Health & Fitness
Are SAT Review Classes Worth the Cost?
Even with the College Board's newly redesigned SAT, parents and students will likely continue to seek out tutors and test prep services to maintain a competitive edge. But is it worth the money?
It's easy to get carried away with SAT test preparation, and it's not unusual for a typical family to spend over $1000 per child on SAT review. So, is it worth it? In other words, do costly tutors, review books, and review classes result in better test scores and, thus, admission into elite colleges? This question is difficult to answer.
The best research indicates that "test preparation efforts yield a positive but small effect on standardized admission test scores," according to a report released in 2009 by the National Association for College Admission Counseling. In fact, although many of the best-known test prep companies (e.g., Kaplan, Princeton Review, and Sylvan Learning) claim to increase test scores by over 100 points, the "average gains are more in the neighborhood of 30 points."
The College Board, which creates the SAT exams, has conducted its own research, which shows that test preparation courses offer limited benefit. In fact, Laurence Bunin, senior vice president for the College Board, "recommends free and low-cost College Board Materials, including a $22 study guide," according to the Wall Street Journal.
Moreover, SAT prep companies like Kaplan and Princetown Review reap billions of dollars in profits annually, while charging students thousands of dollars to enroll in their comprehensive review courses. This may put students from lower-income families at a disadvantage. According to a Washington Post survey, students who come from families earning over $200,000 a year have an average SAT score of 1714, while students whose families make less than $20,000 a year have an average score of 1326.
Unfortunately, these figures sometimes force families to spend beyond their means in hope of sending their kids to better colleges, and the results can be disheartening. According to long-time SAT tutor Allison Kade, expensive SAT tutoring and review courses aren't for everyone. She says, "you may not need to fork over tons of cash for test prep if: 1) Your kid is extremely self-motivated, already understands all the core concepts and has been successful with self-study for other standardized tests like AP exams or the PSAT; 2) Your kid doesn’t care, won’t put in the work and will potentially be a distraction to the rest of the kids taking the test." On the other hand, she writes, you may want to spend a few bucks if "your kid cares about her score, but may not be self-motivated enough to do the studying on her own; your teen is a nervous test-taker...; or your child is struggling with core concepts and would benefit from extra help."
In recent weeks, there’s been a flurry of discussion about the redesigned SAT, which will debut in 2016, and whether such test prep courses and tutors will continue to be relevant or necessary. For decades, the College Board has faced criticism that the SAT helps students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, who can afford pricey test prep services and tutors, while lower- and middle-class students are left on their own to navigate the arcane and archaic (SAT vocab words?) exam. These suspicions are borne out by statistics showing students from wealthier families achieving better SAT scores. The redesigned exam claims to be more equitable in allowing opportunities for all students to excel on the exam, not just those with the means to pay for test preparation. That, of course, remains to be seen. But, according to James S. Murphy, an SAT tutor who wrote a recent article for the Atlantic on the subject, SAT prep courses are here to stay. He writes, "The main reason test prep isn’t going anywhere is that, as long as a superficial, high stakes test remains an important aspect of competitive college admissions, there will be no shortage of people looking for some advantage. Admissions anxiety is not fomented by test prep companies. They do not need to make students and parent anxious. The SAT has taken care of that for them."
Dr. Dennis Urban teaches high school social studies and is co-owner of Long Island Regents Prep, which offers one-day review classes for SAT, AP, and Regents exams. Visit www.liregentsprep.com for more information.
