Yet another parent called me today and told me about an expensive SAT course their child took that lasted 24 hours and left their child burned out and sick of SATs come test day. This is not an uncommon scenario. Many agencies offer courses lasting as long as 18, 24, even 40 hours. I can’t emphasize this point enough: Longer courses do not equal better results! In fact, they can result in test fatigue and reduced SAT scores come test day.
SAT Prep is about quality, not quantity. Beware of any test prep company that promotes hours and hours of tutoring, and many months of preparation time. Believe me. I used to work for a company that did this. Often times, this means the instructors are inexperienced teachers, inexperienced in dealing with the SAT, and/or ineffectual and unable to evaluate the student quickly and accurately.
To thoroughly prepare for an SAT, a student should:
1) carefully complete several practice tests
2) review these tests with a trained, competent and experienced instructor who can design an SAT course specific to the needs of the student
Before you commit to any prep course, ask to speak with the instructor directly. Here are a few questions they should be able to answer easily:
1) what is their standardized test pedagogy?
2) what are their tutoring techniques?
3) how are they able to deal with different learning strengths?
4) what is their teaching strategy for each section of the SAT?
5) What is the “bottom line” when it comes to SAT success?
In short, buyer beware.