ACT & SAT PREP

After hearing from a friend that a test prep "bootcamp" raised her kid's test score significantly, I decided to have my son do the same.  After spending around $600 for 4 sessions, he got his lowest scores of the 3 times he took it.  I am not saying tutoring isn't helpful to some because clearly it is...but in our experience it wasn't helpful.  It was a hard $600 to swallow.  

I paid $1,000 for SAT tutoring for my son. The instructor guaranteed his score would increase 100 points (math and English) or he would refund the money. One hundred points can make a big difference. My son shot up 175. 

Our son took the ACT the end of sophomore year to get a baseline score without any prep.  He took the ACT again junior year after studying on his own with a test prep book, and received a score two points higher than the first time.  Senior year he took a test prep class, and was able to improve his score by five points.  In our experience, ACT test prep was very helpful.

Because the SAT will change so dramatically, past experience with SAT prep classes are not comparable. (The old SAT could be gamed using tricks taught in those classes.)

S had signed up and even attended a few weeks of the SAT prep before he took the ACT. He prepped for the ACT himself using ACT books purchased from the local  bookstore. Got the score needed on the ACT and dropped the SAT class. D used the same ACT prep books and got the same score. Both took the first ACT offered in their junior year. (By taking it so early, if needed, actual prep classes/tutors could have been used.)

The biggest issue with the ACT was developing the pace needed to complete the sections; timed prep tests did the trick.

I strongly agree that the earlier a kid begins prep, the better - that gives larger margins of error. 

But because the tests are so important, don't scrimp on whatever prep your kid needs.

JCG posted:

 

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Great scores don’t get you into college – low scores keep you out.

If you can hit the minimum thresholds required by your target schools, your scores will stop mattering and the rest of your application will get reviewed. If not, your application will never get looked at. Hitting the minimums is your only goal.

Interesting, and confirms our thought that our 2017 is done, as he's in the range of any school he can reasonably hope to get into.  He can use the money and time  he might spend on prep to work on essays, EC's, baseball tournaments, etc.

JCG - I agree with the "great scores" statement above for regular students in almost all cases.  However in the context of high academic athletic recruiting (which I think your son is considering) I think hitting the minimum board score should not be the goal.  There is much more to it than that.  Not only is your son's baseball skills being recruited but his board scores as well.  Better scores gives the coach and athletic program more flexibility with regard to other recruits, and that should not be underestimated.  If a coach or an Admissions committee has to choose between two equal candidates the difference can be the higher scoring recruit.

As always, JMO.

FWIW: The vast majority of college-bound seniors will not be heading to a high academic college or Ivy. So the following comment is for those students. Once you have taken both the PSAT and the PLAN, usually in 10th grade, you will know which of the two standardized tests to take again.

Test prep is, essentially, practice taking a timed test and importantly, review of material you studied a few years back. Test prep is only as useful as the time the student takes to do the real "prep"...which is intense review of what you should have learned in school. I haven't seen many clients actually do the homework necessary to even get those extra '100+' points.  They tend to be just too darn busy. The extra points they do get seem to come from having practiced timed tests. 

If you are within striking distance at your school of choice, then sure, consider prep. The College Board and Khan Academy have collaborated and you can find test prep for the new SAT for free at: https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/new-sat

One last FWIW: Due to rampant grade inflation prevalent at most public high schools, wildly differing grade-point systems in the US, less-than-stellar schools, homeschooling, etc., most colleges will continue to consider standardized tests but note: they really view subject tests as useful, more accurate predictors of academic ability. Not as many students prep for those which is another reason they like them!

http://www.nacacnet.org/resear...ommissionReport.aspx

My neighbor's son did a two week ACT boot camp and took his score from a 31 to a 34.  They spent $500 and probably got a 50k bump in scholarship money.  For the schools he was looking at, that 3 point jump was huge for them.  

Thanks for you thoughts, Fenway.