Signs of Good Test Prep
I'm just going to call it like I see it:
Most non- College Board test prep material is downright bad. I'd go so far as to say that most unofficial material ventures beyond the realm of "not helpful" and veers into the "harmful" zone.
Think of it this way: If you're training for a tennis match, you don't want to show up on game day to discover that the match is being played on a squash court. You want to have practiced under the most accurate conditions possible.
But...this is not to say that all unofficial material is "bad." In fact, some of it is excellent. It's a matter of deciphering the good from the bad, which can be difficult for the average layperson who is bombarded with millions of options.
So how do you know? First of all, don't assume that hard test prep means "good” test prep. It doesn't.
Signs of "good" test prep:
*Refers back to the The Official SAT Study Guide (aka the Blue Book). Helps student interpret the Blue Book.
*Written by an SAT expert. (Don’t assume PhD signals “SAT mastery.” Maybe,but maybe not.)
*Recommends official material for diagnostic SAT, and full official practice tests as part of test preparation.
*Has a goal-setting strategy: For sections that are in “order of difficulty” you should strive for a mastery of questions inside a goal zone before attempting harder questions. Put simply: you should leave hard questions blank if you haven’t mastered the easy ones.
*Addresses issue of fundamental skills and test strategy. Exception: test prep aimed solely at high achievers.
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The Perfect Score Project: Uncovering the Secrets of the SAT was published on February 25, 2014.
Illustrations by Jennifer Orkin Lewis
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