Test Prep Seminar, Inc

I haven't heard of them and I am an SAT classroom instructor and private tutor. The company I work for is Revolution Prep and I definitely stand by our work. Princeton Review and Kaplan are also reputable companies.

A good company should be able to guarantee you a 200-300 point increase on SAT scores for students who complete a full course or tutoring package. My company charges $599 for group classes or for small group tutoring, which is live, on-line tutoring with no more than 5 students per tutor, which is similar to pricing from our competitors. On-line small group tutoring is like running a very small class in places where there aren't enough students to warrant a full live class. The on-line small group tutoring is our fastest growing segment and the students really love it. If you don't have a lot of test prep options in your area, you may want to look into on-line options. Most large companies have some reasonably priced on-line option that combines the liveliness of a group class with the attention and convenience of in-home tutoring.

Overall, I think that GOOD test prep is a good investment. One doesn't have to invest thousands of dollars to see results that will help with a student's admissions chances or merit-based financial aid.

ETA: If this is the company you're talking about, the lack of pricing on their website, the advice to rarely leave SAT questions blank (terrible advice!) and the poor grammar on their website would lead me to be very skeptical of their product and services. http://www.testprepseminars.org/classes.htm

Wow, I can't believe how expensive some of these classes are. My kids took a school offered 6 part class, two hours each part, total cost was $130 including materials. And yes it helped, they are both college students with large academic scholarships.

:)

Not sure about any specific company, but my son did the prep classes offered at his school. It was run by the guidance counselor and teachers; I think it was like six or eight two-hour sessions and cost something like $35. He really was glad he went because it not only covered everything, they were given practice tests and were informed about what to expect on the actual day of testing. It really took the edge off his nerves by knowing what to expect.

I've gotten calls from companies that want to sell me all kinds of ACT practice books, etc. for hundreds of dollars - I'm sooooooooooo glad I didn't waste my money. Plus, it really upset me that the school gave out our information!! They shouldn't be allowed to do that.

Good luck!!

I don't have personal experience as my kids aren't at that age, but I have heard of a good one that you might want to look into: PrepMe. It is an online and is an ADAPTIVE learning tool. It doesn't just teach your child the right answers to test well, but teaches them how to figure out the answer in a manner that is most effective for that student (not everyone learns the same).

Never heard of them. My daughter did the Kaplan ACT prep course last year. It was $500. Her score went up by 4 points. She got into all 7 colleges that she applied to.

Never heard of that one. We used Princeton Review. Overall costs with 1 on 1 prep and assistance with all the college apps, etc was roughly $3000.

I don't think we got $3000 with of help. There are no guarantees for successful testing either. Our daughter did score higher after the prep but it was not that dramatically higher.

I will add that so far, she has been accepted to 2 of the 5 colleges (high end, private.... not glorified high schools) and awarded academic scholarships. After we hear from everyone, she'll choose by the May 1 deadline.

ETA: We did add on some specialized options so every product that Princeton has available is not going to be in the $3000 range. The classes and small groups were within the prices ranges which are stated with the other responses. You just have to figure out the best plan for your family. Could we have spent less, of course. Would it have helped her chances, I have no idea. We went with the best that we could afford at the time plus we were dealing with crazy schedules which upped my price.

My two youngest daughters both attended Revolution Test Prep courses. We were very, very pleased. As one of them said, the SAT covers everything taught in high school -- not just what she studied during the year she took the test. It was very helpful to review material she hadn't sen since freshman year. Also, the test taking strategies were really useful.