With Khan Academy's free SAT preparation program, students who can't afford books or preparation programs can now prepare for free. This in itself is a big step forward, don't get me wrong. Khan Academy is a not-for-profit school that prides itself on offering verified improvements to SAT scores at no cost. In the past, preparation for the SAT was characterized by paid courses and the order of thick books to help students master word comparison exercises and memorize so-called “SAT” words.
The Khan Academy for SAT Prep is certainly a valuable resource, but it is not a substitute for SAT tutoring and, for most students, it will not produce the same results as third-party preparation aimed at helping you pass the exam. A crucial advantage of using Khan Academy for SAT preparation is that the College Board has created the entire course. Exam preparation courses for the SAT have been around for decades and usually include study guides and practice tests aimed at improving the score. Gone are the days of test preparation courses in which students and their families received hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Two preparation courses that are often talked about are Khan Academy and The Princeton Review, for similar and unique reasons. That said, I still suggest that, if you can, supplement your SAT preparation with additional preparation material, preferably from an accredited company such as Kaplan, Princeton Review or Barons. To learn about time-saving measures and other strategies, you'll probably need to buy something like SAT Premium Prep from Princeton Review or SAT Prep Plus from Kaplan.
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