Do SAT Prep Courses Help Test Takers?

C. Motivated students tend to improve no matter what, but coaching gives an additional bump

By Jo Craven McGinty, The Wall Street Journal, May 1, 2015                                                  

By the end of this weekend, thousands of high-school students will have taken the SAT, that nerve-racking, four-hour exam used by colleges and universities to screen applicants. The best preparation, of course, is to have paid attention in school, studied hard and learned the material. But many students also pay for expensive test-prep courses in hopes of boosting their scores. Do the courses work? Please use a No. 2 pencil and mark the correct answer:

(A) Always

(B) Never

(C) Sometimes

(D) What was the question again?

(E) Oh, jeez, time’s up

Academic researchers have repeatedly tried to determine whether coaching improves SAT scores. It is a difficult question to answer objectively because of the confounding variables.

Highly motivated students—like those who sign up for test-prep courses—are likely to improve no matter what. Just taking the test again often raises scores. And it is hard to distinguish the effects of test prep from other factors that may contribute to a better score.

Still, different studies over the years have suggested coaching tends to improve performance, though perhaps less dramatically than some test-prep companies suggest as researchers have found some improvement was likely to occur without coaching.

“The mythology is that students who are scoring in the 500s will get into the 750 range,” said Derek Briggs, a professor at the University of Colorado School of Education who has studied the effects of test preparation. “A realistic bump from commercial test prep might be about 20 to 30 points on math and verbal sections combined, but that’s on top of whatever baseline increase we’d expect of students who do everything except get commercial test prep.”

It’s easy to understand the allure. Those extra points could improve the chance of being admitted to a coveted school, and higher scores may also increase the dollar amount of merit-based scholarships.

For example, freshmen entering Georgia State University with an SAT score of 1200 might qualify only for a one-time $500 award, depending on their other qualifications. Those who scored 50 points more might qualify for a renewable scholarship of $3,000 a year.

Knowing the stakes, many students, with the backing of their parents, pay for the coaching.

In advance of this weekend’s tests (there is also a second round of SAT exams in June), experts at Princeton Review and Kaplan, two test-prep companies, shared what they say are their best tips for boosting scores. If nothing else, the information may help nervous test takers relax.

The SATs, a time-honored bit of student stress, captured in this image of students taking the exam in “If you can defuse frenzy around the test and make students feel confident about being a test taker, they are already going to be a success,” said Robert Franek, senior vice president and publisher of Princeton Review.

Survey the map. Going into the exam, students should understand what Mr. Franek calls the geography of the test. Most sections begin with easier questions followed by those of medium difficulty and concluding with the most challenging questions. This means the answer choices that seem obvious in the earlier questions of a section are probably correct. But answers for the most difficult questions will likely include ambiguous choices that require more thought. Students who are aware of this may trust their instincts on the easy questions, spending perhaps 15 seconds on each, to give more careful consideration to the difficult questions.

Slow down. Each multiple-choice question on the SAT is worth one point. There is no penalty for skipping a question. But a wrong answer subtracts one-quarter point from the score—although that will change in March 2016, when a new version of the test rolls out, eliminating the “wrong-answer penalty.” (In June, the College Board, which publishes the SAT, in partnership with Khan Academy will release a free practice program for the redesigned SAT.)

For now, the Princeton Review and Kaplan advise students who aren’t trying for a perfect score to answer only a portion of the questions in a section to devote more time to each answer.

Scoring 600 in math, for example, requires 38 points. To achieve that, the Princeton Review suggests answering 42 of the 54 questions. Answering a few more questions than the point goal provides a cushion for errors.

“For me, there were a couple of questions that always threw me,” said Seppy Basili, vice president of college admissions for Kaplan. “It was liberating to know I could skip them.”

Use the process of elimination. Most SAT questions are multiple-choice, and the pros advise against random guesses. In other words, when in doubt, don't simply choose “C”. However, crossing out choices that are obviously wrong may help students arrive at the correct response.  

“Students need to understand how guessing works,” Mr. Basili said. “If you can eliminate at least one answer or, better, two, the odds are in your favor. It doesn’t help to blind-guess.”

Understand super scoring. When students retake the SAT, their scores often improve—but they may also get worse. At most schools, this is irrelevant because they “super score,” which means they mix and match test results, judging students by their best scores for each section regardless of whether the score was recorded on the first or fourth attempt.

Students are best served by developing their knowledge, but cultivating a few test-taking skills can’t hurt—especially if it reduces the anxiety many feel going into the exam. So, if your son or daughter, and you, are laid-back types, relax. Skip a question here and there. Focus on what you know. And have a few backup schools in mind.

Pencils down.