My kid wants to take individual tutoring for the ACT for the first time. She has taken the SAT through a provider and didn’t think highly of it. However, the hourly rates for individual tutoring are about 200-300 per hour or 45 minutes. We were planning on 10+ sessions.
Has anyone taken these lessons, and do they help, given that they are expensive?
Are there any other options that work but cost less? Please DM me if you have personal recommendations.
Thanks in advance!
Reminder that CC is not a referral service and recommendations for specific tutors/programs are not allowed.
We went through a local test prep franchise. 6 1x1 sessions. 6 and 4 years ago. Was $90 an hr I think - maybe 6 sessions. They set the # of terms. We didn’t. I think 60 or 90 mins each. Cost may be higher in a higher cost area.
Also a local test prep place may have group classes that are less - YMMV. Mine would not do as well with those.
Or have your kid do a practice test. Do they score a 34-36 on any section ? Depending on their school list, maybe you can reduce the amount of tutoring if they’ve already mastered a section.
Everyone handles prep differently. Some do well 1x1. For some it’s not the right method. Some study alone better (maybe using online tools or a book). Some grasp or don’t grasp the concepts better in this form.
Some struggle with the test or section that day just because it’s harder regardless of prep. My kid followed a 31 in one section with a 24 the next time.
Many will say to look at khan academy. We didn’t but it’s free and online.
Some high schools may have test prep sessions after school or on Saturdays. Others do well studying from a test prep book you’d find at the library or on Amazon.
Depends on how your kid learns best. It may be a combo of ways.
You may find a lower cost alternative at a local college (student or faculty) or through local recommendation from last year’s patents. Maybe a teacher at another school or ex teacher has a side hustle at $50 an hour.
Lots of things to look at.
Our experience was similar to @tsbna44. We used a local company that as far as I was able to tell consisted of a total of 3 people – two tutors plus one receptionist. This did not require many sessions and seemed to make at least one daughter quite a bit more confident going into the SAT. One daughter also took a small group class at a local community center. This was very economical. The total cost in both cases was under $1,000, and in at least one case quite a bit less than this (probably more like $100 for a few group classes).
We also know someone who does SAT tutoring. In this case there isn’t a company, there is just one retired teacher who does tutoring. Again the cost is quite reasonable.
I would try to find someone local, wherever you live.
My daughter had individual tutoring for both the SAT and the ACT. At the time it was $100 a session, but that was years ago.
Has your child taken a baseline test? That may determine how much tutoring they need…or what the tutoring would actually accomplish in terms of an increase in score. A baseline of 32 may only need 2 weeks of tutoring to get the hang of the test and an increase of 2-3 points. On the other hand…10 weeks of tutoring likely will not move a 24 up to a 35. There is a point where they test where they test…
I would begin with a baseline test and then determine from there. It does get very expensive and a good tutor will tell you when to stop.
I would start with why does your kid need a tutor?
Is it creating a structure where they are forced into blocks of time for instruction and practice? If this is the case, a “group” session may be as effective and more economical.
Are there weaknesses in particular parts of the test:
Most competent tutors can handle speed and tactical issues. Teaching Alg2/Trig concepts effectively is going to require someone with true teaching/communication skills. I would ask around friends who also had private tutors for older children for recommendations.
So, for my older two, I paid a more expensive price for private tutoring, with only fair results. With my youngest, I did it differently/less expensively with the best results. She took the ACT early for a baseline, and then worked with a local teacher (side hustle and WAY less than professional tutoring company- our high school’s guidance office had a list of teachers who tutored) very inexpensively to do practice timed sections that she needed to bring up. The teacher would score it, they’d go over what she did wrong/didn’t understand, and repeat. This, coupled with my daughter taking practice tests on her own at home (for only the sections she wanted to raise), worked great and if I had another child, we’d definitely go this route again. It may be somewhat student dependent, but IMHO, paying for expensive test prep/tutoring is not necessarily needed.
I hired tutors for my kids, but he only charged $75 an hour, found him through word of mouth and recommended him often on our town’s Facebook parent page (and I can see that many in town still use him based on Venmo transactions). My daughters who wanted to go oos needed decent scores for merit, one son wanted to go to an in state school where his 3.4 gpa was on the low end.
Thank you All.
It seems like paying more does not translate to more returns. I appreciate all your input.