Have you ever wondered if test prep is really necessary?
I wanted to start this series off with one of the most urgent questions about test prep: “Why would my kid even need SAT prep or ACT prep?”
If you are not sure what purpose SAT prep serves, it might seem like test prep is unnecessary, optional, or expensive. Your kid already has a lot going on - is SAT prep worth it in terms of time invested? And that’s aside from the possible expenses. Parents who are unfamiliar with test prep, or who have had bad experiences with tutors in the past, might also feel pretty negative towards it.
But to me, as an SAT prep teacher, it’s really easy to explain the exact value of test prep to parents and to articulate exactly why this is probably not optional for the majority of high school students.
I want to share some three of the best parts about test prep with you today, but first I want to start with three common misunderstandings.
Myth #1: Test prep is all about turning your kids into numbers and rankings.
Bad scores. Good scores.What’s it all for? After all these years of education and hard work, your kid is just a “percentile?” A “ranking?”
NO. That’s unacceptable. You know, and I know, that your kid is an awesome, fun, multi-dimensional teenager with the world before them. Numbers are there to serve the people. People are not here to serve the numbers.
Good test prep tutors see students as kids first, and as numbers - never! If we can figure out the unique personal strengths and struggles of each student, and why they want to get better at the SAT, the scores are going to come along for the ride.
Myth#2: Test prep is only for getting into a good college.
… Because of course all challenges of life end on the first day of Freshman year of college. Right? Not. We all know that life goes on after test prep, after high school, after college graduation.
As we all know, even with perfect SAT scores, our kids will face new struggles even after they’ve been admitted to the best colleges on the planet. Harder struggles.
Struggles like the difficulties of picking a career. Of defining ourselves. Of paying back student loans. Struggles like the first independent rent check they have to pay. Or earning their first promotion on their own two legs.
Our kids and students will grow up one day to be adults and teachers. It will be hard. It will take so much strength from them. And this struggle will most definitely not end upon the moment they enter college. Even if they go to Harvard. Even if they get into an Ivy League college, our kids still have decades of hard work ahead of them.
Test prep is not just about getting your foot in the door at a good college, it’s about more than that. It’s about the skills of focus, self-discipline, and picking yourself up when you fall. It’s about jumping in with both feet when a problem seems impossible and never giving up. Those are the sorts of lessons that last a lifetime.
Myth #3: Test prep is too expensive for me.
It’s true that test prep hourly fees are typically a little higher. In fact, many companies base their business around gouging customers for tutoring. I’m aware of at least three companies that charge over $250 an hour for SAT tutoring. That is definitely excessive, but some customers think high price is a sign of skill and prestige (even though a high price is no guarantee of skill!)
The truth is, good test prep tutors are a pretty smart bunch of people. And smart people know that they are valuable. Most SAT tutors are aware they could work in other tough and brainy fields, but they like to teach and they love working with their students. With tutors’ top 99% scores versus national competition, I think it’s understandable that test preppers consider themselves “elite” tutors and charge a little more than the average tutor - as long as they are also being fair to the customer and respecting students and parents.
The whole concept here is that 2 hours with a great tutor will be worth 6 hours with a mediocre tutor. Looking at it in that light, a “cheap” tutor could actually be the more expensive tutor - doing more harm than good for your student’s confidence!
Bad tutoring frustrates kids, wastes their energy and makes them feel “burnt out.” Great tutoring inspires them, drives them to finish homework on-time, and provides an educational experience that lasts for a lifetime. That’s what we are all about at Love the SAT! We have a unique culture that understands what your high school kids are going through.
We believe tutors should charge a fair rate for sharing their high-level skill, passion, and expertise with our students and parents. Check out our rates and pricing page to get a feel for what we charge for SAT tutoring and group classes.
What’s more: Good test prep should pay itself back (with interest) in the form of more scholarship money and higher lifelong/career earnings.
Those were the myths - now here are 3 contrasting truths that great SAT tutors know!
TRUTH #1: Test Prep is for allowing your kids to fulfill their dreams when they get older.
Perhaps we shouldn’t just look at the immediate problem of points and vocabulary cards. Let’s think about the big picture.
What do we want most for our kids? To see them happy, fulfilled, and successful.
Test prep is to enable our students as they grow up. To succeed. To become astronauts, doctors, and law professors. To start companies. To be rock stars or compose symphonies. To write books or be photographers or speech pathologists. To become adults - happy, fulfilled adults - and to get there sooner and easier than we had it for ourselves.
TRUTH #2: Test Prep is an investment in creating wealth (in all its forms) for our kids.
Financial wealth, intellectual wealth, social wealth… the ability to solve problems, and the wealth of confidence that comes from trusting your own judgement. Social interactions and life lessons that add richness and depth to tutoring. The connections and friends made at the best universities that can lead to lifelong bonds.
SAT scores can be seen as a gatekeeper to this wealth, a temporary barrier between high school and real life.
True wealth, which is so much more than a simple number, demands investment of time, energy, and money. Education is the single most important investment we can make in our kids.
Furthermore, strong SAT and ACT scores can often lead to literal riches in the form of college scholarship victories that can more than return the upfront cost of tutoring or classes.
TRUTH #3: Test Prep is for us all to pass something on to the next generation.
Test prep is education - and education is something that lasts, plain and simple. It demands an investment of us but it gives so much back to those who partake. Like planting a tree, the seeds of education enrich our lives with fruit and shade in return for the care and love we invest in it.
We all want to know that we have added to the wealth of humanity and ultimately to know that we haven’t lived for nothing or consumed more than we created - we have to know that we have passed something down as we grow older that lives on. As for us, they will always be your children, but they are still in some small part, “our kids.”
SAT prep is for all high school students with big dreams!
Done right, students feel more confident and self-assured. They have developed their character more, and they have learned - whether it’s algebra, reading skills, or essay-writing, they come away better at a whole host of new skills. It’s also a character-building experience, as we’ve learned: self-discipline, trusting yourself, and dusting yourself off when you fall.
The value of test prep goes beyond simple calculations and vocabulary flashcards. The truth is that the SAT is just like so much of “Adult Life.” This is a tough test with a rewarding payoff. We need to expose our kids to these kinds of lessons and teach them not to bury their head in the sand, but rather to courageously apply hard work and personal effort to improve themselves in a measurable way.
It makes everyone - students, parents, and teachers - feel good. That’s what test prep should be about.
Look for the next article soon!
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This is only the beginning of our educational series that will help you get ready for test prep and know what to do to help your kids through all of this.
More SAT prep info coming your way soon (as long as you’re a subscribed member of our exclusive free mailing list!)
Additional Resources:
“Conquer SAT Vocabulary” Video Course
“Winning College Scholarships for High Schoolers” Video Course