You have decided to enroll in an SAT/ACT Prep course and you are ready to begin… now what? How do you choose a program that is right for you? What types of programs are best? Should you do in-classroom study, online coursework or both?
In my experience, students benefit from in-person coursework, coupled with online practice programs. One enhances and reinforces the other. However, if you can only do one or the other that is okay too – just as long as you do something. Preparatory courses are critical to SAT/ACT success.
For onsite coursework, first, choose a program that provides full practice exams under timed conditions. The more realistic the practice is to the actual exam, the more at ease and prepared you will be when the time actually comes. Next, you want engaging, experienced tutors that have many tricks and strategies up their sleeves. Young and energetic may seem good, but young often denotes a lack of experience. Look for programs that offer qualified tutors (with many years under their belt) and that offer separate teachers for both the math and verbal portions of the tests. You want instructors who are experts in his/her field –not all fields. The more specific the expertise, the better!
As far as frequency goes, I advise you find a course structured to 2-3 hours per week – with a minimum of 8 to 10 weeks lead-time. With the WilsonDailyPrep program, our students spend three full months preparing – with very positive results.
For online courses, I recommend my WDP program because we hold students accountable. Yes, our program takes only 6 minutes a day and this may not seem like enough – but if students are not taking an onsite course in conjunction with our program, we provide EXTRA weekly work and individualized feedback.
Lastly, I do not recommend online courses that fail to provide ACCOUNTABILITY – an actual person guiding the student and making the student complete weekly assignments. I often see students who mean to and want to study, but time slips away! It is very hard to spend the weekend on reading, writing, math, grammar – on top of schoolwork! With our program, you have a personal coach giving you that extra nudge along the way!