I will provide another positive endorsement for PrepMatters.

DC did ok on the practice tests but after a little evlauation settled on the SAT over the ACT. Did a few one on one sessions to focus on a few specific question types and scored where they wanted to last spring and is happy with the results.

Anonymous wrote:We tried that. Did not work. The tutor kept pushing for Skype sessions in lieu of in-person. Could only make it to our local office once a week - we had to go to another office the other side of town and this was when the tutor was not available. And the tutor was out of town the week before the SAT. Nobody ever checked back in on how DC fared in the SAT. We should not have gone with the hype. Waste of money. There are many good tutors out there. Don’t go by reputation. If you pick them hard negotiate all the details....

bad experience as well. we trusted based on reputation. the tutor was a bad match focusing on math vs verbal which we had requested. kid actually did worse on the SAT than before! still stings.

The glib quick answer goes something like this:

Most people with PSAT scores <1300 will benefit from any type of prep. The size of the improvement has to do with the number of hours spent so it might as well be in a group setting.

Most people with PSAT scores >1420 or so really need one on one tutoring or it takes a huge number of hours (or incredible organization) to find the weak areas. This group is trying for a 1600 so that is a different process.

For scores in between and those that don't fit in with "most people" you need a few hours of one on one tutoring just to figure out which type of prep will work.

We had one in each group. The first used Kaplan and enforced daily practice to increase 200 points to 1390. The second used Breakthrough test prep to, one and done, a 1600.

Anonymous wrote:My DC's score increased almost 400 points after Prepmatters

How many sessions did this take?

My DC's score increased almost 400 points after Prepmatters

I won't credit Prepmatters for DC's SAT score but it was useful. DC thought he only needed a little help and we didn't like the idea of group classes that required multiple hours every week for two months. One-on-one at Prepmatters ended up costing a lot less than the group classes from Princeton Review, Kaplan, Capitol Educators, etc. and a lot less time because they didn't review stuff DC didn't need and only worked on things that were useful to DC.

PrepMatters is great -- my DD's score went from 1330 to 1550...

No, it's not cheap... Not all tutors are created equal..

But, you can't argue with success...

For both my DSs we used group sessions with Capitol Educators and thought it was very effective. Probably less expensive than tutoring with Prep Matters, although I don't know for sure.

Prepmatters one-on-one tutoring worked great for my kids. It was process of kid taking a timed mock exam on Saturday morning then tutor creating a weekly assignment based on kid's weaknesses.

Kid 1 studied for SAT, took exam (this was back when it was 3 parts), did OK but not in line with PSAT score. Tutor recommended that based on how she took tests that she'd be better suited for the ACT. She didn't study much specifically for ACT and got a 35.

Kid 2 is really good at standardized tests - only met with tutor a few times. She took SAT twice (again when it was 3 parts) - meeting with tutor in between exams. Went from 2200 to 2390.

Kid 3 hates standardized tests. First practice SAT was 13-something. Knowing she had to sit down with tutor one-on-one once a week forced her to do weekly assignments. She took SAT twice and has a 1550 superscore now. Wouldn't have that without tutor.

Prep Matters has a great but expensive reputation. I heard the founder talk several times, and he does have a ton of expertise. Now I hope he's careful with all his hires...

Anonymous wrote:We used PrepMatters but just for a few one-on-one math sessions. (English score was already high enough on the PSAT.) We asked specifically for a math specialist, and this person worked with our kid on strategies and on a few specific areas of weakness. Our child also went to two or three of the timed, simulated all-morning tests. Honestly I think those might have helped the most—and they were free (after the consultation fee, although I’m not sure if you can just sit for the practice tests if you aren’t signed up for any tutoring). Score went up more than 100 points on math, so given the minimal time and the moderate $ spent, we were happy with the outcome.

We had a very similar experience. I really liked the PrepMatters math tutor. He was a patient, patient man.

We used PrepMatters but just for a few one-on-one math sessions. (English score was already high enough on the PSAT.) We asked specifically for a math specialist, and this person worked with our kid on strategies and on a few specific areas of weakness. Our child also went to two or three of the timed, simulated all-morning tests. Honestly I think those might have helped the most—and they were free (after the consultation fee, although I’m not sure if you can just sit for the practice tests if you aren’t signed up for any tutoring). Score went up more than 100 points on math, so given the minimal time and the moderate $ spent, we were happy with the outcome.

Yes, agreed, that’s what my gut says too. Any suggestions about where to find a better option?

We tried that. Did not work. The tutor kept pushing for Skype sessions in lieu of in-person. Could only make it to our local office once a week - we had to go to another office the other side of town and this was when the tutor was not available. And the tutor was out of town the week before the SAT. Nobody ever checked back in on how DC fared in the SAT. We should not have gone with the hype. Waste of money. There are many good tutors out there. Don’t go by reputation. If you pick them hard negotiate all the details....

Looking for advice on SAT tutoring. Prepmatters recommends one on one tutoring once a week. I had assumed that group classes were the norm so this was a surprise. Can anyone share advice/recommendations about this type of SAT tutoring.