ACT Prep

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

For those who have kids who have taken the ACT or will be taking it, if your child studied/practiced ahead of time, what did you use? I'm wondering if my dd should use a book like Kaplan or if we should pay for the online ACT prep course on the ACT website - or maybe a combination of the two.

Thanks for tips/advice!

 

[runwad]

I had two that took it and they just always used the practice tests on the ACT site. They did take the test mutiple times as their colleges didn't care how many times they took it just what the highest score was. My DD who just graduated took it again in June, scored higher and got more scholarship money from her school because of it .

 

[kymom99]

My sons school offers prep for a small fee. He improved his math score after doing the math prep with one of his former teachers

 

[J'aime Paris]

We sent our DD to a private tutor that specialized in ACT test taking strategies.
Her score jumped 4 points after seeing the tutor for a couple of months.
Now she has an excellent score, and will be applying to her top college choices this fall.

 

[mjkacmom]

We sent our DD to a private tutor that specialized in ACT test taking strategies.
Her score jumped 4 points after seeing the tutor for a couple of months.
Now she has an excellent score, and will be applying to her top college choices this fall.

Same here. Dd20 took the HS program, scores didn't move. We went the private tutor route, and her SAT scores increased over 200 points. Went the same route with ds18, who took the ACT, and his score went up 3 points. It did cost over $4000 for each, but it was worth it. Dd's friend used them to prep for the PSAT's, it panned out and she was a national merit scholarship winner. They taught a lot of strategy as well as content.

 

[DisHmsklMom]

We've have had great success with the Princeton Review books.

 

[apennel]

I'm planning to have my son take the PSAT prep in the classroom setting which begins in August. Has anyone come across any Princeton Review promo codes that would apply to PSAT? Thanks!

 

[havaneselover]

I'm a few years away but like kaplan's unlimited prep. I used a small company with just a few students per class when I took the SATs and my scores went up 200 points from PSAT to SAT (enough to make me a national merit finalist--long story involving a fire alarm about why PSATs weren't used).

No way could I afford $4 K for tutoring per child but between prep courses and my help my kids will hopefully be okay.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Last year I worked as an ACT prep tutor to earn some extra money. It was a 30-hour program with a set curriculum, though I made judgment calls as the tutor to supplement where students needed more help. I always set time aside to review test taking strategies and relaxation techniques. I find that most students are more so nervous about the exam than it is that they don't know the material. I do think that the personal attention really helped these students excel though.

My student's scores pre-tutoring and post-tutoring:
Student #1 - 23 composite to 29 composite
Student #2 - 19 composite to 27 composite
Student #3 - 26 composite to 29 composite
Student #4 - 26 composite to 33 composite
Student #5 - 23 composite to 29 composite

 

[havaneselover]

Last year I worked as an ACT prep tutor to earn some extra money. It was a 30-hour program with a set curriculum, though I made judgment calls as the tutor to supplement where students needed more help. I always set time aside to review test taking strategies and relaxation techniques. I find that most students are more so nervous about the exam than it is that they don't know the material. I do think that the personal attention really helped these students excel though.

My student's scores pre-tutoring and post-tutoring:
Student #1 - 23 composite to 29 composite
Student #2 - 19 composite to 27 composite
Student #3 - 26 composite to 29 composite
Student #4 - 26 composite to 33 composite
Student #5 - 23 composite to 29 composite

Do you know what the program cost?

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Do you know what the program cost?

No, I don't know exactly what it costs, but you could call and find out. I worked for Studypoint. It seemed nice for busy families because as the tutor I went to the student's house. But I am sure that came at a premium. The houses I went to were all quite expensive. One of the student's that I tutored was the daughter of the dean of one of the professional school's at the university where I work. I am assuming that $4k price tag others have listed for private tutoring is probably in the ballpark of what it costs.

And just to give you an idea of what these programs make in profit - I got paid $20 per hour, so for a 30 hour program I made $600. I did not get reimbursed for mileage to drive to a student's house either. Though I enjoyed the experience and liked helping the student's improve, I did not continue after my wedding (the reason I worked for the extra money). It just didn't feel worth my time to continue.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Do you know what the program cost?

And for those that don't have thousands to spend helping their kids improve their test scores, I think there are ways you could do this at home.

We used a set curriculum that was similar to many of the test prep program books you can buy in book stores. A lot of the testing focused more on strategy than it really did on knowledge because many students score poorly simply because they run out of time on a test. The biggest part of the program was simulating testing conditions as much as possible. The tutoring session were 2 hours per week for 15 weeks with 2 hours of homework each week. I stressed to my student's that they should do the homework under timed conditions. Students also took 4 full length practice exams, simulating test conditions as well.

I think, if you and your student have the discipline and drive, could achieve similar gains at home.

 

[kathy884]

We may be in the minority and outliers, but DS did a class and private tutoring, and we spent a bit of time and money (maybe $1500), and his scores after doing this were 3 points less than his original scores. We obviously went with the first scores. All of his practice test too were in this similar range -- his best practice tests tied his original scores and worst were about five points less than that.

We found that on the reading section in particular his scores varied greatly depending on what the subject matter of the test was. (five point spread between one day and the next). And when he told me what the reading selections were about I would probably have been able to almost guess that.

For us doing the practice was a waste of time and money, but from what test prep places report as their results, tutors post as their results, posts here, etc. it sounds that for most people this works out better. Our tutor too was someone who had excellent results with most students improving scores, not so with DS though.

I think on topic like this you mostly here from people who thought this was great. I just thought I would post that this doesn't necessarily get the intended results for everyone.

 

[ldo]

we did a couple of ACT review books and the 1000 SAT words flashcards. For those on a budget, unless trying to get into a top tier school, I would spend $100 on books/review materials and dedicated study times, take the ACT and see how your child does. Then decide if it is worth it to get private tutoring, etc. DD did fair (for semi-competitive schools) on the SAT and very well on the ACT with the study guides. Her ACT score was high enough to not even take the SAT again. There is no penalty for retaking as much as you want.

 

[Southernmiss]

Our 3 boys have done well on the ACT with the study books (a friend found older editions at a thrift store and passed them down- test doesn't change that much that fast) and on line prep tests. Also, their school and orthodontist offer free ACT courses. We've never paid for ACT prep and they've all scored 32s. Good enough for nice scholarships at schools they went to-ds22, go to-ds19, or are interested in-ds17.

Ds17 is waiting on psat scores to see if he's made semifinalist or finalist and will continue to take the ACT this school year.

 

[bjscheel]

We got the ACT book on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Official-ACT...&qid=1469812994&sr=8-2&keywords=act+prep+book

DD17 got one practice test set done before the real test last February. We went through every missed answer to try to understand the correct answer. She did pretty well but I want her to try to get the rest of them taken over the next month as she is trying again in September. Her goal is to go up 2 points as that is the number that triggers more scholarships at the college she'll probably attend.

Of course I can't compare our experience to a class or tutoring because we haven't done that.

 

[Pembo]

I found practice ACT books at the library and my ds's took practice tests from that.

 

[clh2]

6 years ago, we hired a tutor to work with our daughter. $600 for five 2 hour sessions over 5 weeks. Best money we ever spent. Her score went from a 26 to a 31. DD got a great scholarship at a private college, brought the cost down to a state school.

The tutor worked on test taking strategies, as well as increasing her reading speed, and vocabulary words. Dd was already pretty good with math, but the extra tips were great too!

DD finished up college in May, and did 3 different internships, and studied abroad for a semester. She had a very visible high-profile job on campus. She landed her dream job at a fabulous company, which I attribute directly to her specific college, which we could not have afforded if her ACT wouldn't have increased.

 

[choover2576]

Check with your public library. We have a subscription to LearningExpress and your child will have free access to practice materials and tests http://www.learningexpresshub.com/l...reparation/act-preparation-courses-and-guides

 

[adisneyaunt]

I think knowing ur young adults study type habits are an important factor in the decision. Are they truly Self motivated to do it online? More Proactive type or prefers a group setting?
Mine did the practice tests online, I bought the book and did most of it as well. If shooting for Top Tier, it's best to do very best first time rather than having to repeat as ALL test scores will need to be submitted.
Best of luck to ur student!!