<p>I can tell you exactly what the difference is between a 1370 and a 1520 (old SAT): Two months, $685 and 5 sessions with an SAT prep tutor. </p>
<p>My S had no interest in SAT tests, especially not preparing for them. So in March of junior year he rolled out of bed on a Saturday morning and took the SAT cold without doing more than skimming the little booklet the school handed out. 1370: 710V 660M – a respectable score, but not in this day and age of Obsessive Compulsive Ivy Disorder, especially for a junior more than halfway through AP Calculus.</p>
<p>So I signed him up for some tutoring sessions and although he was very annoyed, he complied. Not one minute of these sessions was spent on subject matter. The time was spent teaching the tricks to acing the math section of the test. Believe me when I tell you that my son’s math skills were no better two months later, but the second time around he got 800 on the math and 720 on the verbal. </p>
<p>In terms of his future contribution to the college environment or the world in general, those 150 points were meaningless. But the test prep company made money.</p>