Good Test Prep Versus Bad Test Prep

One of the year’s most popular SAT administrations – May 7 – is fast approaching (registration deadline is April 8; late registration until April 22). This week how to determine “good” test prep from “bad” test prep.

The effectiveness of a teacher is partially determined by class size: a great teacher is less effective with 25 students than with eight students. Here’s another secret: the fulcrum of profitability of every test prep company is “average class size.” The cost of running a class is fairly set, so more students per class means more profit. It’s that basic. Some test prep companies weigh profitability against effectiveness while others don’t care and maximize class size. You want a company that guarantees a maximum class size.

The Class Size Trick

Any company that markets an “average” class size instead of a guaranteed maximum class size is scamming you. Why? Because an “average” means half the classes were smaller and half were bigger. What if you’re in one of those bigger classes? Those claims of an “average class size of 12” don’t mean anything to you if you’re in a class of 25. A company that markets an “average” instead of a “guaranteed maximum” is unwilling to cap their classes. Don’t let them bait-and-switch you with “average” instead of “guaranteed maximum.”

Avoid any company that doesn’t have a maximum guaranteed class size (the smaller, the better). And make sure the company offers a refund once the course begins so if your class has 25 students in it, you can get out and get your money back.

Tutors

Does any of the above apply to tutors? It’s much easier for a tutor to scam you than a class, which is ironic because they also charge much more. Again, don’t go by reputation because too many tutors are recommended despite their results. Here are the questions you should ask of any tutor to avoid spending thousands and getting no results. And be sure to get everything in writing before you start tutoring.

• Where did you attend college? Remember that most of what you’re paying for with test prep is the teacher and you want the best. If you’re spending $100 an hour or more and not getting a graduate from a top college, then you’re probably working with someone who doesn’t understand the SAT much better than you do.

• What tests do you use? If they’re fake, forget it. If they’re real, make sure you have practice test results after six to eight hours of tutoring that show results. If the tutor isn’t getting results, bail out before you spend $5,000. (Cheat Sheet of Fake Tests. If the tutor mentions any of these, it’s fake: Arco’s, Barron’s, Princeton Review, Kaplan, pre 2010 versions of the Official Guide – yes, even most of the older “Official Guide” tests are fake.)

• Whose materials do you use? Most tutors buy their materials from the bookstore (e.g., use some other company’s materials). The only company that widely publishes materials that are worth using is Princeton Review. Arco’s, Barron’s, and Kaplan’s published materials simply aren’t very good. Some tutors actually write their own materials, which would be cause for concern. How do you know that the tutor knows the test well enough to write their own material? In that case, you want to be sure to have a written guarantee/refund policy.

• What’s your guarantee? Again, no guarantee? Forget it. In general, you want at least a 200-point guarantee. For tutoring, it should even be higher (250 points would be reasonable). And if you qualify for the guarantee, you should either get a few hours of additional tutoring for free (maybe 3-5 free “refresher” hours) or heavily discounted tutoring (maybe 50 percent off). Do not work with a tutor who doesn’t offer a guarantee. The tutor should have some pressure to produce the results for which you’re paying.

You could ask the tutor about average past score improvements. Tutors working for larger companies may have data; independent tutors often just make up numbers. So unfortunately, average score improvement data isn’t very helpful with tutors.

SAT vs. ACT

Tutors and test prep companies will prep you for anything you ask for, even if they don’t have the expertise. So if you want to use your SAT tutor for the ACT, ask a simple question: what’s the difference between these two tests? The answer is: the ACT is a speed and a reading test; the SAT is neither. If the tutor says “the ACT has science,” find someone else. Sure, the ACT has a section labeled “Science” but it doesn’t actually contain science (it tests non-inference reading skills). In order to prep for the ACT, reading skills and speed are the primary requisites to raising your score.

Which SAT to take?

A knowledgeable test prep company or tutor will recommend that you take the January, May and/or October SAT administrations, starting with the January test your junior year. This doesn’t mean that you can’t take the March or June SATs, but they should be avoided if you have a choice. Here’s why: the January, May and October SATs are the only SATs each year that are “released.”

This means the student can get a copy of the test. So if anything goes wrong – the student messes up, the test makers mess up, anything! – the student can discover and solve the problem. ETS scoring errors are only discovered on released tests. Bubbling errors are only discovered on released tests. A student’s penchant for misapplying a geometry rule can only be discovered on a released test.
 
It’s no coincidence that all the revealed major ETS scoring errors (Jan 07, Oct 05, etc) are on released tests. It’s also no coincidence that ‘new’ SATs or problem types or question distributions always make their debuts on unreleased tests (yes, always). ETS and College Board know that released tests are public relations events and, as such, they make sure those tests are the most normal, error-free tests of the year.

What about the “January is a harder test” rumor? It’s a myth. Every SAT is independently curved – it does not matter if 'smart' kids or 'dumb' kids take it – it's irrelevant. And kids are learning no math their junior year that’s on the SAT -- a few months doesn't matter in terms knowing additional content. (95 percent of the SAT math is arithmetic, easy Algebra I, and the first three months of Geometry.)

For these very important reasons, avoid the secret March and June SATs if possible. Take the January SAT, review the test (yes, the actual test), then take the May SAT. Two shots junior year, both on released (and very normal) tests. If anything goes wrong, then it can be addressed by your child’s test prep teacher or tutor and the test taken again in October of your senior year.

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