Preston Fields

Do You Need a Tutor for SAT Preparation?



Posted: Friday, October 21, 2011

by Preston Fields
MakeTheGradeTutor

The easiest way to determine if you should self-study, or if you might need the services of a professional tutor or SAT preparation course, is to take a diagnostic SAT. These are available on the College Board website for free or at the front of the most recent edition of "Barron's How to Prepare for the SAT" book, my personal favorite for its thoroughness and test "tactics."

After receiving your computer scores from the website or self-scoring the Barron's test, you must then decide if those scores are acceptable or within a reasonable range of your target goals. To help with this determination, search the websites of the universities/colleges to which you intend to apply and see their SAT score criteria. If your scores do not meet these criteria, or if there are several skill areas in which you are deficient, then you should consider consulting with a private tutor--a preference for those individuals who want customized 1:1 attention and require strengthening in specific areas--or enrolling in a preparation course.

If you choose to hire a private tutor, do not assume that a student who has scored close-to-perfect on an SAT will make the best tutor. S/he must be able to convey material in an easily understandable and intelligent manner, which an experienced educator may be better qualified to do. Before hiring that educator, be sure to check their credentials and references. The main advantages of a private tutor are the ability to customize your study plan to best meet your needs, as well as the likelihood that streamlined private lessons could actually be more affordable than a preparation course.

In my next article, I will discuss a study plan for the SAT.
Preston Fields, PhD, is an experienced private tutor with a doctorate in Education. He is the father of two sons, one in elementary school and the other in high school. Preston has helped numerous students significantly improve their SAT scores through his customized test preparation programs. In addition, he tutors students in middle school through college in a variety of other academic subjects, and he is qualified to evaluate a student with a learning disability (based on his previous occupation as a psychologist) and subsequently develop a customized educational plan. He also specializes in helping students to manage test anxiety and to develop better study and time management skills.

Contact Preston today at http://makethegradetutor.weebly.com for a free initial consultation.
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