In the past few years, the SAT has become much more important. Many students try to get the best score they can on the SAT because a high score can help them get into college and, in some cases, get a scholarship.
The basics of testing are easy to learn, but this article is more about whether you should spend several thousand dollars on a prep course. More than half of the students at some private schools don't think twice about spending thousands of dollars on a good coaching company.
Do you need a course to get ready? It depends on how you learn best and why you want to take a course like this. Most of the techniques taught in prep courses are already in books that cost $30 and can be bought at bookstores.
Coaching doesn't help most top students much. The kind of natural insight that makes the best test takers stand out can't be taught. On the other hand, a course to prepare for the SAT might not help a student who doesn't want to learn. Students who work hard will get different things out of a prep course. If you are a well-organized, self-motivated person, you might do just as well with self-coaching software and books.
If you want to take a prep course, there is no reason not to. If you think that a prep course will help you do better on the test, it probably will. Students who learn best when told what to do are another type of student who might benefit from a prep course. A prep course is a good idea because it will help them stay on task. How you learn makes a difference.
Before you sign up for a course to help you study for a test, make sure you know what you will be taught. Meet the teacher in person. Don't pay too much attention to guarantees, because they aren't a good way to tell how good a course is. Always try to take a prep course BEFORE you take the SAT for the first time. So, you won't have a sudden jump in your score, which is a sign of a cram course and is likely to make the admissions office suspicious.
