For many college applicants, the holiday season isn’t just a time for hanging out with family and friends. Some will also spend the next few weeks studying for college entrance exams.
The next SAT and ACT are just a few weeks after Thanksgiving. Test-takers can use books or enroll in classes to prepare for the exams, but higher education experts say individual, one-on-one tutoring can be the best option.
“You can really tailor the tutoring to that student’s needs,” says Audrey Kahane, a private college admissions counselor. Test-takers may also feel more comfortable asking questions if they aren’t in front of a room of peers, she says.
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Private tutoring, however, can be costly. It can range anywhere from $50 an hour to more than $200 an hour, admissions experts say.
Before a family invests time and money for someone they hope is a good test-prep resource, experts say they should ask about the tutor’s familiarity with college entrance exams and teaching style.
Most schools accept both entrance exams. Families should make sure tutors are familiar with the tests they’ll be teaching, says Kahane. She recommends they ask when the individual last took the SAT or ACT.
She says a tutor who has taken the exams in recent years may have a fresher understanding of the test-taking experience than someone who hasn’t taken the test in a decade or longer. She adds that this helps them understand what students are dealing with.
Families should also ask how the individual advises applicants on which test to take, says Andrew Belasco, CEO of College Transitions, an admissions consulting company. Some teens may like one exam but perform better on another, he says.
“It’s important to have that initial exploration of both exams,” says Belasco, who is also co-author of “The Enlightened College Applicant: A New Approach to the Search and Admissions Process.”
[Consider these three ways to approach the ACT a second time.]
A tutor who uses study materials from the College Board, which administers the SAT, and the ACT organization in his or her teaching may also have a better sense of what test-takers experience.
Kahane says it’s good for families to ask whether the student will learn with practice SAT or ACT tests. She says a good tutor will help mirror the real experience. Belasco adds that the tutor should review individual questions with the test-taker.
Families should likewise explore teaching style. Some test-takers struggle with certain subjects and may need an instructor who specializes in those areas.
“If a child struggles with math, you want a tutor who can explain a math problem three different ways, who’s creative that way,” says Kahane.
Experts say a good tutor engages with students and knows how to keep them motivated. Families can ask if a tutor checks in with students between meeting times to help keep prospective undergrads accountable, says Belasco.
While it’s common for tutors to work on their own, many are employed through a larger test-prep organization. Families going through a test-prep company should ask about its standards, says Jenny Umhofer, owner and founder of Colledge, which focuses on undergraduate admissions consulting.
[Know what’s a good SAT score for college admissions.]
Certain companies may require tutors to have a bachelor’s degree or to have achieved a specific score on a college admissions exam, she says.
Families who want to gauge the return on investment can ask for the average score increase that test-takers achieved after working with the tutor, Umhofer says.
While asking these questions can help families and prospective college students learn more about the individual they may employ, experts say referrals from family, friends, high school counselors or others familiar with college admissions may be the best resource.
Umhofer, who previously worked in college admissions at the Universiy of California–Los Angeles, the California Institute of Technology and Scripps College, encourages families and students to take test preparation seriously but to remember that getting into college involves many factors. They must also think about admissions essays and letters of recommendation, among other aspects.
“The college admissions process is so much bigger than the test,” Umhofer says.
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Find the Right Test Prep Tutor originally appeared on usnews.com
