The media would have us believe that only affluent students who can afford the expensive preparation for the SAT or ACT test will do well. That is simply untrue! There are many ways to get ready for these standardized tests, some are free, some are very inexpensive and some cost a lot of money - students should choose what they can afford and then put their very best effort into the preparation.

While the more expensive test prep programs provide a great deal more direct instruction and hand holding for the student, it is not the only path to a strong test score for a determined student.

Both the SAT and ACT are designed to measure a student’s academic capability. The ACT measures a student’s current competency with English, mathematics, reading, and science, while the SAT, according to the College Board, measures a student’s literacy, numeracy and writing skills that are needed for academic success in college.

As anyone who has ever taken a standardized multiple choice test knows, these types of tests have unique styles and types of questions. Your score improves quite quickly as soon as you master the style of the test. Your score improves even further if you enhance your subject competencies.

Students who have attended and performed well at academically strong schools will have an easier time mastering these tests, than students who have not.

The question is: Can test prep make up for any deficits?

In this guide, we examine the 3 main categories of test prep that students can access to prepare for either the SAT or ACT:

• Private, for profit test prep providers

• Khan Academy free SAT prep

• SAT and ACT guides and practice test books

The Private, for-Profit Test Prep Providers

The main selling point for many top test prep providers is their ability to identify students’ areas of weakness on specific topics, and to help students overcome these weaknesses with guidance and additional practice. They also share tips and tricks for how to solve certain types of questions more efficiently.

The test prep providers charge a wide range of fees, from less than $200 for self-paced online courses to customized courses that cost more than $3,000 with one on one private tutoring. Tutoring by the hour is also available for between $40 per hour to $260 per hour. Many of these test prep providers offer installment payments for their more expensive courses.

For families that can afford it, signing up with a test prep provider is the most popular way to go. The instruction is methodical and structured, and they share plenty of tips and tricks on how to ace the test. They also guarantee an improved test score or you get your money back.

We have put together lists of both SAT and ACT test prep providers who deliver the best value for the price they charge.

In our evaluation of both the SAT and ACT test prep providers, we used metrics we believe are the most important when evaluating as test prep provider. These 6 metrics include:

• proven track record of success

• reasonable pricing for the product offered, including duration

• flexible programs to fit different learning styles, “live” online, in person or self-paced online

• quality of instructors

• guided content, practice tests and quizzes

• score guarantee

Our reviews are independent, and not influenced by any affiliate marketing arrangements. To help fund our operations, we do create affiliate links and earn a commission when you purchase a service or guide using one of these links.

The SAT Test Prep Providers

Using the metrics we listed above, we identified packages offered by 6 SAT test prep providers who we believe present the best value for applicants taking the SAT for college and scholarship applications to the highly selective colleges.

You can compare the product offerings of these 6 SAT test prep providers in the table below. We have attempted to put a value on the score improvement guarantees offered by the test prep providers, but without access to data, we are unable to access the success of these guarantees and how many refunds are made as a result of the guarantee falling short.

These 6 SAT test prep providers discussed here are:

Princeton Review considered to be one of the premier and most established SAT test prep providers in the country offers a range of options from one-on-one private tutoring at $260 an hour to “live” classes held on line or in person priced between $749 and $1,699 and self-paced e-courses priced at $499.

Princeton Review offers the most one-on-one guided time of all the test prep providers in addition to the “live” classes making it highly confident of improvement in as little as 36 hours or 2 weeks.

For their one-on-one private tutoring programs, Princeton Review guarantees a minimum score of 1500 with one-on-one tutoring priced at $261 an hour.

It guarantees a minimum score of 1400 for its “live” online and in-person classes provided the student’s baseline score was 1250 at the start of the course. The cost of the guarantee for a minimum 150 point improvement works out to approximately $100 per point, a somewhat pricey guarantee when we compare this with what the rest of the test prep providers charge for their guarantees. However, this course does provide a tutor on demand 24/7 service, which is valuable for customized guidance and fast improving scores.

At $499, the self-paced e-courses at Princeton Review cost about about $100 more than the other test prep providers for a comparable product, while only providing a guarantee for a improved score without specificity.

The classes are taught by a team of test prep experts who are themselves educated at the highly selective colleges that their students are aiming for. Princeton Review focuses on addressing head on the reasons why students do not do well on the test and they provide students with strategies and tips on how to meet these challenges and score well. Princeton Review also provides practice tests galore which are crucial for students to master the SAT test style and types of questions asked.

Princeton Review’s established presence in the test prep market for 41 years plus its’ strong reputation for results enables it to charge a premium for its SAT test prep packages compared to its newer rivals.

Princeton Review is a favorite amongst those aiming to attend a highly selective college given that its’ test score guarantees fit into the middle 50% ranges for the SAT for this group of colleges. Students are given 365 days of access to the practice tests and quiz bank.

Kaplan is one of the most established and trusted SAT test prep providers in the country having served up test prep to more than 2 million students. Kaplan offers 2 “live” online classes with the basic version priced at $699 for 18 hours of “live” instruction and 16 hours of video instruction. The Plus version of the “live” online course priced at $1,099 includes 3 hours of private tutoring priced at about $130 an hour.

Kaplan guarantees a higher score for its students measured from a baseline test taken by the student prior to the start of the course. Should the student’s test score not improve, Kaplan will either let the student re-take the course free of charge or provide a full refund.

Kaplan’s test prep courses are priced only slightly cheaper than Princeton Review. Kaplan, like Princeton Review benefits from an established reputation in providing SAT test prep to students since 1993, and can charge a premium for its product offerings. The main difference lies in the number of practice tests provided and access to these practice tests and quizzes. At Kaplan, access lasts 6 months compared to Princeton Review’s 12 months for its higher end products with “live” instruction.

The self-paced e-course while priced at a reasonable looking $199 offers 50 instructional videos and access to a quiz bank. Without a specific score improvement guarantee, it is hard to evaluate the potential effectiveness of this offering compared to the other test prep providers with a comparable course.

PrepScholar is known for creating practice tests that most closely reflect the actual SAT tests set by the College Board. PrepScholar touts itself as being the only SAT test prep provider that is “scientifically designed to understand student strengths and weaknesses and customize exactly to your abilities.” It backs up this confidence with a 160 point score improvement guarantee measured from a baseline score before the student starts the course.

PrepScholar says that its average score improvement is an impressive 168 points.

PrepScholar’s courses strike a good balance with self-paced e-courses priced at $397 for one year of access and at $577 for 2 years of access to the almost 100 videos covering strategies and tips, more than 700 videos covering problem solving, 10 real practice tests and a question library of 7,100 questions.

The premium classes at PrepScholar offer the basic e-course plus 9 hours of “live” online classes limited to 9 students per “live” class. These premium classes are priced at $895 for one year of access. Students can also add 4 hours of private tutoring to their e-course by paying $995, translating to one-on-one tutoring priced at about $155 an hour.

At its current prices, PrepScholar’s guarantee costs approximately $2.50 per point improvement for its basic self-paced e-course, and moves up to $6.20 per point improvement for its’ premium course that comes with 4 hours of private tutoring. Presumably, the more hand holding you get, the more likely you are to attain a score improvement of 160 points or better.

For a student aiming for admission to a highly selective college with a pre-test prep baseline score of about 1300 or better, the courses on offer at PrepScholar present extremely good value for money. Based on testimonials given by its’ students, PrepScholar has helped many of them transform to students competitive for the academically elite colleges.

The teachers and tutors at PrepScholar are all alumni of the highly selective colleges and were themselves top SAT scorers. With its’ huge library of videos, practice tests and questions, PrepScholar covers the SAT test from all angles. The 365 days of access provides a great deal of flexibility to manage test prep around a busy high school schedule.

Magoosh is priced for the budget conscious. Its basic self-paced e-course is priced at $129 for a year’s access and its premium course offering 16 hours of “live” online instruction on top of the basic course is priced at $399. It offers a 100 point score improvement guarantee for each of these courses.

The cost of the guarantee for its basic self-paced e-course works out to $1.29 per point improvement. For the premium course, the guarantee works out to $3.99 per point improvement. While this looks very attractive, the content on offer is quite limited in terms of instruction videos, practice tests, and questions bank.

If just a small bump in your SAT test score is your goal, then Magoosh offers very good value if you have a tight budget.

All of Magoosh’s instructors are multi-time perfect or near perfect scorers in the SAT.

Prep Expert makes a very bold score improvement guarantee of 200 points, and touts its ability to make you a perfect scorer. Prep Expert’s basic self-paced e-course is priced at $499 for 365 day access, while its’ 2 flagship courses with “live” online instruction are priced at $799 for the 6 week course and $1,299 for the 8 week course.

Prep Expert’s confidence in its ability to boost scores by 200 points or more is based on the 100 or more strategies devised by its founder, Shaan Patel, who was a perfect SAT scorer himself.

The cost of Prep Expert’s score improvement guarantee works out to approximately $2.50 per point of score improvement for the basic self-paced course, $4.00 per point of score improvement for the flagship course and $6.50 for the capstone course.

For students looking for a big boosts in their test scores, Prep Expert may offer a good solution at a reasonable price.

Prep Expert’s instructors are all perfect or near perfect SAT scorers who attended one of the highly selective colleges.

College Prep Genius while not offering any score improvement guarantees touts that its average score improvement is 260 points. College Prep Genius offers 2 basic self-paced e-courses for $139 and $189 with access for 365 days, and it also offers in-person and “live” online bootcamps for $355 and up.

Similar to the other test prep providers, College Prep Genius teaches strategies and tips to ace the SAT. In their words, their course “teaches students how to identify recurring patterns and use shortcuts to solve problems in 30 seconds or less.”

College Prep Genius’ pricing places it squarely in the value for money camp for those who are budget conscious. Like the other test prep providers we feature in this article, College Prep Genius touts its ability to help students come within range of test scores at the highly selective colleges, and to demonstrate this claim, they features testimonials from students who have gained admission to one of the highly selective colleges.

The ACT Test Prep Providers

Using the metrics we listed earlier, we identified 5 ACT test prep providers who provide the best value to students.

The course offerings for ACT test prep mirror the offerings for SAT test prep except the ACT the score improvement guarantee is for a 4 point improvement or better.

You can compare the product offerings of these 5 ACT test prep providers in the table below. We have attempted to put a value on the score improvement guarantees offered by the test prep providers, but without access to data, we are unable to access the success of these guarantees and how many refunds are made as a result of the guarantee falling short.

These 5 ACT test prep providers are:

Princeton Review considered to be one of the premier ACT test prep providers in the country offers a range of options from one-on-one private tutoring at $260 an hour to “live” classes held on line or in person priced between $749 and $1,6999 and self-paced e-courses priced at $499.

Princeton Review offers the most one-on-one guided time of all the test prep providers in addition to the “live” classes making it highly confident of improvement in as little as 36 hours or 2 weeks.

For their one-on-one private tutoring programs, Princeton Review guarantees a minimum score of 34 with one-on-one tutoring priced at $261 an hour.

Princeton Review guarantees a minimum score of 31 for its “live” online and in-person classes provided the student’s baseline score was 25 at the start of the course. The cost of the guarantee for a minimum 6 point improvement works out to approximately $258 per point, a somewhat pricey guarantee when we compare this with what the rest of the test prep providers charge for their guarantees. However, this course does provide a tutor on demand 24/7 service, which is valuable for customized guidance and fast improving scores.

At $499, the self-paced e-courses at Princeton Review cost about about $100 more than the other test prep providers for a comparable product, while only providing a guarantee for a improved score without specificity.

The classes are taught by a team of test prep experts who are themselves educated at the highly selective colleges that their students are aiming for. Princeton Review focuses on addressing head on the reasons why students do not do well on the test and provide students with strategies and tips on how to meet these challenges and score well. Princeton Review also provides practice tests galore which are crucial for students to master the SAT test style and types of questions asked.

Princeton Review’s established presence in the test prep market for 41 years plus its’ strong reputation for results enables it to charge a premium for its test prep packages compared to its newer rivals.

Princeton Review is a favorite amongst those aiming to attend a highly selective college given that its’ test score guarantees fit into the middle 50% ranges for the SAT for this group of colleges. Students are given 365 days of access from the day they sign up to the test and quiz bank.

Kaplan is one of the most established and trusted ACT test prep providers in the country having served up test prep to more than 2 million students. In the provision of ACT courses, Kaplan works in co-operation the ACT, where ACT prep courses offered by ACT are Kaplan courses.

The ACT test prep courses offered by Kaplan/ACT are slightly cheaper than Kaplan’s SAT course offerings.

Kaplan offers a “live” online classes with the basic version priced at $549 for 16 hours of “live” instruction. Kaplan also offers private tutoring packages starting at $749 that include 7 hours of video instruction.

Kaplan guarantees a higher score, but not a specific score improvement, for its students measured from a baseline test taken by the student prior to the start of the course. Should the student’s test score not improve, Kaplan will either let the student re-take the course free of charge or provide a full refund.

Kaplan’s test prep courses are priced only slightly cheaper than Princeton Review. Kaplan, like Princeton Review benefits from an established reputation in providing test prep to students since 1993, and can charge a premium for its product offerings. The main difference lies in the number of practice tests provided and access to these practice tests and quizzes which last 6 months at Kaplan’s compared to Princeton Review’s 12 months for its higher end products with a “live” instruction.

The self-paced e-course priced at $119 offers 30 instructional videos and access to a quiz bank. Without a specific score improvement guarantee, it is hard to evaluate the potential effectiveness of this offering compared to the other test prep providers with a comparable course.

PrepScholar is known for practice tests that most closely resemble the actual ACT questions. It touts itself as being the only ACT test prep provider that is “scientifically designed to measure students' abilities precisely and then deliver the most effective lesson plan.” It backs up this confidence with a 4 point score improvement guarantee measured from a baseline score before the student starts the course.

PrepScholar’s courses strike a good balance with self-paced e-courses priced at $397 for one year of access and at $577 for 2 years of access to the almost 60 hours of videos covering more than 120 strategies and tips, 6 real practice tests and a question library of 4,300 questions.

The premium classes at PrepScholar include the basic e-course plus 9 hours of “live” online classes limited to 9 students per “live” class. The premium classes are priced at $895 for one year of access. Students can also add 4 hours of private tutoring to their e-course by paying $995, translating to one-on-one tutoring priced at about $155 an hour.

At its current prices, PrepScholar’s guarantee costs approximately $99.25 per point improvement for its basic self-paced e-course, and moves up to $223.75 per point improvement for its’ premium course that comes with 4 hours of private tutoring. Presumably, the more hand holding you get, the more likely you are to attain a score improvement of 4 points or better.

For a student aiming for admission to a highly selective college with a pre-test prep baseline score of about 27 or better, the courses on offer at PrepScholar present extremely good value for money. Based on its testimonials, PrepScholar has helped many students in this category transform to students competitive for the academically elite colleges.

The teachers and tutors at PrepScholar are all alumni of the highly selective colleges and were themselves top SAT scorers. With its’ huge library of videos, practice tests and questions, PrepScholar covers the ACT test from all angles. The 365 days of access provides a great deal of flexibility to manage test prep around a busy high school schedule.

Magoosh is priced for the budget conscious. Its basic self-paced e-course is priced at $129 for a year’s access and its premium course offering 16 hours of “live” online instruction on top of the basic course is priced at $399. It offers a 4 point score improvement guarantee for each of these courses.

The cost of the guarantee for its basic self-paced e-course works out to $32.25 per point improvement. For the premium course, the guarantee works out to $99.75 per point improvement. While this looks very attractive, the content on offer is more limited in terms of instruction videos, practice tests, and questions bank.

If just a small bump in your ACT test score is your goal, then Magoosh offers very good value if you have a tight budget.

All of Magoosh’s instructors are multi-time perfect or near perfect scorers in the ACT.

Prep Expert’s basic self-paced e-course is priced at $499 for 365 day access, while its’ 2 flagship courses with “live” online instruction are priced at $799 for the 6 week course and $1,299 for the 8 week course.

Prep Expert’s confidence in its ability to boost scores by 4 points or more is based on the 100 or more strategies devised by its founder, Shaan Patel, who was a perfect SAT scorer himself.

The cost of Prep Expert’s score improvement guarantee works out to approximately $124.75 per point of score improvement for the basic self-paced course, $199.75 per point of score improvement for the flagship course and $324.75 for the capstone course.

Compared with its very competitive SAT test prep offerings, Prep Expert’s ACT test prep courses are more limited in value compared to several of the other ACT test prep providers featured in this article.

Prep Expert’s instructors are all perfect or near perfect SAT scorers who attended one of the highly selective colleges.

Khan Academy Test Prep

The test prep for the SAT on Khan Academy is completely FREE. The drawback is that Khan Academy only provides test prep for the SAT but not for the ACT.

There are plenty of reviews and criticisms of the Khan Academy test prep program online, all from the for-profit test prep providers who tout their courses as superior. The main criticism of the Khan Academy prep is that it covers the substance of the test, but it does not provide the tips, tricks and strategies that help you master test taking more efficiently. You are left to figure out test taking efficiency on your own by doing as many tests as possible prior to your test date.

Regardless of these criticisms, Khan Academy’s SAT test prep is listed as one of the 10 best test prep courses available in 2022 by many reviewers. The Khan Academy test prep is also FREE. A dedicated, determined student with smarts can figure out their test taking strategy on their own, especially when worked in tandem with a guide book..

A combination of Khan Academy’s test prep and the use of the practice books referred to below will go a long way in a student’s test preparation.

Test Guides and Practice Test Books

There are plenty of testing guides on offer from some of the best known test prep providers like Princeton Review, Kaplan, McGraw Hill, the College Board and the ACT. Most of these books offer between 5 and 9 full length practice tests as well as a guide to test taking strategies.

All of these books are readily available on Amazon and cost between $20 and $30 per book.

These books are affordable for most students. And we know that practice makes perfect. The more tests you do, the more familiar you become with the test format and you will learn the material along the way as you practice.

While certainly a more time consuming and painstaking method, working on as many practice tests as possible, including repeating the ones you did not do well on is a great way to master the test and learn the material that will help you do well.

Students need not cede ground to wealthier students who can afford expensive test prep courses so long as they are prepared to put in more time and effort into their test preparation.

Students should also remember that colleges will make adjustments in how they evaluate test scores for students coming from less affluent school districts.

So go for it, prepare and take the test.

Here are the 5 Best SAT Test Prep Guides

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Princeton Review SAT Premium Prep, 2023 This is the most comprehensive guide to taking the SAT test available in the market today and has been described by SAT tutors as providing the best bang for the buck. This guide provides the student with a complete review of test content, provides great strategies and tips that work to improve test performance and gives you access to a total of 9 practice tests, 4 in the book and 5 online.

At 900 pages, the book can be a bit overwhelming, but if you break down your study into sections, it becomes much more manageable. At $29.99 for the soft cover version and $12.99 for the Kindle version, it provides value for money.

SAT Prep Black Book: The Most Effective SAT Strategies Ever Published If you are looking for highly effective strategies and tips for acing the SAT, then this book is a stand out. It walks you through the multiple ways to solve each problem and gives you a thorough understanding for each type of problem presented in the test. The book is structured according to the sections in the SAT which gives you the ability be systematic in your review.

At 600 pages, the book is big but it gives you detailed explanations across all the SAT sections. The book does not contain practice tests which you will have to download from the College Board. Taking a practice test and then referencing the book for explanations on the questions you got wrong is an effective way to improve your score provided you are disciplined about it. At $27.94 for the book and $17.99 for the Kindle version, the book is a very cost effective way to improve your score on the SAT.

Barron’s SAT Study Guide Premium 2023 A good book for beginners who want a thorough introduction to and explanation of the SAT. The 2023 edition comes with 8 practice tests to get you familiarized with the test format and question types. This book has been criticized for questions that are not sufficiently conforming to the SAT itself.

This book should be paired with another guide to ensure that you are well equipped to perform on the actual test. At $30.99 for the book and $16.99 for the Kindle version, this book is still a very cost effective way to get a comprehensive introduction to the SAT.

Kaplan’s SAT Prep Plus 2023 Another good book for beginners that provides a strong introduction to the SAT with good explanations of the test section by section. The book comes with 5 practice tests and shares tips and strategies for successful test taking. This book has also been criticized for tests that do not sufficiently reflect the SAT.

To maximize your SAT performance, you will need to pair this book with another guide. At $37.99, it is one of the more expensive SAT guide books but still very affordable for someone just starting their SAT prep.. There is no Kindle version.

College Board’s Official SAT Study Guide From the College Board itself, this book provides you with general explanations of what you will need to know for the SAT and the types of questions used to test what you know. The book provides detailed explanations for the answers to every question asked in the 8 practice tests, all of which are actual SAT tests, in the book. However, the book does not provide strategies and tips for how to ace the exam.

If you are looking for a comprehensive introduction to the SAT, this is the book to get. But you must pair it with another guide to enhance your test performance. At $26.70, this book is great value for money. There is no Kindle version.

Here are the 5 Best ACT Test Prep Guides

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ACT Prep Black Book: The Most Effective ACT Strategies Ever Published This is absolutely the book for the best hacks on how to ace the ACT. It is filled with excellent explanations to ACT questions and provides strategies and tips for efficient test taking. The book does not contain practice tests, and it is best to use this book alongside the Official ACT Prep Guide 2019-2020 so that the questions and explanations line up. To get the best results from this book, you will need to be self-starting and disciplined in your approach.

The book is more than 500 pages long and is a treasure trove of knowledge and tips. At $27.15 for the book, it is totally affordable. The Kindle version sells for $17.99.

The Official ACT Prep Guide 2022-2023 This book is a mildly updated version of older versions of the Official ACT Prep Guide, so if you already have an older version, this book is unnecessary. That said, this is still an excellent book from the makers of the test for beginners who need a great introductory overview to the ACT. The 6 actual ACT tests in the book plus explanations for the answers is invaluable whether you are just starting your prep or not. What you don’t get in this book are the strategies and tips that will help you achieve a high score, and you need to turn elsewhere for that.

The guide is a hefty 1,120 pages. At $29.74, the guide is very affordably priced. The Kindle version costs $32.

Kaplan ACT Prep Plus 2023 A good overview for beginners combined with access to 5 practice tests, one of which is included in the book and the other 4 are available online. The practice tests skew towards the easy side compared to the actual tests making them appropriate for those starting on ACT test prep in possibly 9th or 10th grade as a build up towards work on harder practice tests in later grades.

The Kaplan guide is a big one with more than 800 pages. At $28.94 for the book, it is an affordable introductory guide. The Kindle version costs $16.99.

Princeton Review ACT Premium Prep 2022 Whether you are a beginner at ACT test prep or not, this book provides comprehensive coverage what the ACT covers and the types of questions you can expect. The book gives you access to 8 practice tests and provides detailed explanations for the answers. The guide has been criticized by users for its less creative strategies and tips, and students should be prepared to use this guide with conjunction with other guides to cover all their bases.

The book is substantial with almost 900 pages. At $25.67, this guide is a very affordable one.

Barron’s ACT Premium Study Guide 2022-2023 Ideal for beginners to ACT test prep, this book provides a comprehensive overview and explanation of the test plus access to 6 practice tests. A newer version of this guide is expected to be released in early January 2023. This guide should be used in conjunction with other guides for the student to develop their skills at acing their ACT.

This book is a big one with more than 870 pages. At $18.95 for the book, it is one the cheapest currently available ACT guides. The Kindle version costs $14.99

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