One-on-One SAT Tutoring Provides Much Better Results than Large Classroom Setting

When it comes to SAT test prep, enrolling your child in one of the big-name classroom courses is not going to be the best use of your time or money. All children learn differently and have different strengths and weaknesses. As the following article discusses, private one-on-one tutoring provides much better results at a lower cost, and allows students to gain more individual insights into how to improve their specific set of skills.

Test Prep Classrooms: The World’s Most Outdated Model

For many parents, SAT and ACT prep are synonymous with only one thing: classroom courses. The deeply-entrenched tendency to pick classroom courses makes perfect sense – these courses were the first test prep instruction methods ever offered, they’re run by multi-million and multi-billion dollar corporations with massive marketing budgets, and they’re a “quick fix;” parents simply drop their children off, pick them up, and things are all taken care of. However, some experts in the test prep field feel that these courses are quickly becoming the most overpriced and ineffective option in the industry.

Test prep guru Anthony-James Green, president of Test Prep Authority and widely considered one of the best SAT tutor s in the country, explains his aversion to classroom test prep: “I could go on for hours about the inherent problems with these classroom courses, but if I had to offer only one, it would be this: they don’t teach students – they teach AT students. They’re built for “the average student,” whoever that is, and as a result, there’s not a single kid sitting in these classes who’s spending his time effectively. The fact that they cost so much adds serious insult to injury.”

A teacher stands in front of a class and spouts information at students for a few hours. Some students will be far behind the others, and they won’t receive nearly enough information on the topics covered. Other students will be far ahead of the class, and they’ll be sitting with their heads in their hands while the teacher drones on about topics they understand. But NONE of the students will acknowledge their need to understand the material, and as a result, they’ll remember almost nothing.

“There’s no longer any need for students to take these courses,” says Green of the opportunities that the web provides. “Students can find qualified tutors and incredible online SAT resources at the drop of a hat. Once a student is able to identify her weaknesses, and understands the process of eliminating them, she can use a plethora of different websites, software programs, guides, and one-on-one instruction to improve her performance.”