Students often inquire how they should prepare for standardized tests such as SAT and TOEFL. They ask how much time they should spend on studying for each test, and wonder if joining classes would help.
I generally disagree with taking expensive classes, as one can easily study for these tests on their own by simply being a little proactive and organized. College Board (SAT), ETS (TOEFL), ACT and IELTS have excellent websites and guides that assist students in scheduling, understanding and preparing for their respective tests.
The College Board website offers a range of options for test takers, including test-taking tips for reading, math and writing sections, as well as free practice questions and an official practice test. It even has an app for The Official SAT Question of the Day, which can also be found on its website or by following @SATQuestion on Twitter. There is an option to purchase The Official SAT Online Course for $69.95 for an entire year, which features interactive lessons and 8 practice tests. The official guide costs $21.99 and features 10 official SAT practice tests, including 3 recent ones. It also offers a $10 discount on the online course. If purchased together, the total cost of $81.94 is still way less than what private SAT tutors charge, which is usually upwards of $500, and provides ample practice questions and tests as well as tips and guides to empower most students to take the SAT confidently.
For TOELF students, ETS offers free unlimited access to past TOEFL iBT questions through a 141mb downloadable Interactive Sampler file. There are free test questions from past TOEFL tests, Quick Prep practice tool, test tips and links to the nearest Resource Centre for information on seminars and webinars. They also offer great value packs that include combinations of online practice, official guide, 5 additional score reports, and $35 off a repeat TOEFL test. Lexile Measures help students who are weak in the Reading section to find reading materials that match their skills and learning. Buying a comprehensive Practice Test package with the official guide would cost less than $70. From personal and broad student experience, it is safe to say that TOEFL is a much simpler test compared to the SAT, and does not really require a personal tutor, unless English is not a language one is really familiar with.
ACT provides a good guide for online prep, practice test questions, test day checklist, test tips, and different test descriptions. Additionally, there is an ACT Profile tool that helps students who are confused about which major to declare. The ACT Online Prep costs $24.95 for 1 year, while The Real ACT Prep Guide with CD costs $34.95, or $59.90 combined. The IELTS website, though not as comprehensive as the College Board and ETS ones, gives detailed information about the test, its format, some sample questions, and links to buy its preparation materials.
Apart from these official websites, there are quite a few organizations and individuals offering free practice tests, video tutorials and test guides for all 4 tests online. A simple Google search is all that is required.
Hence, unless one is really weak in a particular section or test, or wishes to score in the 99 percentile, signing up for expensive classes is actually not required.
The College Board website offers a range of options for test takers, including test-taking tips for reading, math and writing sections, as well as free practice questions and an official practice test. It even has an app for The Official SAT Question of the Day, which can also be found on its website or by following @SATQuestion on Twitter. There is an option to purchase The Official SAT Online Course for $69.95 for an entire year, which features interactive lessons and 8 practice tests. The official guide costs $21.99 and features 10 official SAT practice tests, including 3 recent ones. It also offers a $10 discount on the online course. If purchased together, the total cost of $81.94 is still way less than what private SAT tutors charge, which is usually upwards of $500, and provides ample practice questions and tests as well as tips and guides to empower most students to take the SAT confidently.
For TOELF students, ETS offers free unlimited access to past TOEFL iBT questions through a 141mb downloadable Interactive Sampler file. There are free test questions from past TOEFL tests, Quick Prep practice tool, test tips and links to the nearest Resource Centre for information on seminars and webinars. They also offer great value packs that include combinations of online practice, official guide, 5 additional score reports, and $35 off a repeat TOEFL test. Lexile Measures help students who are weak in the Reading section to find reading materials that match their skills and learning. Buying a comprehensive Practice Test package with the official guide would cost less than $70. From personal and broad student experience, it is safe to say that TOEFL is a much simpler test compared to the SAT, and does not really require a personal tutor, unless English is not a language one is really familiar with.
ACT provides a good guide for online prep, practice test questions, test day checklist, test tips, and different test descriptions. Additionally, there is an ACT Profile tool that helps students who are confused about which major to declare. The ACT Online Prep costs $24.95 for 1 year, while The Real ACT Prep Guide with CD costs $34.95, or $59.90 combined. The IELTS website, though not as comprehensive as the College Board and ETS ones, gives detailed information about the test, its format, some sample questions, and links to buy its preparation materials.
Apart from these official websites, there are quite a few organizations and individuals offering free practice tests, video tutorials and test guides for all 4 tests online. A simple Google search is all that is required.
Hence, unless one is really weak in a particular section or test, or wishes to score in the 99 percentile, signing up for expensive classes is actually not required.