There are different ways you can prep for your standardized tests. You can take a live-instruction course, online course, private tutoring, or self-study. Listed below are more details on different prep options.
Live–Instruction Prep Courses/Classes
There are a plethora of SAT® and ACT® prep live-instruction classes. Students can take these type of courses at school if it is offered or outside of school with a local company or a major corporation. Depending on your student, some learn better if they are in a class setting. Effective live-instruction prep courses are led by professional instructors with extensive training. Students are exposed to different strategies that they can use on their standardized tests, and learn the concepts they need to have mastered. Being in a class setting students learn from other students when they hear the questions they ask.
One concern parents may have about test prep classes is class size. Depending on the company, your student can be in a class where there are up to 30 students or more! If you are doing your research and want to put your student in a test prep class, ask about the class size.
At KD College Prep we offer test prep classes and our maximum per class size is 15 students because we value a small group setting you can learn more on our website.
Online Test Prep Programs
Just as you can shop online and chat online, you can also take test prep online. Online test prep can be convenient and you done at your own pace.
If your student is more of a hands-on, in-person learner online test prep may not be the best option for them. The lack of accountability, interactivity, adaptability, and personalization can hinder some students. If those factors are important for you and your student, private tutoring or in-person classes may be a better test prep method.
Private Tutoring
One-on-one tutoring is another way to prep for college admissions tests. The major benefits of one on one tutoring is that the focus is on the individual needs, strengths, and weakness of the student. The tutor can determine teaching methods that will be most effective for the student.
Private tutoring can be very costly depending on how much the tutor charges per hour and how many sessions your student needs. When you’re doing your research on private tutors, make sure you check their reviews and references. Anyone can call themselves a “test prep expert,” as long as he or she has the SAT® or ACT® test prep book in their hands, but that doesn’t mean the tutor has experience.
At KD College Prep we offer private tutoring. The same instructors who teach our classes also work as private tutors. Learn more about one-on-one tutoring at KD.
Self-Study
Self-study is probably the most cost-efficient method of test prep. This method works best for students who are self-disciplined and who are good test takers on their own.
Self-study students have the option of reading books on their own or doing online test or concept prep programs. The downfall of self-study is if your student gets stuck on a problem on multiple practice tests that they take. Without a teacher present, there isn’t anyone around to correct their work or tell them what they are missing. This can be very frustrating for students.
Regardless of which method you and your student choose for test prep, the willingness to learn is the main ingredient for score improvement. If your student doesn’t put in the effort, then the improvement in scores will not be there.