SAT Prep - how much did u pay?

[lisaross]

my son is a junior. Someone recommended a tutor and he said his prices just went up to $90.00 an hour - tutoring would be 1x a week 1 on 1. I assume about 12 weeks for the tutoring. My son wants to take the sat in March as he has a lot of AP courses the tests will be in May.

How much did u pay and when did or will your child take SAT? I figure he'll prob take again in the fall of his senior year.

 

[scrapquitler]

My daughter never had any tutoring or prep classes. She did have a study book, but I don't think she ever opened it. Her school offered a free practice test on Saturday morning in January of her Junior year. She actually took the SAT in the spring of her Junior year, and again in October of her Senior year. Her score went up about 150 points the second time.

 

[Westcoastwild]

I think 12 weeks is a bit much, but it would depend on how well he performs standardized tests. My kids aren't at that point- but I took SATs twice, once as a freshman, I think, and once in early senior year. (The first time was a talented kids thing- I was not G&T but I'm very good at testing and I've always been at a high reading level). I had one practice session each time- not a private tutor, just something my homeroom teacher did.

I'd give your kid one tutoring session, see how confident he feels after. There's a lot of prep work out there too- I think most of SAT is really being comfortable with the format. If he can read through the questions carefully, not panic, and be able to eliminate a few of the options using logic, he may not need tutoring at all. But tell him to brush up on weak math or grammar- that hurt me some because it took me a while to recall stuff I learned a few years prior, and you don't have much time to spend on any one problem.

 

[scrapquitler]

I think the decision also depends on what kind of prep work they do during school. At my daughter's school, vocabulary for the SAT was a HUGE part of English class during Sophomore and Junior years. I think they spent almost half of the class time working on that. And our state has thrown the standardized testing we've used in the past out the window and will be using the SAT instead (so now it's administered to everyone free of charge at least once, during school day because all studets are required to take it in order to graduate). If your state or school district doesn't have this kind of emphasis, you might decide that you need the tutor while if the kid is exposed a lot in school, it might not be as necessary.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Mine was a long time ago 2007 (it was "the new" SAT then- and I see it is another brand "new" SAT again) but here goes: I was a smart honors student looking to get into a Top 150 University but not a Top 20, so that's my base of what I was working with and for. I don't remember how much we paid for a study book but that's what I used when I took it the first time junior year. Senior year I did a Saturday 1 day prep course at our local Sylvan tutoring center & it resulted in a slightly lower math score but higher reading score. My Dad signed me up for the ACT against my wishes so I angrily took it with no studying and stayed up late the night before... And did significantly better than either of my SAT scores. So my best advise: have him take both. Even if he only studies for one.

Side thought: $90/hour?! I'd want a guaranteed Harvard admission at those rates!! But as stated Harvard (& equivalents) were not on my college list so I never explored the road to a perfect SAT so maybe that's totally reasonable... But at $90/hour why did I go to college?! Shoulda thrown every ounce of brains, money, & motivation I had into becoming an SAT tutor.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Wow 3 seconds of Googling says $200/hr for a high quality tutor is not unheard of. Pardon me while I pick my jaw up off the floor. OP, $90/hr might be a steal if the tutor is good!

 

[Westcoastwild]

I think the decision also depends on what kind of prep work they do during school. At my daughter's school, vocabulary for the SAT was a HUGE part of English class during Sophomore and Junior years. I think they spent almost half of the class time working on that. And our state has thrown the standardized testing we've used in the past out the window and will be using the SAT instead (so now it's administered to everyone free of charge at least once, during school day because all studets are required to take it in order to graduate). If your state or school district doesn't have this kind of emphasis, you might decide that you need the tutor while if the kid is exposed a lot in school, it might not be as necessary.

That's a really good point. Vocab for SATs was hugely emphasized at my school, 7-12 grade.

 

[Westcoastwild]

Mine was a long time ago 2007 (it was "the new" SAT then- and I see it is another brand "new" SAT again) but here goes: I was a smart honors student looking to get into a Top 150 University but not a Top 20, so that's my base of what I was working with and for. I don't remember how much we paid for a study book but that's what I used when I took it the first time junior year. Senior year I did a Saturday 1 day prep course at our local Sylvan tutoring center & it resulted in a slightly lower math score but higher reading score. My Dad signed me up for the ACT against my wishes so I angrily took it with no studying and stayed up late the night before... And did significantly better than either of my SAT scores. So my best advise: have him take both. Even if he only studies for one.

Side thought: $90/hour?! I'd want a guaranteed Harvard admission at those rates!! But as stated Harvard (& equivalents) were not on my college list so I never explored the road to a perfect SAT so maybe that's totally reasonable... But at $90/hour why did I go to college?! Shoulda thrown every ounce of brains, money, & motivation I had into becoming an SAT tutor.

Was a bit curious how it looks from the honor student standpoint. I prepped for SAT to balance out my weaker GPA- but when you have that higher GPA, how much of a boost does the SAT really give you? (I wasn't trying to get into a top school, though- financial aid was the big thing).

 

[gottalovepluto]

Was a bit curious how it looks from the honor student standpoint. I prepped for SAT to balance out my weaker GPA- but when you have that higher GPA, how much of a boost does the SAT really give you? (I wasn't trying to get into a top school, though- financial aid was the big thing).

In all honesty I don't think it boosted me that much. I qualified for my University's honor program from the ACT score and high school GPA (there was a minimum threshold on both that had to be met) & I also qualified for a 20%(?) tuition scholarship straight from the GPA and testing numbers.

As for getting in I found myself in a unique situation at the end of University where I found out by someone who had seen it when I applied what really made my application stand out: my references.

(I also know of someone who chose their References/Recommendations poorly and got in despite what their reference had written. Not the best judge of people this person, they thought they picked a teacher who really knew them. My friend was shown their reference's letter after admittance in a VERY unorthodox situation and they were appalled. Instead of singing praises this teacher went the route of brutal honesty in their recommendation of the student, while recommending them the teacher thoroughly discussed the potential reasons my friend might not be great for the program they were applying to. An in-person interview saved my friend. So choose references wisely for those going into the application process!)

 

[Westcoastwild]

In all honesty I don't think it boosted me that much. I qualified for my University's honor program from the ACT score and high school GPA (there was a minimum threshold on both that had to be met) & I also qualified for a 20%(?) tuition scholarship straight from the GPA and testing numbers.

As for getting in I found myself in a unique situation at the end of University where I found out by someone who had seen it when I applied what really made my application stand out: my references.

(I also know of someone who chose their References/Recommendations poorly and got in despite what their reference had written. Not the best judge of people this person, they thought they picked a teacher who really knew them. My friend was shown their reference's letter after admittance in a VERY unorthodox situation and they were appalled. Instead of singing praises this teacher went the route of brutal honesty in their recommendation of the student, while recommending them the teacher thoroughly discussed the potential reasons my friend might not be great for the program they were applying to. An in-person interview saved my friend. So choose references wisely for those going into the application process!)

It's kind of cool that you found that out. References are a killer. I hate asking for them, and if I were a teacher, I'd hate writing them. I'd either be brutally honest or entirely too generous. But I think more depends on the interviewer/judge than the applicant. I've seen the process from the other side now, and it kind of surprised me how much random stuff might influence the decision- personality, mood, even how many people you've interviewed so far.

 

[lisaross]

My son is a good student - honors classes - taking mostly AP courses as he starts his junior year. We live in NYC and EVERYONE goes for test prep classes - he is looking to go to a suny school - but who knows.... Would love scholarship money.

Thanks for the replies

 

[scottmel]

My daughter is a senior this year and took SAT prep classes thru her school (private school) for 5 saturdays at a super reasonable cost. like 30 dollars a Saturday. She took the SAT and did very well but math score was weaker than English. So I hired a tutor who came highly recommended and was very reasonable 30 an hour. They worked together maybe 10 sessions? REtake the SAT and wait for it.....EXACT SAME SCORE in English and Math. Math is simply her weaker subject, she does well but preps for it but those tricky SAT tests get her. ...

 

[aprilgail]

My daughter took a 8 week SAT prep class through school that was 250.00 and we had a private tutor that was 175.00 an hour- I heard his price went up this year. My friend had an excellent SAT tutor for her daughter but I couldn't afford him- he was 250 an hour.
OP 90 an hour is a bargain! I would grab that tutor before they are all booked up! My daughters Calculus teacher tutored her over the summer for a state exam that she took but wanted to score higher on and even a regular teacher/tutor is 80 an hour.

 

[Arkansan]

My oldest (current college Freshman) took an SAT prep class over six Saturdays and it cost $600. She took the test prep class toward the end of Junior year (mid-March to mid-May) and then took the June SAT. Her scores were ok, but she re-took the test again in Oct. (without much additional prep, unfortunately.). I tried to get her to take the ACT, but standardized tests are not a strength and, in the end, she got into a selective liberal arts college (36% acceptance rate) without it.

Next child is currently a Junior and is a better test-taker. She will take the PSAT in Oct., and, depending on her score, may not need a prep class. She is more self-motivated than her sister and may do well with a book and self-teaching. Now so much is available online and it is linked through the College Board site to the kids' test scores and geared to their strengths and weaknesses. Khan Academy also has free online help. She will likely take the SAT in June (maybe March) and then we will reevaluate depending on her scores.

Good luck! These next couple of years go fast!

 

[scrappydew]

May I ask, what is considered a good score? And if you are paying for a tutor, how much would you hope it to improve?

 

[simonsayz]

I never prepared for the SAT. The way I see it is if you are confident enough in life. Once out of college, you attitude and experiences will get you a good job/career no matter what college you ended up.

 

[cvjw]

I never prepared for the SAT. The way I see it is if you are confident enough in life. Once out of college, you attitude and experiences will get you a good job/career no matter what college you ended up.

Maybe, but some companies only recruit on certain college campuses. My son is a senior at UGA, majoring in Accounting. He has been recruiting with all the big 4 accounting firms. They recruit heavily at his college campus, and other large state schools in the surrounding states. If you went to a smaller school and wanted to work for them, you would have a much harder time - they don't recruit there

 

[cvjw]

May I ask, what is considered a good score? And if you are paying for a tutor, how much would you hope it to improve?

Depends on which school you want your child to attend. My son scored 2100 out of a possible 2400 on the old SAT. He got into UGA, early admission, but was denied entry at Georgia Tech. Those were the only 2 schools he applied to. With his GPA, he could have gotten into most of the state schools around us, but if he stayed in Georgia, his tuition was free

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

My DD took the SAT in June of her junior year due to AP tests in May. March is a good choice as well, OP -my DD had a HS soccer game that morning. She will take it again October 1. She did not do any organized prep either in school or outside school, but she did a little bit of free online prep. She was happy with her score overall, but verbal was surprisingly higher than math, so she is taking it again because most colleges superscore and there is no real downside to taking it twice.

She should have the numbers to get into the schools she is applying to (I say should because colleges get many more qualified applicants than they can accept), but it would be nice for her to qualify for merit aid or the equivalent of in-state tuition.

 

[mjkacmom]

Depends on which school you want your child to attend. My son scored 2100 out of a possible 2400 on the old SAT. He got into UGA, early admission, but was denied entry at Georgia Tech. Those were the only 2 schools he applied to. With his GPA, he could have gotten into most of the state schools around us, but if he stayed in Georgia, his tuition was free

Dd got 2000 after prep, her score went up 200 points. She got into our state's top public business school, in the accounting program. Her HS GPA was 4.2, she received no scholarships from her university, but it's a very large school, and hoping she can get a job. She's holding steady with a 3.9 her junior year, and is in the top 10% of her class (she received an award, but no $).