First off, I believe that I am a great student. School is very easy for me and I am able to fit in time for volunteer work, classical piano, and fencing. Recently, I took a diagnostics PSAT at this local prep class and I absolutely blew it. I believe I scored a 1450 on a 2400 grading scale. I know that SAT’s are far more important than PSAT’s but are the PSAT classes still worth it. I know that being a National Merit finalist will greatly improve my chances of attending an ivy-league school
First off, you sound very cocky.
Second, taking prep classes will boost your score, but they can’t guarantee a certain score. It’s up to you and your family to decide whether the point increase is worth the significant amount of money you will have to spend.
U can go to a bookstore & buy a $15 prep book.
Unless u are a URM NMF they won’t care. The ivies get so many NMF applicants (there are ~14,000 of them every year) that to them, they’re a dime a dozen.
PSAT means nothing. Don’t do it. I scored 199 and 200 on my PSAT and a 2140 and a 2210 on my real SATs. And I couldn’t care less about NMF.
No, expensive classes are usually not worth it. You can buy plenty of prep books. If you want to spend money, prep software or tutoring are probably more cost effective than classes.
Another vote against the expensive PSAT prep classes.
NMF status probably won’t do anything for you as far as Ivy admission goes, but if you are an NMF, you can get great scholarships like University of Alabama’s NMF scholarship which provides 10 semesters of full tuition, plus first year’s dorm fees.
PSAT prep can cost zero using library books to several thousands using private tutors. Is it worth it depends on your needs, resources, and end goal. Everyone’s situation is different. One thing to keep in mind is that the PSAT and SAT are very similar and studying for the PSAT will help you on the SAT and vice versa.
I paid about $1K for PSAT/SAT test prep between a local PSAT/SAT class (about $500), Prepscholar ($400) and about $100 in various prep books. My D is a likely NMF and hopes to take OU up on their generous 5 year $120K scholarship. Her high SAT scores also make her eligible for other scholarships as well.
So yes, it was well worth it for us. You’re the only one who can tell if it’s worth it for you.
PSAT prep is a scam tbh. The test is super easy to study for on your OWN. I started with a 1720 on the SAT and now I can score 2300’s in my sleep (exaggerating but you get the point). Buy the Blue Book and basically marry it. Go through every single problem and make sure you understand WHY a certain answer is right and WHY a certain answer is wrong.
@juicyMango it’s great that you found the PSAT “super easy” what score did you get on the PSAT? Are you looking at schools that offer great National Merit scholarships? My kids have to put some effort into getting a PSAT score that would be safe in any state and felt that a class helped. I envy you kids that can just sit down and ace the PSAT. After all you only have that one shot at in 11th to count for National Merit.
Your advice about understanding why an answer is right or wrong is spot on. Some people have a difficult time figuring that out on their own.
I bought the “new” blue for the new PSAT/SAT and was very disappointed that it didn’t have anything that wasn’t already freely available on line. In fact the book repeatedly directs you to go online for more details
And unfortunately there’s only one official practice test PSAT so it’s not like you can sit down and do a bunch of practice test to prep.
Prepping for the PSAT is not really worth anything unless the prepping helps you get over the National Merit threshold (which is mainly for getting large scholarships at less selective schools, not so much getting admission to super-selective schools). Even then, prepping is not necessarily expensive as noted above.
Dude… just check out a PSAT prep book from the library or buy a reasonably priced review book and work through it. I didn’t do any prep for the PSAT and I was still a finalist (though it is dependent on what state you live in). Also, NMF does not make a big difference to the Ivy Leagues, because nearly everyone who applies is one.
Bottom line is don’t stress out too much about the PSAT. Do some prep if you would like, but throwing lots of money at it probably won’t be that worth it during college applications. It’s a much better time investment to prep for the SAT instead and focus on school and ECs. I myself didn’t get a stellar PSAT score, but I did very well on the SAT.
If you are going to pay for a class, take an SAT class. Prepping for the SAT prepares you for both tests. You might want to try the free materials at KhanAcademy.org before you pay for a class. I think the test prep companies might be using the materials on this site to prepare for their classes.
The problem for many kids is they don’t realize how easy most high school classes are. Many high schools also have succumbed to grade inflation, giving more than a third of the kids As, and most of the rest Bs. The kids who get Cs are the ones who have substantial issues. So most kids / families think everything is great, the kids party, don’t read, have light homework, don’t bother working / thinking, and then are surprised when their SAT composite is below 1800. ANY kid who reads (not computer games), works hard ( not at a active dating schedule), challenges him/herself, does something in the summertime, should be able to get a 1800 on the SAT without a tutoring class. With a good class, add another 200-300 total points. It’s just not that hard, with a good tutoring class to get close to or above 2000 SAT or 30 on the ACT. Statistically, hundreds of thousands do it every year. Reading … is critical but passe for most kids. It was the same when I was in high school 50 years ago. 10-25% of the kids actually did some work and did well. The rest were cool, did little, and were surprised that many colleges just weren’t interested. If a kid does average work in most high schools, they will be heading for community college at best. paul
There are lots of average kids who are gamers and partiers at in 4-year colleges.