SAT Test Prep for High Achievers

Do All High School Students Need an SAT Preparation Class?

Jun 18, 2009

Even though an SAT prep course is great for students with mid-range SAT scores, there is a point of diminishing returns for anyone scoring with a high 2000+ SAT score.

Scholastic Aptitude Test scores often mean the difference between a college acceptance and rejection. The test also verifies that a student's high grades do not exclusively come from inflated grading standards. As scary as the SAT appears in deciding a high school student's future, it is also the easiest piece of college admissions data to improve. Raising a GPA by 0.4 points may take many courses of straight As, whereas raising an SAT score by 100 points can be done in only a few months.

Mass Market SAT Courses

Companies such as Princeton Review and Kaplan make lots of money teaching high school students how to score higher on the SAT with smarter test strategies. The typical audience for their wares is the student who did not score well on the PSAT, and is worried that he will not get into his first choice college. In other words, they are teaching the beginning version of SAT test taking. For many students, taking one of these courses can result in large 100+ point score improvements.

For parents and high school students on a budget, it's possible to get nearly all of the benefits of a prep class by purchasing a SAT preparation book and using self discipline to self study for the exam. If the high school student has the self discipline to study the preparation book every week, then a course is probably not needed.

In either case, two months of work in an SAT prep class can result in significant improvements to a high school student's chances of entering his first choice college. That's much easier and less time consuming than trying to improve the GPA by just 0.4 points.

SAT Study for High Achievers

For a student already scoring in the 2000 range, almost everything in a typical SAT course is a review. Taking a Princeton Review class would be like Kobe Bryant getting tips from a high school basketball coach. Instead, the high achieving student should take the game to the next level by practicing the test over and over again.

The first step is to get the blue colored College Board book entitled, The Official SAT Study Guide. The College Board makes the exams that many high school students dread. The reason for picking the College Board version is because they contain real SAT questions rather than made-up test questions that may not conform to the College Board's specifications.

Practicing SAT Questions Over and Over

The next step is to take one or two practice SAT tests without time limitations. The student needs to review every single question where there is uncertainty as to the correct answer choice. It does not matter if the student got the practice question correct. All questions where the choice was not 100% clear need to be reviewed thoroughly.

From that point on, it's just a matter of practicing with real SAT questions over and over again under timed conditions until the supply of test questions from the College Board has been depleted. Review all questions where the answer was not given with 100% certainty. Hiring a private SAT tutor who is capable of helping students with scores in the 2000 range and higher may be helpful in understanding why some questions consistently trip up the student.

Even for those who did not start with high SAT scores, this strategy of taking practice tests over and over again can be used to further improve the student's scores beyond what is taught in the prep course. Anyone can benefit significantly from extra practice, not just high achievers.

The copyright of the article SAT Test Prep for High Achievers in High School Testing is owned by John Wu. Permission to republish SAT Test Prep for High Achievers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.