College prep vs. honors and college prep vs. AP?

Peterson's vs College Board vs Kaplan or Princeton for SAT Prep?

• i am an a average honors student looking for the best online sat course i can take...of these which would you suggest?

• Answer:

  Hi, The College Board course is valuable because it has 10 additional real practice tests. But for $50 less, you can just buy The Official SAT Study Guide, which also has 10 real tests. It is the most recommended book for SAT study, and any good course will include it in your class materials. As for online courses, I am a fan of PowerScore courses myself---I know the author quite well ;). Regardless, I tell everyone looking at prep companies that they need to ask a lot of questions and make sure they like what they are hearing. Each company is different, and what works for one person may not be the best for the next person. I'd recommend calling the different companies to see how they treat you when you call and how you like their answers. When you are looking around, compare answers to the following questions: 1. Do the teachers have high scores (95th percentile) on the actual SAT? Careful with the "actual" part---some companies let people come into their centers to take "qualifying" tests. Ask each company who will teach your class, their background, and their real SAT score. 2. Does the course uses real SAT questions? Watch for practice tests that use questions written by the employees of the company. These companies will often give you an extremely difficult simulated test for your first practice test and a really easy simulated test for your last practice test to create false score increases. 3. Does the course have a lot of hours? The most comprehensive courses at each company should include a lot of hours and practice tests. If you have a great instructor using real questions and proven techniques, you will benefit. Ask how many course hours you get, and how many practice tests are scheduled. Rather than compare the cost of different courses, compare the cost per hour. You can find many companies with classes under $700, but some have as few as 12 hours of class time. 4. What support is available outside of class? You should have access to some type of answer service, so ask how you get your questions answered when you are not in class. Look for answers where you can speak directly to an instructor, not just send a message. Be careful too with some of the advertising language out there--"24/7 support" can sometimes just mean an answering machine is on after hours. 5. What is available as far as online resources? Ask what is in the company's online student area. Are there course supplements? How many? What else are they giving you besides the live classes? 6. What's the history of each company? How long have they been around, who owns them, etc. Some companies have only been around for a short time. I hope that these questions will help you find the best course to meet your needs. Whichever you choose, good luck!