I will be signing up for an SAT Prep Course next month. (I'm taking them in April). I know people will probably say they aren't very good, but I go to an extremly competitve school where the average SAT score is a 1410. So what happens is that even though I run a 92 in this very good school, there are so many kids ahead of me that I need a great score to get recognized by my top choice (UPenn). Yes, there are plenty of great schools besides Penn, and I know I probably won't get in, but I want to have a shot. So I'm going to take an SAT Prep course. Which do you think is better, Kaplan or Princeton Review?
Kaplan or Princeton Review?
- Thread starter NakaNaka
- Start date
(jk)I work for Kaplan, and once went through their program, so take my advice:
First off, the class was pretty bad. I saw how they did hiring (they hired me) and its usually just some college kid who did some what decent on their SAT. My teacher was particularly dumb, and failed to show up on several occasions. Luckily, I was able to be refunded for the program.
My best advice is to just go and buy a bunch of SAT prep books. I'm assuming your fundamentals are pretty good (vocab/math concepts) so all you really need to work on is timing and making sure to get so much exposure to the kinds of questions out there that nothing new would throw you off. I'd say just work as many practice tests out as you can and go back and hit weak spots in the big books as well.
The only thing that's good about Kaplan/Princeton review is the material. Its been well researched and tends to bring good results in average students. For students who are already pretty good (1200+) and just need work, I'd say paying 1000 dollars to add the human element does not help much at all. Just go to your local bookstore and buy some books on the SAT and hunker down and study for it. Getting exposure to as many questions as is the best way to study for it. If you really want the current Kaplan material ('im not sure how close it is to the bookstores) just go online and buy it on eBay or something. People tend to ditch it after their done with the course.
Good luck on those SATs!
First off, the class was pretty bad. I saw how they did hiring (they hired me) and its usually just some college kid who did some what decent on their SAT. My teacher was particularly dumb, and failed to show up on several occasions. Luckily, I was able to be refunded for the program.
My best advice is to just go and buy a bunch of SAT prep books. I'm assuming your fundamentals are pretty good (vocab/math concepts) so all you really need to work on is timing and making sure to get so much exposure to the kinds of questions out there that nothing new would throw you off. I'd say just work as many practice tests out as you can and go back and hit weak spots in the big books as well.
The only thing that's good about Kaplan/Princeton review is the material. Its been well researched and tends to bring good results in average students. For students who are already pretty good (1200+) and just need work, I'd say paying 1000 dollars to add the human element does not help much at all. Just go to your local bookstore and buy some books on the SAT and hunker down and study for it. Getting exposure to as many questions as is the best way to study for it. If you really want the current Kaplan material ('im not sure how close it is to the bookstores) just go online and buy it on eBay or something. People tend to ditch it after their done with the course.
Good luck on those SATs!
test prep courses are just a way for you to pay for taking test b/c you don't have the discipline to take them yourself.
I've tried both courses for various standardized test, and I can say they both suck. They don't them "Kraplan" for nothing.
Agreed with above, just get a bunch of books and test yourself. Practice, practice, practice.
I've tried both courses for various standardized test, and I can say they both suck. They don't them "Kraplan" for nothing.
Agreed with above, just get a bunch of books and test yourself. Practice, practice, practice.
I suggest the book 10 actual SAT test. I would much rather learn how the test is setup and what answers they expect instead of memorizing 1,000 words.
Grab a few test books, and really work them.
Every week, on the day of the test take a practice test (order some old actually SATs).
Make the environment and time as close as possible to the real test.
Make it somewhere you have to drive to, bring your 2 #2 pencils, etc....
Every week, on the day of the test take a practice test (order some old actually SATs).
Make the environment and time as close as possible to the real test.
Make it somewhere you have to drive to, bring your 2 #2 pencils, etc....
The key to sucess in the SAT is learning a few tricks. All the test prep courses (and books) teach the same tricks. If you learn better from a teacher, spend the money on the course. If you learn better from a book, go buy a book.
Most importantly, take the time to study and practice.
Most importantly, take the time to study and practice.
Princeton Review!
I took them, and my score went up 200 points (1260 - 1450). My school was extremely competitive as well, but moreso on the AP side (we're ranked in the top 20 schools for AP tests taken/passed... I ended up taking 15 AP tests and passed all but 1 with mostly 4's) I really liked their test strategies and tips, and once I focused on those, I improved by leaps and bounds.
Trust me though, if you think UPenn will accept you because of your SAT score, you're wrong. I did well on my SAT's and got rejected by UCLA, while most of my friends didn't do as well on the SAT's and a few got in. I had about a 4.3, but they had 4.6-4.8's, so GPA is always the deciding factor.
I took them, and my score went up 200 points (1260 - 1450). My school was extremely competitive as well, but moreso on the AP side (we're ranked in the top 20 schools for AP tests taken/passed... I ended up taking 15 AP tests and passed all but 1 with mostly 4's) I really liked their test strategies and tips, and once I focused on those, I improved by leaps and bounds.
Trust me though, if you think UPenn will accept you because of your SAT score, you're wrong. I did well on my SAT's and got rejected by UCLA, while most of my friends didn't do as well on the SAT's and a few got in. I had about a 4.3, but they had 4.6-4.8's, so GPA is always the deciding factor.
TRENDING THREADS
-
Discussion Zen 5 Speculation (EPYC Turin and Strix Point/Granite Ridge - Ryzen 9000)- Started by DisEnchantment
- Replies: 25K
-
Discussion Intel Meteor, Arrow, Lunar & Panther Lakes + WCL Discussion Threads
- Started by Tigerick
- Replies: 23K
-
Discussion Intel current and future Lakes & Rapids thread- Started by TheF34RChannel
- Replies: 23K
-
-
Facebook
Twitter