What to look for in an SAT prep course?

"They said they would evaluate me." Lol, I thought that was some cracked threat from the nerd students. Haa, anyways. You already payed for it. If you didn't pay for it, don't take it. But if you did, and signed up for it, you can't back out. Who cares about the other students. I once had to take an admittance test to a highschool something like your prep class, and the test was hard as a mother. No calculator and timed. So I studied really hard for it, didn't get any sleep, and didn't get the grade that I wanted. Like, my friends got into this class and only a limited amount of people got in out of like 100. But a few months later, we took a nationwide test at the local high and I got the highest Algebraic grade out of 2/3 of the honors algebra 2 class. Honestly, even if you don't do good by their standards, you're going to learn a lot for the actual TEST. They'll probably over-prep you. You'll have to keep up, even with you're ap's. The other students don't matter. They're not the ones teaching you, and if you ever have a question you can ask one of them. If they get like a superior attitude or act like you're dumb, then you know not to talk to them anymore. Keep up, it'll pay off and manage your time. Personally, the prep courses I take are pretty not strict, so I would assume that yours would be too, but if it's not then you'll just have to stick it out till it ends. Good luck

Hey Brendan,

My name's Daniel; I'm the Lead Instructor at Kennedy Test Prep in Queens, NY.

I appreciate your honesty, and I know where you're coming from, so I hope I'm not the first to tell you this -- YOU CAN DO IT. Forget the other kids, forget the eval, and forget your fears about the SAT workload. I see anxious students from every imaginable school/class schedule/background getting the work done and destroying the SAT, and if they can do it, so can a straightforward guy like you.

If you can ignore for a moment my dog in this fight, I emphatically recommend that you avoid programs whose websites don't offer performance stats and testimonials from previous students. Just like buying a car, you don't want to invest your time and money without knowing it's reputation -- you'll only be relying on hope that a teacher you've never met will be any good, let alone emotionally invested in you.

We'd love to be part of your process; feel free to check out our website.

Break a leg!!

If you don't want the extra class hours and homework from a course, don't do it. You won't put the time in, and it will just be a waste of money probably. If you just want some books, then go that route--it's cheaper, and you can go at your own pace. I'm partial to the SAT Bibles, but there are others too.

Go with your guy--it sounds like you are a hard worker already, and have some natural ability. Study on your own first and see where that takes you. And get the SAT Official Guide, too.