<p>I’m not sure that one can conclude from this anecdote that the extra 150 points were meaningless. I would say that, after being exposed to the format of the SAT, the applicant was better prepared and the new score better reflected his abilities. As for the money spent, chalk it to providing the student a structure for reviewing. Some need this to actually focus on SAT prepation. Others don’t need it. But it helps to know what to expect ont the test.
My S did minimal preparation for the SAT, and spent no money on it except to buy the 10RealSATS, but he had encountered the test before in 7th grade.</p>