College Admission Help

College Admission Help: Are College Test Prep Courses Worth The Money?
By Vince Gerasole
CBS Broadcasting
CHICAGO (CBS) ― If your kids are getting ready to go to college, of course you want them to do well on their ACTs and SATs. So many parents end up spending hundreds of dollars on prep courses to improve the scores. But there's new evidence that you may be wasting your money. CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports that it's all about how many points those courses help students to improve, which one study concludes isn't enough.

At highly competitive Northwestern University, the incoming freshman class boasts its highest average SAT score to date: 1441 out of 1600.

"All of the big college books list, 'this is the average score that you need to get into this school,' and it always seems daunting at first," said freshman Abby Schwarz.

To help boost their scores for admission, many college-bound students pay for private test coaching.

"We focused on critical reading because that was where I had to improve," said freshman Zach Lyons.

But a new study by college admissions counselors suggests the typical boost in score may not be worth the coaching's considerable cost: upwards of $1,000 for an 8-week course.

"They have shown that it's not a tremendous gain," said Deerfield High School College Counselor Marybeth Kravets. "It could be 10 or 20 or 30 points on the SAT, and it could be 1 or 2 points on the ACT."

From commercials posted on the coaching companies own websites to smiling testimonials from success stories, the courses are heavily marketed to students hoping to land admission to their dream school.

Kravets took part in the study. She points out similar prep material is available online free of charge.

In their defense, coaching companies say not all prep programs are created equal and that the study's conclusions lump all types of prep, from weekend crash courses to those lasting several months in the same category.

Students at Northwestern said prep programs did help improve their scores but only when combined with dedicated study.

"So depending on if you actually take the course seriously, I think overall it contributes to your raw score," said freshman Nela Pree.

Counselors also admit that in the highly competitive world of college admission, sometimes just a few points will make a difference. It's important to realize how much bang for their buck families are getting.


College Admission Help: Are College Test Prep Courses Worth The Money?