<p>My S is a high school junior with a 2.88 cum GPA. In order to bring his GPA up even to a 3.0, he needs a 3.4 or 3.5 this semester, which is unlikely given his track record, his level of maturity, and his grades currently (if the semester ended today, he'd have a 3.0 for this semester). We're not sure whether he will be able to get into a 4-yr school with his low GPA (assuming it doesn't change). </p>
<p>My question is, should we pay ~$500 for an SAT prep class this spring? (He scored 1600/2400 on a practice test a few wks ago, for which he did no prep.) He seems on the fence about a 4-yr vs a 2-yr, which is fine, but if he takes the SAT next spring (without prep) and doesn't do well when he otherwise might have if he'd done a prep class, then his options for college will be even more limited.</p>
<p>a prep course isn’t going to do any good if he is perhaps resisting all your efforts - my d took a class and said many of the other students were dozing, doodling etc…</p>
<p>talk to him about what he wants to do…and accomplish. and then let him make a plan with your help.</p>
<p>I’d have him try the ACT and SAT each once, see which one goes better, then invest in test prep for that test. Some kids do better on the ACT - they are different styles of tests. </p>
<p>There are plenty of 4 year colleges available for him, his GPA is a B-. They are probably mostly smaller state colleges (so-called Tier 3 or 4) but they are out there. Don’t let CC scare you!</p>
<p>Does your son want to take a prep class? If he doesn’t, I wouldn’t pay for it. If he does, I would. Like everything else in life, you get out of it what you put into it. </p>
<p>My son subscribed to a service that sent one SAT word per day. I check my dictionary.com app each day for a word, but I often already know the words so he may need something more challenging. Perhaps there is a similar service for math?</p>
<p>PMK, Collegeboard has the SAT Question of the Day. It sends you an SAT question via email daily - some verbal, some math. The best part - you click on an answer and it tells you if you’re right, and if you are right it tells you why. It’s free (hard to believe considering it’s from the College Board! haha)</p>
<p>We’ve printed out the SAT question of the day (mainly during summer) but S is resistant to doing it. This makes me think we would be wasting our money on a prep class. On the other hand, if we don’t have him take a prep class, and later we suspect he might have done much better had he taken one, I will feel I’ve failed him as a parent.</p>
<p>I look back on my own childhood, and although I was a decent student (not outstanding) and am now a successful professional, I wish my parents would have pushed me more…</p>
<p>Bflo, you’ll never know whether he would have done better/worse with/without an SAT prep. Ds gained more than 100 points between his first and second SAT; if he’d had add’l test prep in between, we would have credited that for the improvement. But he didn’t have any prep, and what’s the point of wondering now whether he MIGHT have had even more improvement with prep. We did the xiggi test prep method found here on cc before and after the PSAT, and the only cost was the cost of the Blue Book.</p>
<p>If you have the $499 and you are confident that he will go to all of the classes, then it is likely worth it. You get out of those classes what you put into them. There is “homework,” practice test, etc. If you go through all of the steps, you will likely improve your score. It would keep some other options open.</p>
<p>Prep classes made no difference for my kids; in fact one kid’s score went DOWN over 100 points after the class.</p>
<p>Might be a better use of his time to engage a tutor who can help him get his grades up - which could have the side benefit of also contributing to a stronger test score.</p>
<p>The xiggi method works. The student is organizing themselves to do it, though, and this might be the wrong kid for that.
Our local CC offers low-cost SAT prep classes…do you have anything available to you at a lower cost?</p>
<p>I think getting better grades will probably lead to better SAT scores and that, at this point, grades are more important. If his grades are improving by the spring, then see if you can get him to do SAT prep. He could take the SAT in the spring of this year, with just a little prep too. See where he is, and then maybe get him to prep over the summer.</p>
<p>If your son is resistent to doing ONE SAT test question a day, it’s not likely he will do the “homework” these prep courses also ask. </p>
<p>DS took a prep course. He was FULLY invested in it, did the SAT practice tests and all of the homework. His score improved significantly (more than 300 points on CR/Math).</p>
<p>DD took the same SAT prep course and her scores didn’t improve a bit. In fact, we could have asked for a refund. BUT she didn’t do the homework with diligence or the practice tests with the same frequency as DS.</p>
<p>Does this kiddo WANT to go to a four year college? Ask him. If the answer is NO…send him to the local community college. Save your SAT prep course money for his books.</p>
<p>Get the SAT blue book (about $20) which has 10 practice tests. Make your kid do them on Saturday mornings, over Xmas break, etc. There is no substitute for doing practice tests. Worked for my kids. 1600 isn’t that bad of a score. It is average. He needs to get more familiar with the test by systematically going through the book. You might have to “facilitate” this by scheduling the test at home, timing the sections, making sure the house is quiet, and MOST importantly, going over the questions missed so he will see where his weaknesses are and be less likely to miss the same types of questions the next time. Most kids will not have the self discipline to do this if you just hand them the book. Show him that it is important by working with him on this. If you don’t have time or your kid won’t work with you, hire a tutor or perhaps a high scoring senior student to go through the book with him. He might be able to gain 100-200+ points through practice. Already mentioned, but do sign up for the SAT question of the day by email.</p>
<p>Many test prep companies ofer a FREE SAT/ACT practice test. They will then analyze the results and tell you if your student is more suited for the SAT or the ACT. Obviously they want to sign him up for test prep, but as long as it is a free practice test with no strings attached - why not do that first - it’s usually on a Saturday morning - and see how he does. Many students - boys in particular - do better on the ACT. </p>
<p>Once you have the results from the practice test - then it’s time for a family meeting to discuss options - set goals, etc. Many boys are late bloomers - I would not make too many assumptions as to where he can go to college just yet.</p>
<p>I also want to add that individual lessons from a SAT/ACT tutor are much more valuable than a group class. I’d rather see your son take the practice test - determine if he is a SAT kid or an ACT kid - and then do some very targeted tutoring in his weakest areas. Using the same budget - you could purchase 4-5 private lessons - which I believe will be more beneficial.</p>
<p>Even if your son goes to community college I would still pay for the prep test as some schools use the SAT scores to give an exemption from remedical classes(thus saving you money in tuition). In addition, some selective programs at the community college require a minimum GPA/SAT score in order to be admitted.</p>