PROVO -- Despite a degree of success by private tutors who tout an understanding of the anatomy of U.S. college entrance exams, the organization that oversees the high-stakes tests insists that special test coaching is not a magic key to logging strong scores.
Recent studies commissioned by the College Board -- and denounced by test-preparatory companies nationwide -- indicate that on the average, scores of students who were coached before taking the tests showed no large gains over those who got no special training.High scores on the SAT will gain students entrance to prestigious schools and qualify them for lucrative scholarships. Scores of another commonly taken test -- the ACT -- also are accepted by most U.S. colleges and universities -- particularly in the West -- as proof of scholastic aptitude.
Since special talents in extracurricular events are often not considered initially, low scores put students on paths to state and community colleges and all but disqualify them for lucrative academic scholarships.
Students and parents are aware of the stakes, say leaders at private education firms such as Kaplan and Princeton Review. And they are well aware that a near-perfect SAT score -- of 1600 possible -- will likely gain them entrance to a top-tier school with a scholarship.
Mark Anderson, executive director for pre-college and pre-graduate programs at Kaplan, the nation's oldest out-of-school exam-coaching company, said the company has witnessed a 12 percent increase in students seeking extra help for the college tests.
Competition is fierce in today's environment of college-bound high school seniors, he said.
"(Pre-test help) is essential," Anderson said. "The SAT is not an intelligence test. You can improve your score on any test that measures acquired skills such as math and reading."
College Board officials say that studies show scores rise and fall regardless of pre-test coaching. To obtain the data, the Educational Testing Service surveyed 4,200 students who took the SAT in 1995 and 1996.
Some 12 percent of the students had taken pre-test tutoring. Researchers compared score changes on the second test for coached and un-coached students, first matching students on the basis of gender, grades, ethnicity, prior test scores and other factors.
Researchers found that some coached students saw large score increases, but more students in both groups saw their scores fall or stay the same.
Students who had been tutored gained an average of 6 to 12 points on the verbal score and 13 to 26 points in math. But more than a third of verbal scores did not change after coaching.
"Students would be well advised to focus on the other things that can make a difference in admission and in college, like getting good grades in the most challenging courses available," said Wayne Camara, the board's executive director of research and development. "Those factors are strongly associated with success in college -- and with high SAT scores."
The study claims, however, that students who enroll in coaching programs are more likely to use more methods to prepare, think their prior test scores underestimated their abilities, express more anxiety about the test, and apply to more selective universities than uncoached students.
Coached students are also more often Asian American, less familiar with English, come from better-educated families with higher incomes, get higher grades, have higher degree goals, and take more courses in history, foreign languages, math and science.
Craig Cooper, a counselor at Orem High School, said his students are referred to in-school prep sessions or courses at nearby Brigham Young University. A free computer program that familiarizes students with the test format also is available for students at the school, he said.
"The sharp students can handle the test without (coaching)," said Cooper said. "Those courses mostly teach techniques. They don't get much into content."
Three years ago, the College Board claims, students said they spent an average of 11 hours preparing for the test, an increase of one hour in nine years. Three percent devoted no time to studying, nearly 50 percent didn't spend money to prepare and 10 percent spend at least 54 hours and more than $135.
The 12 percent of students who were coached privately devoted an average of 20 hours in class and eight hours outside of class to test preparation. Ten percent of these students were coached for free and another 10 percent paid $800 or more.
College Board officials also say that about 6 percent of students were tutored privately for a median cost of $150, with two in five paying nothing for tutoring and one in 10 paying over $700. For the 19 percent purchasing test prep software, the median cost was $35, with one in 10 students paying $60 or more.
A course at a Kaplan center in Provo or Salt Lake City costs $699 for 36 hours of instruction, including three diagnostic tests.
Kaplan spokeswoman Andrea Wilson doesn't dispute that students who take rigorous courses in high school will score better on the test -- with or without pre-test help. But the company calls into question the College Board's "coached vs. uncoached" data.
Most of the students that the board identifies as "uncoached" have received some preparation for the college-entrance exams in high school classes, through private tutors or study aids and software, she said. Also, students who participated were hand-picked by the researchers.
In addition, independent research firms Price Waterhouse and Bruskin Goldring indicate that coached students improve an average of 120 points overall. Students who attend the classes and complete the homework improve an average of 140 points, while 28 percent improve 170 points or more.
"I think the College Board is using the study to sell a message to educators that you can't buy a higher score," Wilson said. "(But) test preparation is an investment in the future, and that's how some families look at it."