Many students and parents often wonder what is the best way to prepare for the SAT. No method can fit all categories of students. A lot of students make the mistake of choosing the wrong prep for their SATs and end up paying through the nose. The seven questions can help you decide the ideal way to prepare for your SATs.
Have You Taken a Practice SAT?
You may wonder why you should take a practice test before you started preparing for the SATs. A practice test may seem like overkill, but it will help you determine how far you are from your target score. So if you have not taken the practice test yet, take one right away.
That way, you will be able to understand the areas where you are lagging and formulate a preparation plan accordingly. The practice test also acts as an eye-opener for many students. Sometimes, it is easy to get overconfident and have a misconception of how prepared you are for the SATs.
You may think that you do not need any SAT tutoring and that you can do well on your own. A practice test will disclose whether you were right in your thinking or not.
The Importance of the SAT for You
To identify the right methods of preparing for your SATs, you need to ask yourself how important they are for your future goals. Preparations and tutoring may not be required if:
- Your target is to attend a state school
- You have an extremely high GPA
- You are not concerned about winning scholarships
If you aim to attend a community college, you don’t even have to take the SATs. However, if the above statements do not apply to you, you must take the necessary preparations for your SATs.
How High Is Your Starting Score?
If your starting score in a practice test is not over 1200, you should consider taking classes and tutoring for your preparations. They will cover the essential strategies required for taking the SATs. While classes are less expensive than tutoring, you may feel an absence of being challenged, which can affect your preparation.
If your starting score was already above 1200, attending classes will not be able to increase your score much. You may have noticed that most SAT classes offer a moneyback guarantee. But that only applies if the students starting school was lower than 1200. However, with tutoring, you can expect your score to increase by 150- 200 even when your starting school was already above 1200.
How Long Do You Have to Prepare for the SATs?
Your preparation for the SATs will depend on how much time you have left before the exams. Do you have to cram in your studies, or do you have enough time to pace yourself? Needless to say that if you have time on your hand, you will get the most value from tutoring or classes.
However, taking a class or tutoring services will not be adequate if you are 3 to 4 weeks away from the exams. If you are not entirely sure about your timeline for preparations, you can take advantage of one of the SAT prep checklists available on the Internet.
Tutoring services also provide a free version of SAT prep checklist for their students. It will help you understand whether you have enough time to prepare for the SATs or not. Suggested – How to Help Your Child Prepare for the NAPLAN Test
Do You Prefer Classes or Private Tutoring?
Some students do not do well in a classroom environment as they might have trouble focusing. So if you need personalized attention to study, private tutoring is better for you.
As we mentioned before that classes are less expensive than private tutoring. However, if you cannot benefit from the classroom environment, you will be wasting your money. Remember that you are taking the SATs so you can get a scholarship worth thousands of dollars.
Private tutoring is always more effective than classroom environments. Since you can get SAT tutoring online as well, you have access to many qualified tutors. Not all tutors can teach alike, so it is necessary to choose someone competent. You will have the opportunity to choose from a selection of the best tutors online without the limitations of in-person tutoring.
Are You Self-Motivated?
If you are a self-motivated student and can study well on your own, there are several self-study programs available on the Internet. These programs have pre-recorded lectures for individual segments for SATs with detailed quizzes. However, these are effective only if you have the motivation and discipline to follow these programs on your own.
Preparing for the SATs is a complex process, and students might not be able to accomplish their target goals by themselves. Therefore, they should take advantage of classes or tutoring to score better on the SATs. We hope that these questions can help you determine whether you need classes or tutoring to prepare for the exams.
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