Does a teenager who wants a high SAT score need to take an expensive SAT preparation class to do it?
I don’t think so.
I think the key is motivation. If a teenager wants to do well on the SAT test and he or she works hard towards that goal, a higher SAT score is almost inevitable whether he takes a class or studies on his own.
I am, however, hedging my bets with my son. Ben, who is a high school junior, is taking an SAT prep course at his school, but I also convinced him to use a free SAT source — Number2.com.
I sat down with Ben last night to see how he was faring on the grammar questions. One of my many pet peeves with the SAT is that it trots out obscure grammar rules to fool the kids. Heck, my husband and I don’t understand some of these trick grammar questions and we’ve managed to make a living as journalists for a combined 62 years!
What I like about Number2.com is that it explains why your answer is wrong or right. I find that infinitely more helpful than taking a practice SAT test and not knowing why the sentence you thought was grammatically correct isn’t.
Number2.com can also indirectly help with the motivation. The free test prep site will send you a weekly progress report on how much time your child is spending on Number2.com and what percentage of answers he is getting right. You don’t have to snoop when Number2.com is doing the dirty work for you.
Lynn O’Shaughnessy is the author of The College Solution, an Amazon.com bestseller.