Does it Pay to Prep for the ACT?
Ever wonder if an ACT or SAT test preparation course makes financial sense? It is certainly a great worthy question and exactly the one I had when I first started investigating courses . Here's what my research revealed to me.
Minimum ACT and SAT Scores for Acceptance
There is a lot more than bragging rights riding on your ACT and SAT scores! First, virtually every college and university requires that you meet or exceed a minimum score in order for you to be granted acceptance. At any given college the more highly rated programs require higher scores still.
Do You Want to Pay Full Price or Would You Prefer a Discount?
So, it's pretty common knowledge that there is a minimum score for acceptance you say? Well did you know that those sticker shock tuition prices you see on most college websites, especially private colleges and universities are really just suggestions ?
Depending upon the college or university just a 1 point increase in your ACT scorecan reduce your tuition bill by $2,000 – $5,000 annually. Sounds incredible, I know but you can watch a 2 minute video here: ACT and SAT Test Preparation and see more than a dozen real world examples.
ACT Practice Makes Perfect
Knowing that just a 1 point increase can be worth$10,000 to $20,000 in tuition reduction over four years I hope you will agree with me that it makes a lot of sense to invest the time and money it takes to fully prepare for the test. So the next question is how to best prepare? For me, reading a book or even taking some online tests doesn't make a lot of sense when the stakes are so high and hinging upon just 3 and a 1/2 hours . Think about it, we're talking about $3,000 - $6,000 an hour! Even for Bill Gates that is a pretty good hourly rate so you can see while I wanted to maximize the return on my invested time and money. For me it was simple. I wanted to get the hands on help that only a local test preparation company can provide
SAT and ACT Test Preparation Courses: What Makes a Good One?
The only remaining question for me was criteria were most important when choosing a test prep course ? Again, after plenty of research I found these essential criteria:
1. Knowledge of your school's curriculum. This is important because it allows you to focus on the deficiencies that will naturally be occur between your current education and what the ACT and SAT require .
2. Small class size. The optimum seems to be around 8 students in the class in order to provide the right balance between peer to peer learning and customizedattention.
3. Fluid course style with attention to individual needs . Avoid centers that teach a canned course because it will likely not meet your particular needs.
4. Look for ACT and SAT preparation centers that emphasize both content mastery and test taking strategies as well. Doing well on the ACT and SAT is as much about how you take the test as it is what answers you supply.
After you conduct your own research I believe that you too will find that a local ACT preparation company that offers courses with individualized attention and provides a guarantee of improvement will be the best investment you will ever make.