Do I need an SAT prep course? Let’s answer your question right away: both yes and no. First of all, no matter whether you are preparing for SAT or not, you may or may not need support. For example, imagine that you are a computer user and you want to use Photoshop for your work. Do you need a Photoshop course? The answer to this question varies from person to person, but this is exactly the same as your question: Do I need an SAT prep course?
To answer this question, you may need to ask yourself a few questions. Let’s continue step by step.
Question 1: When are you planning to take the SAT test?
If you have more than 6 months to the test date, do not worry! You can start your own prep from various online and paper-based resources like Khan Academy. Since the exam date is far away, there is no harm in starting the SAT preparation without a tutor by your side. Our advice is to prepare by yourself first, and if you think you have difficulty solving problems and/or managing time, evaluate yourself until 6 months before the exam.
If you have less than 6 months, first of all, start with a diagnostics test and evaluate your work. Pro tip: Do not calculate your score! Since this is the first time you solve an SAT test, by 99% chance you will have a time management issue. Unanswered questions will make you lose points. If you could see unanswered questions, maybe you would have answered all/most of them correctly, but you couldn’t see them. Just evaluate the hardness of the test and the questions.
If you are familiar with the topics and you believe that you can ace these questions, start your own prep. After 1 more month evaluate yourself more time. If you are feeling that you cannot improve in a short time, do not hesitate to enrol SAT prep course.
Still could not get an answer to my question. Do I need an SAT prep course?
Question 2: How heavy is your school load?
Like the previous question, this question is also relevant to the time-management. If you have enough time to prepare for the test, go for it. However, some students have a heavy school load and they have difficulty timing off for the SAT prep, so they certainly need SAT Tutoring to learn all the tips, topics and time-saving clues.
An advantage you can get from online SAT prep courses is that it makes studying organized and much more efficient. You can ask questions that you struggle with to the tutor other than making deep research on various resources. In contrary to tutoring, with the free option, you do not have to spend money, but you will spend a lot of time structuring the course, managing the time. SAT is both hard and easy depending on your background knowledge and skills in various areas.
Final Verdict: Decide whether you have enough time or not. Answer to the question Do I need an SAT prep course? is hidden in this basic question: Do I have enough time to prepare for the SAT test prep?
The higher the point improvement you want to make on the SAT, the more hours you will need to put into prep and the more time you should give yourself before the exam. You’re not going to learn a lot in an SAT prep course if your tutor is not experienced in the SAT prep field. Keep in mind that prep courses are not just about teaching you the content on a test, but also about giving you tips and tricks for the SAT test.
