The perfect $core
By: Sean ElezraAT Test prep is_________.
A. Costly B. Unjust C. Necessary D. Pretentious E. Undecided
Eliminate E. One word has to fit in the blank. What is the definition of pretentious and unjust? They obviously have negative connotations so they can be eliminated. The correct answer is left between A. Costly and C. Necessary. Just go with A.
Students are told on a daily basis that perfection is unattainable by the outside world. Parents, teachers, and even students themselves are able to cope with the fact that not everything in life must be perfect. Contrarily, a student’s SAT score must be perfect.
SAT: the dreaded three letters make an entire generation cringe. To many students, the SAT also calls for extreme SAT test preparation expenses. With this in mind, those terrible three letters also call for another action: parents opening their wallets.
“When I was growing up, they used to say that you can take the test over and over again and your score is not likely to go up that much unless you prep,” counselor Ira Goldberg said. “If you prep, your score can go up by hundreds of points.”
SAT preparation is extremely helpful. It benefits the students to have someone tell them if they are doing something wrong. Teenagers these days need that validation from a teacher or tutor to tell them they are getting better, give them that pat on the back, and that emotional boost everyone needs from time to time.
According to moneywatch. com, private SAT tutors can cost anywhere from $125 to $300. SAT preparation courses can cost upwards of $1,000 to $1,200, depending on the course.
Let’s face it, the SAT is daunting. It is approximately three hours and forty-five minutes. If a parent is paying a hefty $1,000 for his or her child’s test prep, that is approximately $4.45 per question. This becomes a worth while investment, due to the fact that half of the students who take the SAT take it twice, decreasing the number to about $2.23 per question.
SAT prep classes are an asset. Given the fact that they range in prices, starting from about $100 to upwards of $1000, students are getting a loan from their parents that they will pay off when they get better scholarship opportunities with a better SAT score.
“I think that (SAT prep courses) are very useful,” Goldberg said. “The expensive courses like the Princeton Review and Kaplan Review are pricey. If you are motivated and diligent, you can buy a CD Rom and put it into your computer and prep that way just as well.”
A majority of parents give their children money all the time. ‘Mom, I need a new pair of shoes.’ and ‘Dad, I need $10 for a movie ticket’ are common statements made by students in the household. The difference? The conversation goes a little something like “Mom, I need $600 for my future.” Instead of buying a new pair of shoes, students are buying scholarship opportunities and acceptance into a broader range of colleges.
Truthfully speaking, this may not be the case in all situations. Some individuals may need financial assistance for SAT prep courses. One possibility is for students who cannot afford them to get jobs. Another possibility is for the school district or the federal/ state budgets to assume SAT prep costs for all students.
The situation is completely validated by the increase in scores that these SAT programs provide. Some SAT preparation courses, such as Kaplan Test Prep, guarantees that students will do better on their SAT or they get their money back.
Senior Eduardo Jimenez did Kaplan SAT test prep. After completing the program, his score increased by 450 points.
“I would strongly suggest it to anyone looking for help,” Jimenez said. “It helped me a lot and I know studying just by yourself can be hard.”
In turn, $600 is nothing to spend on a test that has the ability to change the direction of a student’s life. A good SAT score gives students the opportunity to go to an expanded range of schools. Therefore, it is definitely worth the money later on in life when a student finds success.
“I don’t think that there is an unfair advantage given to students who can pay for SAT prep courses,” Jimenez said. “There are better classes for if you pay more, but there are also some free online classes that people can take if they want to achieve a better score.”
At first glance, many students would just skip to answer choice A. because of the common misconceptions about SAT prep. In the end, after time and deliberation, the correct answer to the question above would not be A. Costly, but rather C. Necessary.
