The Dos and Don'ts of Tutoring with Real SAT® Tests - Part One: The Dos
UPDATED: February 28, 2022
Practicing with real SAT® tests is an essential part of any effective test-prep curriculum. Even so, there are many ways to misuse real SAT® tests that will diminish the effectiveness of your tutoring and/or get you in trouble. With that in mind, we've put together this List of Dos and Don'ts to help you and your tutors get the most out of real SAT® tests.
We'll begin with the List of Dos:
Do use real SAT® practice tests. This should go without saying. If you want to be a top NFL quarterback, then you should practice by throwing an official NFL football, not a bag of mini-marshmallows. This is agreed upon by literally every NFL talent scout. The principle is simple: practice like it's game day!
Real SAT® tests may be downloaded through College Board's official website.
Do establish a baseline score using an authentic SAT® test. In the words of Peter Drucker "you can't manage what you can't measure." As we discussed above, authentic College Board SAT® tests are literally the only way to accurately measure your tutors' effectiveness and their students' score improvements. But in order to define a student's score improvement, you must first establish a valid baseline score.
Do simulate testing conditions. Diagnostic tests are meant to diagnose the students' strengths and weaknesses, allowing the tutor to focus on the areas of greatest potential improvement.
With that in mind, you've got to control the effects of other factors. For the same reason you wouldn't require a student to complete the test while skydiving, you also shouldn't allow the student to complete the test without time constraints. Admittedly, the skydiving scenario is a bit far-fetched, but many test-prep tutors allow students to take diagnostic tests in chunks over multiple sessions. This both invalidates the data by inflating the student's test scores and potentially wipes out score improvements that would have resulted from improved time-management techniques.
Do host FREE practice SAT® tests to promote your test-prep services. Frequently hosting free diagnostic SAT® tests is a great way to promote your test-prep business.
First, scheduling and promoting these events gives you a reason to contact everyone in your network with a valuable offer.
Second, hosting free practice tests enables you to provide something of significant value to parents and students who are considering their options for SAT® test prep.
Third, you can sweeten the deal by offering a free 30-minute score consultation. Once you've met with the parents and students to discuss the student's strengths and weaknesses, you will be the obvious first choice for SAT® test prep.
Do maximize the value of real SAT® tests with detailed score reports. Having a student take a diagnostic test is good practice, but you can maximize the value you deliver by providing a comprehensive score report. The key is to provide actionable information in a format that is easily understood by students and parents. Check out a free sample of the 100% custom branded score reports that our partners use to help them close more sales consultations.
In the next post, we'll take a look at the Don'ts of using real SAT® tests. For more on how Clear Choice Prep can help your test-prep company maximize its real value, contact us for a free demo of our 100% custom-branded test-prep system.