S.A.T. Parent Help Needed

[tyniknate]

My son is a junior and will be taking the SAT in March. The school just called and the prep course is $150. That money is really hard to come by in my house right now as winter is an absolute killer on us. DHs job is cut drastically in Jan-Feb-March. Does my son REALLY NEED to take a prep course? He always tests really well on standardized tests (advanced category) and he has an 88-89 GPA in school (would easily be an A if he would only do his homework). Right now he subscribes to the theory that if he can not do the homework and still pull a B+....he's OK with that. (This is a whole nother argument that I won't get into here).

So my question is.....did your kids take a prep course? Do you think it really helped? We have the prep book and I can run questions with him. He also can work on some practice stuff online. How important is the actual prep course?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

$150.00 is a pretty cheap price for an SAT prep course if it is a good one. We spent a lot more than that and yes, I think it helped my children. You should have your son attend this course if you can possibly afford it. At the very least, he'll get good tips on taking standardized tests, which he can use for other tests as well. A good SAT score will help prop up his B+ average, which sadly in this day and age, is nothing special for a college bound student.

 

[HM]

You should not feel like your child has to take a paid course. There are practice tests to be found at the College Board website that your child can take. They are timed tests and give him a good idea of what the real test will be like. There are lots of links to help there as well. You can also find test prep books at your local library...that will give clues on how to take the test better.

We did spend some money on prep class for my son through his school two years ago, where the cost covered the books and was about $45. He felt like the time spent with the instructor was no more help than the materials. My DD just took the January test and didn't take any prep classes, just did practice tests and read some of the materials my son had from his classes.

 

[ValpoCory]

Does the SAT now or does the PSAT still determine National Merit Scholarship?

 

[Darcy03231]

I have four children who have taken the SAT and none of them have taken a course. They all used a book that I bought at Borders and took the practice tests on-line.

Since he's a junior I would just have him use the practice guides and on-line tests and see how he does. If he doesn't do well he can always take them again.

 

[tyniknate]

Its offered through the school and it is for 3 nights at 2 hrs each. The $150 doesn't include the course workbooks, which they said will cost another $35.

Taking them once now and seeing how he does is what I was thinking. If he does well, nothing is hurt. If he doesn't...we scramble to find a prep-course.

This is our oldest child. How late can he take them and still have them be considered for his applications?

 

[ValpoCory]

I have four children who have taken the SAT and none of them have taken a course. They all used a book that I bought at Borders and took the practice tests on-line.

Since he's a junior I would just have him use the practice guides and on-line tests and see how he does. If he doesn't do well he can always take them again.

Back in the 90's I did not take a formal course, but we bought a book with 10 practice tests that I used to improve my scores. That book, and a lot of SAT word vocab practice, worked.

 

[tink576]

I never took a prep course for the SAT's or the GRE's (entrance to Grad school) and did fine. I did take a review course for the Praxis (one giant test which covered all six years of my undergraduate and graduate coursework).

That said I did take the SAT once each freshmen and sophomore years because my teachers recommended it before taking it my junior year. I did do better each year, but I had a good idea of how I would do prior to taking it junior year.

When I took the review course for the Praxis (my only reference since I only took a review course for that test), I found it really helped me pace my studying and give me areas to focus my outside studying on. But I did soooo much studying outside of the class using the prep books and online materials.

Has your son taken the PSAT? How has he done on that? Also, for the prep courses to really work the person taking the course has to be committed to taking it and put the necessary work into it. Has he mentioned taking the class or are you just thinking about it? If he doesn't see a purpose in doing his homework then I don't think he'll commit to get much out of the course.

 

[tyniknate]

I never took a prep course for the SAT's or the GRE's (entrance to Grad school) and did fine. I did take a review course for the Praxis (one giant test which covered all six years of my undergraduate and graduate coursework).

That said I did take the SAT once each freshmen and sophomore years because my teachers recommended it before taking it my junior year. I did do better each year, but I had a good idea of how I would do prior to taking it junior year.

When I took the review course for the Praxis (my only reference since I only took a review course for that test), I found it really helped me pace my studying and give me areas to focus my outside studying on. But I did soooo much studying outside of the class using the prep books and online materials.

Has your son taken the PSAT? How has he done on that? Also, for the prep courses to really work the person taking the course has to be committed to taking it and put the necessary work into it. Has he mentioned taking the class or are you just thinking about it? If he doesn't see a purpose in doing his homework then I don't think he'll commit to get much out of the course.

My son has taken the PSAT and his scores were in the top 10%.

His problem with homework is that he is bored. He thinks that homework is something to be used if you don't already know what is being taught. He's a teenager and already knows everything .

He is very bright and his grades don't refect his abilities. In short, he is lazy. I spoke with two of his teachers last week. One said he should do fine without the course. The other said it would make him a little more comfortable with the process. He is the one who originally asked about the course, but I don't know if it was because he wanted to take it, or because all his friends will be there.

 

[Pigeon]

I think the general consensus in the research is that the courses raise SAT grades typically by 20-30 points. Your son can probably do that on his own, provided he can overcome his natural teenager laziness and crack a book or two. I've got a teenager, so I know that's easier said than done.

 

[cats mom]

Has your son taken the PSAT? How has he done on that? Also, for the prep courses to really work the person taking the course has to be committed to taking it and put the necessary work into it. Has he mentioned taking the class or are you just thinking about it? If he doesn't see a purpose in doing his homework then I don't think he'll commit to get much out of the course.

Although if said person is willing to put time and effort into prepping, all the information, guides, practice tests, etc they need are out there and without paying for a class.

I think the class just gets the prep info presented in a format students are used to (spoon fed in a classroom setting) and ensures at least x hours (however long the course is) will be spent in prep time.

 

[timmac]

My son has taken the PSAT and his scores were in the top 10%.

I'd guess he'll do just fine without the course, particularly where you say he tests well, in general.

His problem with homework is that he is bored. He thinks that homework is something to be used if you don't already know what is being taught. He's a teenager and already knows everything .

Though I don't necessarily condone not doing one's work, his relatively high grades that he gets in spite of the homework kind of suggest that he does already know the material. As someone who has BTDT as a teen, I can still remember the frustration. A better approach to the issue might be to call it an easy opportunity to get really great grades, since he can probably breeze through most of the work.

 

[Sadie22]

Here in Maryland, great SATs and great grades meant automatic college scholarships for my boys.

The strategies that are taught in SAT prep courses can make a big difference. If this is a financial stretch for you, ask the school if there is funding available so that your son will not miss out. There are plenty of free resources available, but if your son does not apply himself on homework, can he be counted on to apply himself to optional SAT exercises?

For one of mine, the SAT was taken beginning in middle school as part of a Johns Hopkins program. He did not go through the entire prep course offered at that time due to conflicts with other activities, and then in high school he said he wished he had done the entire program.

Now there is a whole other section to the SAT that my guys did not take. In your place, I would make sure my son took part in the school-sponsored program.

 

[mbf]

My oldest DD scored in the 98th percentile for her SAT's without taking a prep course. Like your son, she also did extremely well on her PSAT's. Some kids are just good test takers.

She had a couple of books that were fiction but included SAT words as part of the literature, some CD ROM's I bought a year or two old, and a cool book/CD (that she put on her iPod) called "Rock the SAT". Very corny but all interesting, non-painful ways to familiarize kids with the test.

And yes, the only way to truly do well is to take as many practice tests as possible. By comparison my youngest DD did nothing in the way of self prep and only scored middle of the road.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Couple of thought from the mom of a college freshman.

1.That GPA is not very good if you are hoping for college scholarships and even admission to many colleges. It is getting harder to gain admission and even harder for scholarships.

2.If he will not do his homework..I doubt he will study on his own for a SAT.

3.I would have him take the class and maybe even pay for 1/2 since he is not taking admission qualification seriously.

4.I would get very serious about the grades. It really is a huge deal during the junior year. If he is capable of great grades and has any true hope of a great school... GET TOUGH about it.

I would however have him to take the SAT multiple times. Scores tend to rise each time and he has some time to do this. Also many school are not looking at ACT scores as well. Some kids tend to do better with one over the other. Look into that too!

Good luck. Its a hectic and stressful time for the kids and the parents!

 

[Cindy B]

Does your school offer a during the school day class? My son (junior) high school offers a credit bearing elective class. My son took that class as one of his electives this year.

 

[ceecee]

Our school started them in 7th grade! I think it's overkill. Why take it in Jr high? They say it helps with the test taking. Which they do anyway with the OGT and the other tests that they do. I think sometimes its a money maker. That and they can say 900 kids took the SAT (from 7-12 grades!).
Back in my day...we took it our Senior year and had no prep at all!

 

[a1tinkfans]

My son is a junior and will be taking the SAT in March. The school just called and the prep course is $150. That money is really hard to come by in my house right now as winter is an absolute killer on us. DHs job is cut drastically in Jan-Feb-March. Does my son REALLY NEED to take a prep course? He always tests really well on standardized tests (advanced category) and he has an 88-89 GPA in school (would easily be an A if he would only do his homework). Right now he subscribes to the theory that if he can not do the homework and still pull a B+....he's OK with that. (This is a whole nother argument that I won't get into here).

So my question is.....did your kids take a prep course? Do you think it really helped? We have the prep book and I can run questions with him. He also can work on some practice stuff online. How important is the actual prep course?

no prep course here. My ds tests quite well on standard tests as well. We did buy the official sat book (barnes and noble) and he reviewed , also did some free practice on line...his vocab is Very Expansive and that helps a lot. The thing about the test is that you have to know how to get to the answer....if you follow...
Did your son take the Psat and how did he do?
That is generally a good indicator....
What we were NOT informed of was that the PSAT (which we were told to go into cold, with no prep and make it no stress and use as a guage) was the Wrong Information while we learned my ds got top 1% he lost out on potential scholarship money (sr year) that is Directly related to the Psat, and THAT is very frustrating ...
great SAT scores will give your son a Great chance at a top Tier along with a challenging course load and a myriad of other things....
IF he is interested in a specific career and is choosing Top Tier, Id say to take advantage of each and every opportunity that you can comfortably afford....He will have more chances at the SAT (but many schools require ALL the tests be submitted.)...so doing really well is important.....
I know some that took very expensive courses (Im talking over 1K) and their kids did average...its really a test of their knowledge base and a test that "tests" already acquired skills...if you KWIM...IF you think that he will commit to self study regularly and self testing to "try" it out, Id say its an option....
You really have to know your own childs strengths....
Good Luck to him!

 

[a1tinkfans]

Does the SAT now or does the PSAT still determine National Merit Scholarship?

PSAT, my rant is above/another post

 

[Leajess99]

My son has taken the PSAT and his scores were in the top 10%.

His problem with homework is that he is bored. He thinks that homework is something to be used if you don't already know what is being taught. He's a teenager and already knows everything .

He is very bright and his grades don't refect his abilities. In short, he is lazy. I spoke with two of his teachers last week. One said he should do fine without the course. The other said it would make him a little more comfortable with the process. He is the one who originally asked about the course, but I don't know if it was because he wanted to take it, or because all his friends will be there.

I have one of these and a friend who was like this in school. lol

I would not worry about the prep course as it sounds like your son will do fine.