Do You REALLY Believe in Expensive Test-Prep Courses?

tokenadult · January 10, 2008, 9:59pm

There is a common belief, frequently expressed here on CC, that the key to a high SAT score is to attend an expensive test-prep course. I don’t share that belief, because the test prep industry didn’t exist in my part of the country back when I took the SAT, and I scored just fine. (My parents couldn’t have afforded an expensive test prep course anyway, and wouldn’t have paid for one if they could have.)

It is generally true, as you can observe from College Board national reports on the SAT,

<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools;

that students from families in low-income levels don’t score as high, AS A MATTER OF GROUP AVERAGES, as students from families in high-income levels. But the same is true of high school grade averages: a valedictorian of any high school is much more likely to be in the wealthier level of the high school class than in the poorer level. And of course going to a “better” high school with a college-preparatory curriculum is more likely for a high-income family than a low-income family, even if the high school is public.

Returning to the issue of SAT tests, do you really think you could score as high as you please if you had unlimited money? What about the people who have beaucoup bucks–do they ALL get high SAT scores?

What I would really like to see, rather than the tables shown in the College Board reports, is an actual bivariate plot (“scattergram”) of all SAT test-takers comparing family income to scores. You would find, of course, few really, really, really high scores at any level of income. But you would find quite a few test-takers who beat income expectations and outscore a lot of other test-takers from much more prosperous families. CC participant xiggi has provided advice

<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice.html</a>

about ways to prepare for the SAT test that don’t involve a lot of money. In my day, many high school students did even less test prep, at even less expense, than what he recommends. I don’t think money is the issue.

What do you think?

chronicidal · January 10, 2008, 10:17pm

The key to a high score is discipline in studying. You can either motivate yourself to sit down with the Blue Book a couple of Saturday mornings in a library, or you could pay someone $1000 to tell you to do essentially the same thing. You can write essays by yourself, compare it to example essays, have friends/family/teachers critique them. You can learn strategy for MCs from various books, as well as CC posts. Or you can throw money at the problem and hope it’s effective.

Maybe there should be a question on college apps that asks you, on your honor, whether you have taken a test prep course. That puts applicants into “context.”

glassesarechic · January 10, 2008, 10:24pm

I can’t deny that expensive prep probably helps. But all it does it eat up a valuable Saturday, time that could be spent at debate tournaments (like me! yay public forum!) or even just hanging out with friends. The SAT is supposed to demonstrated readiness for college curricula. Test prep demonstrates only short-term focus. If you don’t know your Latin roots now, you probably won’t ever use them again during college.

I also think those utilizing expensive test prep (forgive the forthcoming stereotype) tends to breed nitpickers, those who care not about being a person but about becoming an application. And I don’t think it’s worth it, not unless you’re seriously in need of help (in which case, you’re probably not applying to elite schools anyway). After all, what are you going to say when an interviewer says, “And how did you spend your weekends?” -“Oh, test prep! I had a rollicking good time and I think it really helped to strengthen my friendships!”

There’s a balance between acknowledging the need to perform well on standardized tests and on centering your life or even just weekends around it. My friend’s sister read those dorky books, those ones that are basically low-grade Gossip Girl with “SAT words throughout!” And she made fun of them, but it also got her–albeit sarcastically at first–using those words in conversation. Problem solved, and on the cheap.

Charlie_s_World · January 10, 2008, 10:28pm

I taught for TPR in Japan. Princeton and Kaplan basically use the materials in their over-the-counter books. If you’re a self-motivated studier you can get by w/ the books alone; if you’re not and need motivation and structure, think about the over-priced course.

cheerchick012 · January 10, 2008, 10:31pm

I completely agree that the most important thing is disciplining yourself to study. BUT, my friend spent a few thousand dollars on a personal tutor and he got a 2360 SAT… worth it for him! :)

tokenadult · January 10, 2008, 10:35pm

I have been told that some law schools used to ask that question. I think they have stopped asking that question now, because it didn’t provide useful information.

I agree that what one really needs to prepare for an admission test is self-discipline. It’s a very good idea to “prepare” in the sense of being well-read, familiar with math, knowledgeable about grammar, and minimally familiar with the test format, but that needn’t cost much money at all.

mattwonder · January 10, 2008, 10:37pm

You don’t need to spend a lot of money to prepare for the tests, but spending that money will make it easier. When you look at one of those courses, you’re getting someone’s opinion of what material will prepare you best for the test. When you study on your own, you’ve got to make the decisions about where your time is best spent, and you’ve got to take the risk that you’ll waste your time on incorrect material. I think families from lower incomes who are so test-focused have to realize it may take them more time to prepare at the same level of their richer peers.

I’m not sure that “studying” for the standardized test is the best approach, though. I think practice with standardized tests is important: learning how to answer multiple choice questions, when to guess, etc. I think that subject mastery (SAT 2s) is important, and I think it’s important to take subject tests as soon after the course as possible. However, I think that the best way to prepare for std. tests is over time - learning one vocab word a day, practicing with analogies occaisionally. Taking a class or cramming a book means you won’t absorb all of the material, and it will stress you out.

I did not “study” for the SAT or ACT. I did the token vocab quizzes in my HS English class, and I took the PSAT but I didn’t prepare otherwise, and I couldn’t have scored higher. I think the key is developing the skills over time - there are people who have large vocabularies from reading lots and from using them, and there are people who have memorized words in a book the night before. ( I know new tests use less vocab, but it’s still the same point).

Liist · January 10, 2008, 10:37pm

Hey look, I took an SAT course in the summer last year and my initial score was 1830 on the first diagnostic test. By the time I exited, I got a 2060 on the last practice test. Since then I got a 217 on my PSAT, which is enough to qualify for National Merit in my state. I’m taking the SAT this month and I expect to get at least 2200.

Taking the SAT prep course was how I got from a fairly good score to an excellent score. If I didn’t take it, I probably won’t be motivated to study the strategies and get the scores I get now. I’ll update as soon as I get my SAT results.

I understand that most of us here at CC are at the 99th percentile in our test scores. The test prep course got me from my 188 to 217, effectively helping get from the 92nd to 99th percentile. The test prep course makes all the difference sometimes in terms of motivation and getting the most potential out of someone.

Wneckid99 · January 10, 2008, 10:40pm

first of all i come from a wealthy family in an extremely wealthy town where id say 90% of students do test prep and most are above $70/hr. i completely understand tokenadult’s point of view in that they can be worthless. im in the middle of preparing for the SATs and the reason i like having a tutor is b/c. he can motivate me/provide me with materials that he has to help me and give me tips.
now is it a HUGE difference? idk… but i wouldnt be motivated otherwise- and i am a top student…so a tutor helps in that way- but again i understand that u can easily test prep by yourself- (ie taking plenty of practice tests etc)

Narcissa · January 10, 2008, 10:49pm

i do NOT believe in test prep, just like i don’t believe you should buy answers to a test from a past student. these test preps say that they teach “the SAT”–which they do. they teach you that you shouldn’t learn how to, say, add fractions because you get a calculator. so are you going to be carrying a calculator around when you actually have to kNOW how to do those things? chances are, since you don’t even know how to do SAT MATH, you probably won’t. test “tricks” on the CR section? all the courses do is buy you SAT POINTS…okay, so a +50 on ur SATs might get you into the college that you want, but that’s basically cheating life and school. Really the tricks that they teach you are horrendous…just like my friend who’s teaching special-needs children and her supervisor told her that it’s not important for them to learn how to add and subtract, since “for tests that are -important- such as the SATs you get a calculator.” that just defeats the purpose of such tests AND school–and if you take the courses in order to do well on SATs, what will you have learn from high school? nothing. anyone who does reasonably well in high school should pass the SAT will flying colors, no problem. why pay to do work (lol yes, paying isn’t the end! you actually have to study their methods and do their problems!). so yeah why pay when you can just do work in high school and get a MUCH better, overall exposure to math and language arts that will sufficiently prep you (if not overprep you) for the STANDARD test to pass HIGH SCHOOL. high school doesn’t prepare you for SATs, it prepares for college and your future, and what will college and your future be like if you can’t do stupid things cuz you didn’t need to, to get a 2400 on the SATs, since you knew some dumb trick that “specialists” taught you? they’ve spent billions of dollars trying to find little correlations between answers and questions (such as the one that CB is never mean to minorities, and so when you see a question about minorities, don’t even bother reading it! it’s the one that’s most positive) which i think is pathetic.

i strongly believe that test preps are CHEATING; i would never get a tutor OR pay for one of these programs even if my parents want me to (which they definitely don’t). a minimal amount of studying with the rite books and the right dedication will get you a perfectly fine score to get into top colleges liek hypms. Why pay $240/hour for getting “tutored” which would render the test completely useless in determining how well you learned math CR and writing (the original point). okay, so you want to get into a top college, and you don’t believe that “using your resources” is cheating. okay, but in that case it’s just stupid and a waste of time!! i never had a tutor for SATs (except ONCE where it cost $240 an hour, and i NEVER returned … ever.) and I think it’s actually better, since the time it takes for the SAT classes and the money could be used to buy books and other things that will help SO MUCH MORE! plus, i didn’t have to work my schedule around whatever these courses are, and i am able to learn how to manage my time correctly and wisely and am able to accomplish so much more!!

oh, and my friend has taken the princeton review course and her score has actually deproved. and she thought that retaking the class was stupid, since it obviously hasn’t helped the first time. so even tho those classes may seem like good “deals,” all they are are wastes of money and valuable time. i repeat, take $20 - $100 to buy books and study from them. with the RIGHT amount of motivation it’s not hard to get any score you want. (besides above 2400)

kenf1234 · January 10, 2008, 10:50pm

People have coaches for everything else, like playing tennis or piano or whatever, presumably that helps them, even if they need natural ability to begin with to do exceptionally well in those areas. It’s unlikely the SAT is any different.

arachnophobia12 · January 10, 2008, 10:55pm

while i acknowledge that test prep/ self-study can greatly boost one’s scores, i don’t think they’re always necessary- i honestly think it depends on the individual (i, for example, did just fine w/ out studying and/or test prep, but the same might not be true for someone else…).

Linzoy · January 10, 2008, 10:56pm

I was forced to take the kaplan course, didn’t like it, didn’t learn from it. I did well on the sat by reading sat books.

I didn’t take the princeton review course, but it seems like a good deal. They promise to keep teaching you at no extra cost until you get the score you want. It’s harder to give up when someone agrees to help you so this seems like a good thing.

happycollegemom · January 10, 2008, 11:00pm

my kids were good students already, but both clearly felt their prep courses gave them an advantage in the area of confidence and all the psychological training that goes along with the classes. the teachers seemed like corporate motivational coaches, along with their excellent work! we’re all for them! ( and a plug for the Princeton Review program.) ;)

awb1989 · January 10, 2008, 11:09pm

I always thought these test prep courses were stupid. I didn’t give a crap about anything when I was in high school, and my parents forced me to go to some SAT prep course (which was for the reading and writing parts only, I was fine with math). I did the silly work for it and did horribly on the SAT the first time I took it. I got something like a 1730 on it, and only a 570 on reading and 550 on writing. The second time around, I knew where I wanted to go to college, and the one big weakness on my application was my low SAT score. So I took it again (with clear incentive to do well), studied on my own, and got a relatively decent 2010 or something like that. In reading, I went up to 600 and in writing to 720.

Oh, and in actual high school (I went to private school), I had to take this stupid “Study Skills” class. In one part of it, we had some silly SAT Prep. Anyway, that didn’t help me either. We did have to study Latin roots for a test once, which was stupid. Here’s my blunt philosophy: IF YOU HAVE TO STUDY LATIN TO LEARN ENGLISH VOCABULARY, PICK UP A BOOK.

cornell75 · January 10, 2008, 11:14pm

I don’t think the test prep courses are necessary for all students but they are really beneficial for some and I think the characterization of taking a course or working with a tutor as “cheating” is inappropriate. After all, the student still has to do the test on their own. My daughter studied on her own, she’s a pretty focused kid naturally, and she scored well on all the tests she took. My son however is somewhat disorganized and needed some help on how to take the test. He had a tutor who helped him bring his score up considerably and along the way taught him some grammar that he hadn’t gotten in school as well as tips on how to take math tests. It was well worth it for him.

I think it depends on the kid.

JustLookin · January 10, 2008, 11:17pm

I couldn’t afford test-prep classes but I have a few friends that did take them and I have to say they did improve their scores significantly. I went with self help books and I think they did help me, but my scores didn’t reflect a huge improvement. It’s a lot harder to stay dedicated & focused when you’re doing it on your own.

awb1989 · January 10, 2008, 11:23pm

They only have so many essay questions. The second time I took the test, I got a question that I had already seen a dozen answers to. I still used my own examples and ideas, though. (Although some of those answers that I had seen came from my own studying from the blue book, which you can get with or without a tutor. So the test in and of itself is pretty stupid with it being some sort of scholastic achievement test or something and the producers of the test releasing all kinds of information on how to “prepare” for it, though I’m sure you’ve all heard much on this before.)

Narcissa · January 10, 2008, 11:23pm

okay, so it DOES depend on the kid. However, an unmotivated kid who goes through a rigorous and intense prep class (which most of them arent…they just cheat your money, seriously) will still be unmotivated, and no amount of prep can bring up motivation (in fact, it usually decreases motivation). unless it’s motivation to get out of the class as soon as possible. and despite intense drilling and homework and tests (btw Latin roots is one of the best ways to study vocab! besides knowing and using all those vocab when you talk, of course) scores will improve minimally with even the best programs. motivation (discovering a dream college, peer motivation, etc) are usually the best and the least painful. if your child is awfully unmotivated, an expensive and rigorous program might make him/her hate math, cr, and writing for the rest of his/her life, but it will probably increase their score somewhat (after all, unless you TRY to do bad, 1 + 1 is 2 and even ■■■■■■■■ kids will be able to spit back exactly the same information after doing 100 1+1 problems). and if you’re on the borderline, and any money for any number of points is crucial, by all means, do the class. but it’s nowhere as effective as actually wanting to score well yourself, buying books, and reading them with full concentration. That cannot be done with $

awb1989 · January 10, 2008, 11:39pm

You improve your English vocabulary by reading books (and to a lesser degree (and when you’re younger) by talking and watching movies, etc.). If you happen to have studied Latin and you actually KNOW the language, then great, think about the Latin roots you know if you don’t know a certain word on the test. Otherwise, it’s a stupid activity for improving your vocab.

Exactly. The first time around, I had no idea where I would want to go to college.

I just hated getting up on Saturday mornings to go to this stupid class. And it was a little less of a pain to do the assignments, but still somewhat annoying. I don’t think it will make anyone hate math/reading/writing for the rest of his or her life. Typically SAT classes come when you’re in high school, and not an infant. It’s just a class the student will hate (and when the student gets to college, s/he’ll probably have already forgotten most of the details of it, not to mention his/her scores on the actual SAT).

And as for the math section, if I recall correctly, very little of it was actually algebra, geometry, precalc (whatever that is), etc. It was mostly logic stuff.

Do You REALLY Believe in Expensive Test-Prep Courses?

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