From
"College Times 2000/2001"
What
gain should you expect from coaching? College Board research says
coached students gain an average of 69 points on the verbal and math
parts of the SAT combined. But students who are not coached
gain an average of 43 points when they take an SAT a second time (which
is why it's a good idea to take the test more than once). Since 69
- 43 = 26, the coaching itself accounts for an average of 26 points.
What
to look for in a test prep course? We asked longtime California high
school counselors Carolyn Barnhart and Joanne Domenici. (Joanne is
also a former test prep instructor.) They urged students to beware
the fly-by-night courses. Go for respected names and known organizations,
and look at the quality of instructors. Joanne says, "You want
an instructor who captures your attention. Getting totally bored for
hours isn't going to help you." Try to check out the instructor's
credentials: Are they trained, experienced teachers who know how to
teach?
Avoid
organizations that prey on test anxiety, getting you to pay lots of
money for lots of test prep. A course should last about 20 hours-
beyond that, you'll still gain test points, but, on average, fewer
and fewer points for every hour of coaching. Ask yourself: Will my
college application benefit more if I spend 30 hours as, say, a hospital
volunteer, or if I take another 30 hours of coaching and gain 12 points
on the SAT?
Finally,
avoid outfits that "over-promise." If a course claims to
raise scores by an average of 100 points, look out. Fact: Only about
12% of coached students improve their verbal scores by 100 points,
8 % of uncoached students achieve the same gain. In general, studies
show that coaching has a greater effect on the math than on the verbal
part of the test.
