </p>
<p>I voiced my objects to the manager and she assured me that this would be fixed. It wasn't. My daughter retook the course and got a 28 on the second go around. Great!</p>
<p>I enrolled her at the Hunnington center after carefully reviewing her options. And although she was not able to complete their program by the new test date, she scored a 33.</p>
<p>I know this is an SAT forum but Syvan has identical courses for SAT and since SAT takers are much more common than ACT, I used this forum to maximize readers so that perhaps even one sole does not make the mistake of using Sylvan.</p>
<p>Thanks for the vent!</p>
<p>Your conclusions are faulty for several reasons. First, 28, 29, and 33 are all within a margin of error. Second, both centers have so many different locations, which are not all equal. What happened in your location may very well stays in your location. There are no bearance on other places. Generalizing from one location to the whole centers are really illogical. It may turn out that both centers had nothing to do with your daughter’s scores. You just wasted all you money without realizing it like millions of others.</p>
<p>You have got to be kidding me??? A 28 and a 33 are the same (range wise)??? I wonder if the Ivy League schools would agree with you. Let me guess, you work for or own a Sylvan “learning” franchise.</p>
<p>The center advertises true and tried methods which would seem to indicate that all the centers are the same. It is a franchise. Just like when you expect all big macs to taste the same no matter the location.</p>
<p>I have heard and read about similar reports all over. Sylvan learning centers, by design, are set up to maximize profits and nothing else. If they can help a few students along the way, then so be it. From the very get-go the sales team did all they could to up sell their products. Even when I complained about their methods, they tried to sell me a better system for my daughter at a premium. This after they virtually guaranteed a substantial increase in her score. HA! Your slip is showing.</p>
<p>All test prep companies–well most–are a waste of time for those who already have a decently high score.</p>
<p>^ so true ! for anyone above the approx. 2000 range these sat prep company classes are just useless reruns of info and tricks they already know.</p>
<p>What was the time differential between the retaken 28 and the 33? Perhaps your daughter got better as time passed, and it had nothing to do with the courses. I feel that organizations like Sylvan are a total rip off. They capitalize on a students’ anathema towards studying, and make it the responsibility of a third party institution to educate a child. </p>
<p>Either way, I’m glad for your daughter’s 33, but I’m sure she could have done just as well with a few practice books and an internet connection…</p>
<p>I said, “It may turn out that both centers had nothing to do with your daughter’s scores. You just wasted all you money without realizing it like millions of others.”</p>
<p>How is that makes you think that “I work for or own a Sylvan “learning” franchise.”?</p>
<p>I only gave my scientific reasonings without any biases. Since this is a SAT board, let me convert your ACT scores to the SAT scores. ACT 28 to 33 is equivalent to 620 to 710 in a single SAT section. If you look at the Blue book, it is normal that CC gives you that score range after you did one practice test from that book. That is why I said that your daughter’s score may have nothing to do with either of the companies you mentioned.</p>
<p>She went from 28 to 33 after only one test cycle. And, she studied with Hunnington learning center during the 6 weeks or so.</p>
<p>Why in the world would you pay $800 to study for the ACT? Can’t your daughter just study by herself to get a good score? It’s not really that hard.</p>
<p>
Why do you care? Many people have trouble focusing on their own or just preferred to be ‘taught’ something over learning it themselves. Obviously, in this case the prep course worked out. This universal resentment of prep courses on this forum is overblown.
This particular thread isn’t even about the best method to study, but rather how one company offers sub par services. </p>
<p>
Then most people would have 2000+'s and prep companies would be broke.</p>
<p>Anyway, thanks to the OP for an insightful ‘review’!</p>
<p>^Not to be disrespectful but there’s nothing insightful about the review.</p>
<p>Thank you HonorLions…that “wharton” kid has no clue and is missing the point.</p>