Best Sat Prep Courses: Choosing a Quality Test Prep Program
The best SAT prep courses are results oriented and led by experts. We walk you through how to identify what that means so you can get your money’s worth and actually improve your score.
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We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but most of the content out there claiming to list the “best SAT classes” are nothing more than clickbait. They’re looking to rank in Google search and highlight their own program, throwing in a bunch of “nationally recognized” programs to round out the list. Now we’re not above a little self-promotion - we definitely think our SAT prep course, SAT Boost, is one of the best - but we are going to completely avoid giving you a list “ranking” SAT programs. Instead, we’re going to teach you what to look for when choosing an SAT prep course so that you get your money’s worth, work with someone reputable, and actually improve your score.
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The importance of SAT Preparation
While it’s true that the SAT has become more aligned with high school curriculum since 2016, taking the SAT without preparing ahead of time is a good way to earn a disappointing score (some students choose to take an SAT without preparing as a means of establishing a baseline, but a diagnostic test can do the same - and doesn’t show up on your college application materials). Preparing for the SAT is ultimately about making sure you’re getting the score you want, or at least getting your best score possible. And for many students, it’s the only time they’ll be exposed to the more advanced math and vocabulary on the SAT. SAT prep also helps calm test day jitters through familiarity with the question types and material. Good SAT prep should mean there are no surprise questions on the day of the actual test: you’ve already seen it all.
What Makes a Good SAT Prep Program?
So what makes a good SAT prep program? Here’s what we recommend you look for when choosing an individual or company.
They’re Experts
Of course anyone can call themself an expert. But there are a few tells that someone is actually an SAT expert.
- This is what they do full time. The tutor - if it’s an individual - should do this full time, not “on the side.” You definitely don’t want to go to your mother’s brother’s best friend’s son because “he got a 1530 on the SAT and is really smart.” Someone who dedicates their time to knowing everything there is to know about the SAT and how to teach it will provide a high-quality SAT prep program.
- If it’s an agency, their tutors are trained and vetted. Many of the most well known programs - the ones that have locations in every city across the country - have a high churn rate and their tutors don’t get a lot of oversight. Meaning how helpful they are varies greatly tutor to tutor. You’re paying good money and dedicating time to improve your score and the results should be consistent regardless of which tutor you’re assigned to.
- They know math and reading & writing. It’s common for parents - and students - to gravitate towards tutors who got a perfect or near perfect score on the math section. So they chose individuals or organizations that drill calculation tricks, shortcuts and formulas, while neglecting the equally critical riverside of the SAT. Strong SAT prep requires balance. For students scoring under 1300, effective tutoring should fill both knowledge gaps and teach core strategy. For those aiming higher, strategy becomes the main driver—and verbal reasoning is often where the biggest gains are found.
They’re Results Oriented
We don’t mean they should be promising the moon. In fact, we’d advise you to be cautious of anyone - person or company - claiming they can raise your score by a certain number of points. There’s no way they can actually promise that. But they should be focused on each student improving their score consistently over time and tracking that progress through regular practice exams. One way to see if you’re actually improving? Take a practice test before you begin working with them and another 4-6 weeks in. If your score hasn’t improved, it’s time to move on.
They Customize
Many tutoring companies love to sell an 8-week SAT prep course built around a pre-set curriculum. Parents and students are drawn to it because it sounds efficient and structured. And it probably is, but it’s also a flawed approach.
A good tutoring program isn’t about taking what the tutor knows and downloading it to the students. It’s about discovering where the gaps are in a student’s existing knowledge and shoring up the weak areas. It’s impossible to do that with a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
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They Use the Best Mock Exam Platforms
It’s unfortunate, but true: many self-proclaimed SAT tutors don’t know good from bad when it comes to training platforms, and so they use the cheapest available. This wastes students’ valuable time (and parent’s money) as the students are exposed to repetitive mock exams that don’t challenge the students - and might even test them on irrelevant topics and question types. A good indicator of a quality program is that you or your student feel like you are seeing new questions/question types during prep, but not when you take the exam. Students should not be surprised when they go and take the real test. A quality testing-prep platform and tutoring program will teach students how to identify question types and then apply proven strategies to find the right answer.
Top Rated SAT Prep Courses
Just kidding. We promised you we weren’t giving you a list, remember? The best SAT prep course is one that meets the criteria above, works for your time-frame and schedule, and is a good personality fit between student and tutor/instructor.
Types of SAT Prep Courses
There are three primary types of delivery for SAT prep courses (and of course you can always choose one-one tutoring if you feel that’s a better fit for you).
- Online SAT Prep Programs
Online SAT prep courses are probably the most common offering, especially post-pandemic. Depending on the program this could be as simple as virtual tutoring or as advanced as regular live classes involving homework between sessions.
- In-Person SAT Classes
In-person SAT classes are a better fit for students easily distracted in a virtual setting. These typically include weekly or biweekly classes and attendance can vary greatly by company and geographic location.
- Hybrid Options
Students looking to be virtual when convenient and in-person the rest of the time can benefit from a hybrid option.
Ivy Tutors Network offers Online and Hybrid options for our SAT Boost Membership. While all classes are virtual, students in NYC can choose to take their mock exams in person at our Manhattan testing center, as well as add-on in-person, individualized tutoring.
Best SAT Prep Classes for Different Learning Styles
This might be a bit controversial, but we’re not big believers in learning styles. There isn’t a lot of evidence to back up the claim that teaching to a student’s “learning style” improves outcomes. Instead, we prefer to focus on each student’s abilities. Using a set of tests developed by researchers at UPenn called MindPrint, all SAT students at Ivy Tutors Network learn about their cognitive strengths and weaknesses. We also assess what students know relevant to the SAT. This allows us to group students based on ability and knowledge (not arbitrary learning styles) to teach more effectively. Students who choose to add on individualized tutoring can use that time to focus on the areas that challenge them the most in whatever “style” works best for them.
We feel confident that you could find an SAT program that claims to teach to the different learning styles. We also feel confident that it doesn’t matter - and that focusing on that aspect could lead you astray when choosing someone truly competent to help you or your student succeed on the SAT.
Free and Affordable SAT Prep Resources
Of course, not everyone has the resources to pay for a multi-month SAT prep course. If private tutoring or courses isn’t realistic for you or your family, there are a few places to start.
- Your high school. Find out from a guidance counselor or trusted teacher what the school offers for free. There might be SAT practice sessions or a tutoring partner program.
- CollegeBoard. The makers of the SAT offer a host of free resources for students, including full length practice tests. While they offer both paper and digital versions of the practice tests, we advise you to take the digital version since this will give you the most realistic test day experience.
- Katya’s YouTube. Katya covers a whole host of topics on her YouTube channel, from mindset to extra hard math questions. Use them to learn new ways to approach key components of the SAT to make your prep more effective.
What we definitely recommend not doing, is using ChatGPT or another LLM. These platforms are not designed for SAT and will lead you astray during preparation, which will cause wrong answers on test day.
While many students prefer SAT courses for the structure it provides them, dedicated students can absolutely improve their scores through diligent self-study. We’re cheering for you!
Tips for Maximizing Your SAT Prep Experience
If you want to get the most out of your SAT prep experience, here’s what Katya recommends.
1. Do it with a friend you respect. A “study buddy” can be an excellent way to work on SAT prep, but it’s important to pick the right person. That friend whose study habits you wish you had? The one whose writing you wish you could emulate or who explains math concepts in a way you understand? They’re the ones to work with when it comes to studying for the SAT. Choose someone you aspire to be like, and whose academic drive you admire.
2. Do it with a teacher you really like. We all tend to learn better from people we like. So when choosing an SAT instructor, pick someone you really like. You obviously need to pick someone qualified, like we talked about above, but the next criteria should be that you’re generally interested in learning from them. Do some internet sleuthing and see how they present themselves on social media, or see if they do short meetings to get to know them and see if they’re the right fit for you.
3. Do it at the same time and the same place. Whether you’re doing homework assigned from a specific SAT course, or are doing self-directed SAT prep, make it a habit that sticks by choosing a specific time and place when you’ll always do it. Example: “I will come home after practice on Monday, Wednesday, an dThursday and do 30 minutes of SAT practice at my desk.” Don’t forget to do what you need to do to have that time be uninterrupted.
4. Do it with a realistic goal in mind. You’re not going to increase our score by 300 points in two weeks. 300 points is a lofty goal even with really consistent practice over a period of months. Instead, set smaller increment goals like 50 or 100 points at a time. This will help you stay motivated and make forward progress.
Finding the best SAT prep courses requires research and due diligence. Choosing one from an arbitrary list on Google (or ChatGPT) without making sure they’re truly qualified is a good way to lose time and money. Equally important is not being fooled by well known names in the industry, many of which give little to no formal training to their tutors and leave you at the mercy of whichever tutor you’re assigned to. The truly best instructors, whether individuals or companies, will be happy to walk you through their process because they’ll not only have one, they’ll be able to show you how they track results.
If you’re interested in an SAT prep course, we encourage you to check out our SAT Boost program. And if you have any questions, we’d love to talk with you. Set up a time here to make sure Ivy Tutors Network is the right fit for you - we’re ready for all your hard questions.
