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Best online SAT prep?


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I didn't have to go this route with my sons, but I think my daughter could use some solid math SAT test prep. Her English score is good, so she doesn't need that but I know most prep courses do both.

It seems like Khan would be the best, targeted prep she could do for math, but, alas, she does not have the drive to push her way through math. I need something where she'll have to follow a clear schedule and get, hopefully, at least some personal feedback.

Any suggestions?

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Sorry - hire a tutor. I don't know one that is online, but maybe someone will pipe in here. Find one that knows the SAT math section, not just math. Then hit Khan Academy hard. 

We are in the same boat. Except now dd has a tutor and has motivation. She really likes one school that is competitive to get into. Her math score needs to come up so she is working on it. I wish I could tell you how this ends - hoping for a great outcome!

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Khan Academy has IMO 2 major advantages: First, it is free. Second, it has an official tie in with the College Board. My DD used that to prepare for the PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT.  She qualified as a National Hispanic Scholar when she took the PSAT/NMSQT in October of her Junior year (top 2.5% of the Hispanic students who took the exam) so I am assuming that she was in the top 5 or 10 percent of all test takers, but I try not to assume.

Now, for the ACT, she had access to their Online course with Kaplan (I think it is $100 for 6 weeks and less per week if you sign up for longer).  It had some live online classes where the students could ask questions in addition to the recorded lessons.

I think my DD preferred the ACT Kaplan course, but that it was not a huge improvement over the free Kaplan Academy stuff for the PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT.

I would try those, before spending huge amounts of money on something that might not give a huge improvement in the score.

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Oldest dd used HSLDA's SAT prep.

Youngest used CollegePrep Genius

This is not an easy thing.  I know families who have payed thousands of dollars on prep and did not get the resulting scholarships they wanted.  I know other families whose dc did get scholarships (2 received full ride), but they still paid lots of money for the prep.  Look at all your options and then chose what is best for your family and your budget.  Also, is your dc close to the desired score or pretty far away?  Will only a few points make a big difference?  Will more practice be the answer?  Does dc need a course in how to take the test more than the material covered on the test?  Is speed an issue?  Oldest worked with a tutor for a brief period of time.  The tutor remarked that dd knew the material.  If it wasn't timed, dd's score could be amazing.  She could do the work.  She just couldn't do each qestion in a minute and a half. 

Edited by HollyDay
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Follow on: There are probably books that only cover the Math, but I believe one should not forget the other topics.  Strategy is also important.  If your DD can apply self-discipline KhanAcademy is IMO the best path for her.   If not, then specific courses or tutoring dedicated to Math with some (hoped for) feedback...

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On 11/21/2018 at 1:47 PM, Lanny said:

If your DD can apply self-discipline KhanAcademy is IMO the best path for her. 

 

I agree that Khan would probably be the best targeted prep for her, but she doesn't have the self-discipline to follow through with it.

 

  "Also, is your dc close to the desired score or pretty far away?  Will only a few points make a big difference?  Will more practice be the answer?"

If she could bring her math score up, she could be on the edge for NMSQT commended, I think. Hard to say.  She knows where she wants to go to college, and I think she'll be ok getting in as things stand now, but I'm not sure and don't want to gamble on it if I can find her a test prep solution that would work for her.

 

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On 11/21/2018 at 1:36 PM, HollyDay said:

ldest dd used HSLDA's SAT prep.

Youngest used CollegePrep Genius 

 

What did you think of HSLDA's test prep?   I was looking at that, even though she doesn't need the English. Why did your youngest go a different route?  PM me, if that's easier.


Thanks!

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Another benefit of Khan Academy, is that it doesn't have to take a lot of discipline.  It emailed my student with a link to 10 questions every day and that made it easy for him to follow through.  Obviously, that won't be as thorough as a tutor, but it got done when many other approaches wouldn't for lack of time. 

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22 hours ago, yvonne said:

 

What did you think of HSLDA's test prep?   I was looking at that, even though she doesn't need the English. Why did your youngest go a different route?  PM me, if that's easier.


Thanks!

The HSLDA test prep brought dd's math score up quite a bit.  Her english score was okay where it was and it did not increase much. 

Youngest chose College Prep Genius after seeing it at a Homeschool convention.  She attended the seminar at the convention and liked what she saw.

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Hire an experienced SAT tutor that can give her a couple sessions focused exclusively on the math. A few sessions can make a world of difference. (Many students increase their math score 50 points after one session because they start using better strategies) I want to love Khan Academy. I do love it for math review on targeted topics. But I don't love their SAT prep. They tell you how to solve that one problem. But they don't teach you underlying strategic solving techniques (draw a picture, make a chart, etc) that can apply to many problems. You can check with your local high school counselor to see if they have recommendations for test prep tutors. Or private college counselors often have favorite tutors they refers folks out to.

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