Test Prep and Tutoring

Many people caught the news that the SAT is changing (again) and reverting back to the 1600 scale that most parents remember (it is now on a 2400 scale). First and foremost its important to realize that the new SAT is not rolling out until Spring of 2016, so for most parents currently thinking about the SAT, its probably not relevant. For the parents of current 10th graders, however, it will be relevant, so this article is going to discuss the changes in the SAT and how that will impact preparing for the test.

Before getting into the actual changes, its important to understand that there will be an opportunity for current 10th graders to avoid the new SAT. The more information one has bout a test the easier it is to prepare for it, so if a student plans to really prepare for the SAT, they probably have more of an advantage on the current version of the test and would probably benefit from taking that one. The reverse is probably also true – for those who hate the idea that the SAT can even be prepared for, the new SAT will, in the beginning at least, provide a sort of level playing field that will probably not exist once the test has been around for a couple of years. In any event, the new SAT will be administered for the first time in March of 2016, so for any 10th grader who would like to stick with the current SAT, there are 4 test dates in the first half of their 11th grade year that they can take (October, November, December, and January). This may seem a bit early, but many of the students I have tutored over the years have taken these earlier tests and been done by January of their 11th grade year. The key would be to start preparing during the summer between 10th and 11th grade, which is actually the best time to start anyway!

For those who will be taking the new SAT, either voluntarily or because of circumstance, there are some pretty radical changes to the test, but in my opinion the test will remain at its core pretty much the same (if you would like to read a full account from College Board of the changes, click here). Let’s start with what will be obviously different. Probably the biggest change is move back to the 1600 scale, which will essentially involve collapsing the current Writing and Critical Reading sections into a single Verbal section. For students who have better Math ability and worse Reading/Writing ability this will be a welcome change since the new test will have a 50/50 split between Math and Verbal (as opposed to the current 1/3 Math and 2/3 Verbal).

Another change that will likewise result in a net decrease in the proportion of the exam devoted to verbal-based skills is that the essay will become optional and will not count towards the overall score. This is a plus for all students in my opinion since the essay is currently the most arbitrary and unfair part of the exam. One additional change related to the “Verbal” sections of the current exam is the way vocabulary will be tested. On the new SAT the words tested will be less obscure and more familiar to most students AND they will be tested in context so that it will be less a test of one’s ability to memorize the meaning of words out of context and more about measure of one’s ability to infer meaning based on the surrounding context.

There are other changes to the individual sections and to the test as a whole and how it is scored, but the most important thing to understand is that the test will remain fundamentally the same: it will still be a test of a person’s reasoning and critical thinking ability. Actually the new SAT will likely be MORE a test of those skills than the current version of the exam. The way the new essay task is structured, for example, places an emphasis on evaluating an author’s argument, not just taking a position on a really general issue. And by testing vocabulary in context and by using words that are less obscure, the writers of the SAT are shifting the focus away from rote memorization and towards the ability to reason and infer.

As is probably obvious from the other pages on my site (and by the name ReasonSAT), I already see reasoning and critical thinking as the most important factors on the SAT. The new SAT will, in my opinion, just continue this emphasis and even extend it. Therefore, the traditional methods of memorizing hundreds of words and cramming barely relevant math formulas will be less effective than they already are. As with the current version of the SAT, students will need to learn how to read analytically, problem solve effectively, and more generally apply logical reasoning and critical thinking skills in both predictable and creative ways.

Obviously I myself am a private SAT tutor advertising my services so this article could appear to be self-serving. But there are some universals to choosing the right tutor and this article discusses some of the factors that need to be considered and some of the steps that can be taken to ensure that you choose the right SAT tutor, regardless of who that might be.

In a separate article I cover the question of whether to hire a private tutor or one from a major test prep company. In that article I make the point that although it may seem “safer” to go with someone from Princeton Review or Kaplan, there are many advantages to choosing someone who is not affiliated with a major company. Ultimately, however, a lot depends on the actual tutor that you get so whether it is through a major test prep company or a private SAT tutor, most of the considerations and steps that should be taken would still apply.

The most obvious consideration is price. The big companies will often have a set rate and may have slightly different variations to account for the differing levels of experience of their tutors. Keep in mind that the parent company keeps most of the money and the tutor gets a relatively small percentage, which is why most tutors who are really experienced and who can command even a modest fee choose not to work for large companies. Another thing to keep in mind is that price is not a guarantee of experience or effectiveness. I have tutored students who were taught previously by individuals who are well-known within the SAT prep world and who charge exorbitant fees – in most of the cases I was shocked to learn what the tutor was actually doing with the student and was left wondering how they could continue to charge what they do given how apparently ineffective they seem to be. Unfortunately there are parents who WANT to pay a ton of money because they believe that means they are getting someone really good.

That said, price should be an important consideration because although it does not necessarily speak to the ability of the tutor, you need to find a budget that you are comfortable with and that you can sustain. Sometimes parents think the process is going to last 3 months only to find out that their child really needs to prepare more or take the SAT an additional time and this can occasionally lead to a longer time frame than was originally envisioned. The last thing you want is to skimp on SAT tutoring or change tutors after your child has already developed a relationship with one simply because of financial considerations.

Another consideration is how well the tutor fits with your child. Its obviously difficult to gauge this without meeting the tutor, which is why you don’t want to commit to a block of hours or to a tutoring package without first meeting with the tutor. This is another disadvantage of going through a major company – they will often urge or even require you to sign up for a tutoring package and will often not let you meet or vet the tutor that your child will be working with without a financial commitment on your part. I personally set up a free 1-hour in-person consultation with my new clients so that they can learn more about me and the process that we will embark on and to get a sense for how well I fit with their child. Whoever you hire, its obviously a good idea to have an initial meeting prior to making any large financial commitment, so avoid any tutor or any company that prevents you from doing so.

Finally, and most importantly, you obviously want to make sure that the person you are hiring is an experienced and extremely effective SAT tutor. One way to do this is to check references. Here again the large test prep companies might make it hard if not impossible for you to do this. Nevertheless no matter who you hire its useful to get 1 or 2 references. Additionally, in order to get some real answers from the references, it’s a good idea to ask some very specific questions (not just, “tell me about tutor x”). For example, you may want to ask how the tutor motivated the student, how the student responded to the tutor, how long the process lasted, what was the score improvement, how many times did the child take the test and why, etc.). By asking some pretty specific, targeted questions you will help ensure that you are speaking to someone who was actually a client of the tutor in question and you will learn a bit about what the process looks like from someone who just went through it with that tutor.

Probably as important as getting references, if not more important, is to actually vet the tutor directly. This may seem difficult for someone who does not know much about the private SAT tutoring process, but its probably the best way to get a sense for how experienced and proficient the tutor is. The answers that the tutor gives and the confidence and ease with which he or she gives them will give you a general sense of the tutor’s level of expertise. Additionally, if you are considering more than one SAT tutor you can compare the way the different tutors answer the questions to get a sense for their relative level of experience and mastery. Here is a list of questions that you could ask:

What are the factors that, in your opinion, most determine how a student ultimately scores?

How do you individualize the game plan? In other words, how do you gauge what a student needs most to improve his or her score and how do you structure things based on that?

What materials do you use? Do you rely on official SAT tests or those of a major test prep company or both?

What is your methodology with regard to tutoring students for the SAT and how is that reflected both in the overall game plan and in the learning that happens within the individual tutoring sessions?

How do you deal with poor time management issues (i.e., a student not being able to finish a section of the SAT in the time given)?

Do you tutor all sections of the SAT and how do you divide up the time with a student to cover all of those sections? Do you have certain sections that you tend to start with (i.e., Math and Writing first and Critical Reading later)?

As the sessions progress, how do you continue to gauge where the student is weak and how to allocate time, both in terms of what you cover in the sessions and what you assign for homework?

When was the last time you took the SAT and what was your score?

There is really no right answer to any of the above questions, but any good private SAT tutor should have thought through all of these issues countless times and be able to give you knowledgeable and confident answers. Additionally, as mentioned above, if you have the opportunity to speak to more than one SAT tutor you will be able to compare the way they answer the questions to see not only who you see more eye-to-eye with in terms of their overall philosophy and approach but also who seems to have a better general level of experience and expertise.

There is enormous variety when it comes to SAT prep options and parents often have difficulty choosing which option is best for their child. Obviously a student can self study, do an online course, take a live class, get private SAT tutoring, plus many options in between. What’s best for one student is not necessarily best for another, but there are some general truths regarding all of the options that can help you make a more informed, educated decision.

The main advantage to taking a class is that it is generally cheaper than hiring a private SAT tutor. Having an individual tutor for your child is invariably more effective (assuming the tutor knows what he or she is doing), but taking a class can be valuable in certain circumstances. When students are first starting out they tend to know almost nothing about the SAT, so taking a class at that point can serve as a good, low-cost introduction to the test and some of the basic strategies for dealing with it. The problem is that once a student has a good familiarity with the SAT they usually need some specific guidance that is tailored to their particular weaknesses and the only real way to get that is to have private tutor watch a student work through questions and even probe them to get a better understanding of exactly what mental processes are taking place, then guide the student based on that.

Within the category of private SAT tutoring there are two main options: going through a major test prep company and hiring an independent private tutor. Though it may seem like using a major provider is a safer bet, that is not necessarily the case. First of all, many SAT tutors who work for major companies are novices – I know this because I was once one of them and got to see what it was like from the inside of a major test prep company. The truth is that most of these tutors come in having scored well on the test that they intend to teach but knowing nothing about teaching or tutoring and are trained by the company for their role. Once a tutor gains enough experience, they tend to leave the major companies since they can command (and at that point deserve) much more money than they receive working for one of the big companies.

More importantly, however, the major test prep companies are handcuffed by their own model of doing business. Since for marketing and branding reasons they create their own books, questions, and practice tests, they tend not to use the official materials published by College Board (the company that makes the SAT). Ironically many parents are duped into thinking that this adds some extra value to have resources created by the test prep company, when in fact the reverse is true. By ignoring the “real” questions and practice tests that are released by College Board, these companies commit their students to practicing on “fake” questions and inauthentic practice tests. Many of the students I tutor come to me having never taken an official practice test – once I have them do so they often score differently (usually better) than they had on the Kaplan or Barron’s tests and usually notice a difference in the questions themselves. I use a variety of materials with the students that I tutor, but when it comes to practice questions and practice tests I rely almost exclusively on the official tests and questions released by College Board. In fact, when it comes to having my students take actual practice tests I prefer to use tests that were previously administered as an actual SAT as opposed to the tests that College Board created for the main book that they publish since the latter ones are not quite as authentic because they didn’t go through the same vetting process that the actual previously administered tests did.

Furthermore, an private SAT tutor is free to use any resources he or she sees fit and is not constrained by the brand that he or she works for. I personally have a variety of materials that I use – different students have different needs so the particular books and questions I use varies from student to student. I have my own materials that I use, but I also use books from the major companies (like Barron’s and Kaplan) as well as those from individual tutors like me. Again, for practice questions and practice tests I rely almost exclusively on the official College Board materials, but for teaching strategies or learning techniques there are a variety of good resources available. Ultimately I choose whatever resources I deem to be the most effective and the most useful for that particular student. Any really experienced SAT tutor should be knowledgeable about the range of options out there and be able to choose those that best fit the student and situation. Tutors who work for the large companies are generally limited to the materials produced by that company, for obvious reasons, but they also tend not to even be aware of what else is out there since they operate in a kind of bubble within the company.