Teaching to the Test

Teaching to the Test

Educators and test-makers dislike exam prep courses, but they work

Sure they're expensive. And maybe it's true that the same time spent in other academic or extracurricular pursuits could be just as valuable, if not more so, in helping one get into college.

But SAT review courses by companies such as Princeton Review, Kaplan Educational Centers, Inc., and Sylvan Learning Centers do seem to raise test scores for many students. Independent audits conducted by two accounting firms, Price Waterhouse and Deloitte and Touche, concluded that students who took a preparation course raised their scores by approximately 125 points on average.

Even the test maker, Educational Testing service, concedes that a course may raise scores 30 to 50 points.

The premise of the test prep classes is that if students are familiar with the test and learn certain tricks, they can improve their scores substantially. The big commercial testing companies, like Princeton Review, Kaplan and Sylvan all offer group classes as well as individual tutoring for the SAT, the PSAT (the P in this case is for preliminary), and certain graduate school entrance exams.

We dislike test preps. Photo by Elena.

For the SAT, the cost of a course (generally 36 to 39 classroom hours), may be as high as $2000. Private tutoring runs about $100 or more per hour. All of the above are offered nationwide. You should consult a phone directory to find out if one or all operate in your area.

Before reaching into your wallet, however, you may want to investigate other possibilities that might fit your budget more easily. High schools, libraries, and community colleges increasingly offer their own versions of test prep courses for substantially less money. If you are trying to decide whether a $1500 course is worth the money, ask the company you're considering whether there is an information session you can attend or a class you can visit. This normally costs nothing and might enlighten you as to what you are getting into.