S26 signed up to take the SAT in August. He aced PSAT10, but it sounds like it was much easier than the actual SAT. Any tips on the most efficient way to help him prepare? He will take some practice tests online, but beyond that neither he nor we, his parents, have any idea whether it would make sense to take a class or hire a private tutor. He wants to get as close to the perfect score as possible and really needs it to be competitive in his high school. Affordability is not a huge concern. Thanks!
Our experience and the experience of others we know about is sometimes a little self-study and taking practice tests (under as real conditions as possible) is more than enough. If the practice tests are not quickly going well, then I think you can consider classes or tutors. But I think it is worth not leaping into that since in the end, all that will be a bit of a distraction from other stuff going on, and if that distraction is not necessary I think it is best avoided.
Edit: Oh, and I would definitely try out both the SAT and ACT in practices. Some people find one much better for them than the other.
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All of my kids improved scores more after a tutor than a class.
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The only digital practice tests are in CollegeBoard’s bluebook app/platform, and there are only 4 of them. I would not use the linear (nonadaptive) practice tests that remain on CB’s website for students who take paper tests due to certain accommodations. He should do the digital practice tests under strict time limits. Digital SAT Practice in Bluebook™ – SAT Suite | College Board
He can also use Khan academy to prepare/review, and can connect that to his CB account. IME students must be self-motivated to do prep/review on their own. If you do get professional help, one-on-one tutoring generally outperforms a class/group setting. IMO of course and YMMV.
I agree he might also try an ACT test (practice or real) to see if that test suits his style more.
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Focusing on official practice tests is the best advice we’ve received. My S26 is prepping for the June test, and practice tests have revealed that pretty much all of his missed math questions aren’t knowledge-based but rather the result of moving too quickly. Seeing this has made him aware of the importance of double-checking that he’s picking the right answer (e.g., not picking the identical-but-for-decimal-placement answer).
On English, he has more knowledge-based work to do; taking the official practice tests means he can get practice questions from CB based on the things he missed and really target his prep. (We’re also assuming that taking AP lang next year will make a difference, so he’s not expecting to max out his reading/language score this time.)
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This is where our tutor was helpful, basically going over practice tests and the “why” with the errors.
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Yeah, one possible path is you take a practice test, figure out what is going wrong, fix it, do much better on your next couple practice tests, and you are kinda done.
Another possible path is you are not happy with your second or third practice test, feel like you could maybe do better, but are not sure how. At that point you can look into a good tutor, Khan, or so on.
I think as usual, different kids need different approaches.
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Plus a tutor makes sure that the work is done. My kids were not equally motivated (especially my twins who are opposites in many ways), they worked and played several sports. Once a week practice tests and once a week tutor made time management easier for some of them.
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A class is likely to be less efficient in that it will go over everything, rather than focus only on the parts of the test taking that the specific student can improve on (based on what questions the student answered incorrectly on a practice test).
A student who can identify the parts that they can improve on based on practice testing may not necessarily need a tutor if they have enough self-motivation to prep for those parts on their own.
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I wouldn’t bother with a class. If you can afford a tutor, it can be helpful for a kid to “make time.” There was little a tutor (per the tutor) could do for my kids beyond a couple of sessions, where they gave some tips on how to tackle certain types of questions.
If your kid is self motivated, weekly practice tests during the summer. If your student has no issue with the mechanics of test taking, I think it is totally fine to break up in sections. My kids would take one section at a time, and review the answers. This requires 30-45 minutes 4 times a week. Not that much during the summer. Do the 6 available blue book tests but also other actual paper test, since they will have more than 6 weeks to prep. Overall, the concepts tested are the same.
In addition, we found the targeted Kahn Academy practice to be very good. If he is consistent, 20 minutes a day a few days a week (eg the days not doing a practice test section) is sufficient.
Lastly, the Erica Meltzer Grammar book is great. Again, not a lot of work if you spread it out 1-2 chapters a week. You can loose a lot of points with grammar/writing and its the easiest piece to pick up because at the end of the day it’s pretty straight forward and objective.
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As a high school teacher, I’ve seen many students scoring 1550+ on SAT, including my own children. Based on my observation (on <50 students in the past 6 years), when a student scores 780 or 790 on a practice test section first try, it means they have mastered the knowledge, and the only prep they need is on test-taking strategy. Practice test section score 700-750 means they have a weak spot of two, they’ll benefit from a tutor with several rounds of diagnostic sections followed by targeted practices. Between 750 and 780 it’s hard to tell if they have a weak spot or just weak test-taking skills, more practices (Kahn academy and the usual test prep books) are helpful enough.
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Just wanted to thank you all for the suggestions. It sounds like he really should start with a couple of practice tests on his own and then decide whether a private tutor is needed based on the results. This makes a lot of sense!
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If they’re self motivated, start with Khan Academy-daily/diligently. Many friends have had fantastic results using just Khan (strong test takers to start with).
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