thinker88

While I think that it is great and I don't deny that it does happen, I think that such score increases in the upper levels (2100 -> 2300) are pretty rare as there is a relatively small difference in the ability of a student receiving a 700 versus a 760. An increase from 500s to 600s or 600s to 700s is more likely imo. This is why I would recommend (reluctantly) that SAT tutoring/courses for students with scores in the low 600s and below, where the problem isn't polishing, but learning and creating a solid base.

@mqt1279

I had the same problem with math when I moved. Fortunately for me it was in fifth grade so I had more time to bounce back, but it did take me a few years to get back on track and I can sympathize. While math was never my strongest subject, due to more than this one experience, I was able to achieve a 700 on math on my second try, a sixty point increase (if my math is correct). Improvement is possible, especially the second time taking the test, when, if my memory serves me, statistically most students scores rise.

justbreathe

Another factor into this mess is the variability that just occurs from test to test.

My math score went up 130 points from 670--> 800 from my 1st sitting to my 2nd sitting.
And then my reading score went down! From 770-->690. I was really amused(and not worried since all the colleges I was applying to pulled the highest from each sitting, rather than looking at a single sitting). And I didn't do anything inbetween them! The only real difference I can think of is that I went into the second sitting with a smug, "I can sooo do this" attitude(because I figured confidence would be good, so I worked myself into it) and knowledge that math was my focus and that I could relax more on the other sections(thus I didn't get as exhausted quite as quickly).

But I'm sure if I had taken a prep class, they would've claimed that was them, even though it wasn't them. Wasn't even me. It was statistical chance.

Raedne

Isn't it obvious that prep classes are pure humbug?

I find it shocking that the class of people who can afford this type of tutoring (quote: "the hard-working, intelligent" class) fall for paying such a price for basically nothing.

anneroku

I thought the same thing until my child's score increased from 2060 to 2310 after a 3 week summer Kaplan class.

standrews

Good observation. SAT improvement is like a growth spurt in a child. It's going to happen at some point.

thinker88

I wasn't saying that it was impossible, just that it was rare. I would view your case as an exception to the rule.

MOMH20

Obviously, not everyone makes those kinds of gains but I also think the College Board does its best to collect sloppy data to hide how frequently those kinds of gains, in fact, do occur. My brother's son improved from 650 to 800 in math with a tutor, a friend's daughter improved from 530 to 670 in math through Kaplan course, and my own daughter went from 200 on PSAT to 2100 then 2300 on SATs with a tutor. My advice would be to assess your child -- is there some realistic reason to believe your child could benefit from a course or tutoring as compared to other kinds of studying? Will your child really devote himself or herself to the kind of studying necessary for these programs to work? Yes, it's completely unfair that some parents can afford to purchase this assistance for their children and others can't. And I'd be thrilled to hear that more colleges go to a test optional policy. (Canada survives without these tests!) The unfairness issue, however, should not cloud whether these services sometimes help motivated children to improve.

Colleges00701

Many kids feel that just by going to a prep course, they don't have to put any REAL work in by themselves...thats what I did, until I learned...I thought that if I went to a prep course, and did what they told me to, I would automatically get a score improvement......Many teenagers have a complacent attitude........

xxsteelxx

This is very true! SAT prep classes are not as these companies advertise! FALSE ADVERTISEMENT! I scored a 1670 on the SAT and took the a prep class with the princeton review.
My friend who only used a book got a 1820.
I'm really upset, because while taking the prep class I had to risk my grades in order to complete assignments for the prep class. I would sleep until very late just completing all of my assignments and to get a really low score, I think I would have faired the about same and saved $1,500 of my parent's money for college.

PLEASE SAVE YOUR MONEY FOR COLLEGE! DON"T TAKE A PREP CLASS! Buy a book and make time to study on own. Ask people for help, but do not pay for a class.

powerbomb

I know 3 close friends who attend SAT prep courses.

Friend 1: She's been going to XXXXX Academy and SAT prep courses ever since she was in 6th grade. Her first-sitting SAT score in March was a 2040. A good score? Yes. Worth the tens of thousand dollars? Probably not.

Friend 2: Been taking prep courses since freshman year. He's admitted it hasn't helped him very much. He says he feels his score improved from 1900s to 2000s not because of the prep course but because he naturally matured over the years, learning Algebra 2 and whatnot.

Friend 3: Started taking SAT prep course after receiving his October PSAT score of 170. His first SAT in May came out to be ~2000 ( he won't tell me the exact score ).

I think that the bottom line is, Yes, there are going to be some people who benefit from these prep courses, but in general, it seems as though the benefits are insignificant if not nonexistent.

And if you believe that a prep course was what got you a 2000+, you should consider the possibility that your score improved b/c of the exposure to Algebra 2, and 10th grade English courses, etc.

mqt1279

After several days of reading all the CC threads, looking at various courses and talking to other parents, I came to the conclusion that in doing my own assessment of my Son, he really needed a math tutor several years ago to address some fundamental algebra issues. So, the plan is to have him tutor with his aunt (who teaches Math), then take a prep course. If the prep course bolsters his confidence which was totally shaken from his first score, it will be worth it.

Regarding comments about parents who can afford tutoring/prep courses, yes, I suppose it is an advantage. I never had those advantages and neither did my husband, yet we are considered highly successful people. And I was a mediocre math student, just like S. I'll get him the help he needs, but if I didn't have the resources, I'd help him with self-study. Since opinions are sooo divided as to whether or not prep courses REALLY help, why should anyone care if we utilize them? The only value I can see in the debate is to warn those who are on the edge financially that they may get the same result from purely self-study.

I greatly appreciate MOMH20's insight and advice. Will keep you posted on our progress! Many thanks to all the CC'er's weighing in with their own experiences.

elis05

Hey, can you guys help me. I am now a junior, and I am planning to study all the summer and give the exam on September. Do you think I can get 2100+ with this time left and what books do you suggest? Thanks in advance

Futureholds

mqt279 There is one prep course taught one on one which covers algebra, then geometry and then some algebra 2. I will look up the name tonight. My son's Calculus tutor went over this in two sessions and he ended up with SAT2C of 780. It went over the basics without going over problem after problem.

xxsteelxx

elis05 check out Xiggi's test prep advice for the SAT in these forums, it is helping me alot. I'm aiming for a 2100 as well.

Millancad

I think the helpfulness of prep courses depends on the kid. Most people taking the SAT are young and not that interested in sitting down to prep. I'm sort of weird. When I was 11 (when I first took the SAT) I would go up to my room, close my door so that it would be quiet, and read the SAT book, do practice tests, whatever. Of course, it was shorter back then, just 2 sections, but still, most kids don't want to do that. If a kid is simply not going to study on his/her own then a prep course is a good idea. My cousin is probably going to have to take an SAT course. But he has major college hooks anyway (Male URM, difficult childhood situation that lead to him not learning to read until he was 8, etc).

But really, I think that the biggest score boosters on the SAT are finality and comfort. Even though my May testing was my 2nd "Real" SAT, because I took it in 6th and 8th grade, it was my 4th time around. I had also taken the PSAT twice. So I walk into an SAT testing room with a half decade of experience. When I walk into an ACT room, I don't feel comfortable. But I think it's better to get a sense of comfort from taking a lot of practice tests than from a million retakes.
As for finality, I think in a way it was better back when you took the SAT once. It was one shot, all or nothing. My father, who I guess took the SAT in 1963 or 1964, had to go somewhere far away from his little K-12 segregated school house. It was a huge event, in large part, I guess, because most people coming out of that school weren't going anywhere near a uni, but also because it was his one chance. When you have one chance, you have to do well. I know the first time I took the SAT for "real" this January, I was pretty blase about it because I knew I could take it again. I mostly credit a sense of finality (and a sense of "Wow, that's bad. I know I can do about 200 points better than that") for my 190 point increase. I decided it was going to be the last time. When you can retake and retake, and combine your scores, it's not a real test. When you can say "I'll get my desired CR score in January, then my Math in March, and save my Writing score for May," it's just a game.