best prep classes

[poloruler23]

<p>which class in your guys opinions is the best SAT I prep class, Kaplan or Princeton… im leaning towards kaplan because the give 5 “free” PSAT classes and cheaper than Princeton</p>

<p>are there any other classes that should be regarded as good as these??</p>

[chronic]

<p>both will be the biggest waste of time and you’ll regret your decision</p>

<p>if you go, you’ll regret your decision and waste a bunch of money</p>

<p>kaplan having 5 free PSAT classes is like a buy one get one free “deal” where you buy one huge waste of money you’ll get another huge waste of money</p>

[poloruler23]

<p>why r they both such a waste of money…since they have the money back guarentee and stuff like that</p>

<p>im just curious please inform me</p>

[chronic]

<p>try to see if you can get like a free class or ask them if you can listen in on a class because you’re trying to make a decision between the two</p>

<p>then you’ll see why</p>

[chronic]

<p>at the VERY least (if you get money back), it’s a big waste of time</p>

[venator]

<p>If you really want to take a class, I would recommend Princeton. Kaplan is a total waste of time even if it is cheaper. They will only teach you basic stuff that you should know about. Also, the extra PSAT classes are the same as the SAT classes. If you were to take the SAT course you would get the same 5 “free” classes except they would be a part of your course.</p>

[xcrunner1478]

<p>idk, i heard kaplan wasnt that great. but when u look at the SAT prep classes around your area, and you find the price of each class per hour, princeton is one of the highest. however, it also depends on the quality of each class, n from what ive heard, princeton isnt that great</p>

[chronic]

<p>princeton sucks, almost all SAT “classes” suck</p>

[poloruler23]

<p>then whats the best way to prepare??
buy books on SATs? which ones are the best</p>

[zeppelin101]

<p>Grubers for Math
Blue Blook(best bet)
Barrons for overly hard sat problems
just read a bunch of books and practice on sample cr stuff. </p>

<p>*Follow Xiggi’s method</p>

[affle]

<p>I posted this on a different thread, thought it would work here too:</p>

<p>

I took Kaplan, and I’ve got mixed reviews on it. Here goes:</p>

<p>Cons:
-The course moves WAY too slowly for someone who’s already scoring pretty high. I was already at the 2200 mark when I started the course, and I was bored out of my mind for most of the lessons. In fact, I spent most of them doing the hw, or else explaining the questions to other people.</p>

<p>-The teachers vary greatly. I experienced 3 different people (took both PSAT and SAT review with Kaplan, and switched midway through PSAT), and they were all incredibly different. One of the teachers was a college grad student, completely unfamiliar with the test’s administration and how to teach. Another was an excellent high school teacher who had previously worked for Kaplan’s headquarters for years. The last was a nice, ok, but not too smart middle-aged woman who worked in school administration. So moral of the story–if you do take Kaplan and you’re not satisfied with your teacher, try a different nearby Kaplan course if its offered and see if you prefer that teacher. They make switching really easy.</p>

<p>-They cancelled the course I was supposed to take. Twice.</p>

<p>-Practice tests have a really harsh curve on them. Don’t take the curve too seriously.</p>

<p>-Course was expensive, about $950. Princeton Review is even slightly more, I believe.</p>

<p>Pros:</p>

<p>-It forces you to spend time on the subject for several hours a week. For someone like me who is rather unmotivated, it was good to have.</p>

<p>-The course materials that they provide are excellent. They give you a TON of practice tests and problems, more than you could ever reasonably complete. An extensive vocab list, flashcards, and additional strategies are also included–if you don’t take the course, I’d still suggest getting some of their books.</p>

<p>-The questions were about equal difficulty to that of the SAT.</p>

<p>-If you’re not doing so well to begin with, they can help greatly. My friend went up 220 points in the same course! (He started with like a 1500, though.)</p>

<p>-The timed practice tests (4 are offered throughout the course) are very, very useful. They really help you get used to the test and its length.</p>

<p>-They’re very good about making up classes/switching classes. Quick phone call and you’re done.</p>

<p>-In the end, I got a 2400. That speaks for itself, I guess. But was it the course or just the practice tests? I don’t know.</p>

<p>So I guess my bottom line is: it’s up to you. If you can dedicate yourself to learning the material, solidly reviewing for a few hours a week with fairly timed practice tests, then I’d say just get some review books and do it yourself. If you feel like you need the extra push, then go for a course.

</p>

<p>Also, as a side note, the people who said about the 5 “free” psat classes were right. They’re pretty much the same as the first 5 SAT classes that you’ll take in the spring. However, since the PSAT course will be based off of the 2007 Kaplan curriculum while the SAT portion will be based off the 2008 curriculum, in my experience, the first 5 classes will be a little different just because of that. Additionally, I did find the PSAT courses pretty useful at giving me a jump-start…without them, not sure I would have made National Merit.</p>

[schoolgirl]

<p>I’m taking just the SAT course for juniors/sophomores, but can that also help me get a high score on the PSAT?</p>

<p>Also, I posted this in another thread but I was wondering, is it possible to score high(i’m thinking like in the 2300 range) by taking the course and doing extra prep work with a good book like Barrons? I guess what I’m asking you is, how much time did you spend on prepping?</p>