Brown University graduate and Community Prep alum, Trung Truong, will provide 8 hours of private tutoring for SAT Prep -- four two-hour sessions.  Trung has taught SAT prep courses with RevolutionPrep and has experience as a private tutor. 

Must be within 30 miles of Providence, R.I.

SAT Prep group class vs. private tutoring?  This article, written by Sam Herzog and originally published in The Paly Voice, provides an excellent discussion of these questions:

The most detested and stress-inducing standardized exam, the SAT reasoning test, has generated a market full of stressed out parents and students who are willing to pay anything for a perfect score.

SAT preparatory courses and practice test books that guarantee score improvement actually manipulate the already vulnerable students. The widespread belief among students is that an SAT prep course is a ticket to a 2400, when in actuality, the courses prove to be mildly helpful, if at all.

According to an article the Wall Street Journal, “SAT Coaching Found to Boost Scores,” published on May 20, of this year, about two million students and their parents spend a total of $2.5 billion a year on SAT test preparation and tutoring. Most students who take the test expect to see their scores rise due to the time, effort and money they put into these preparatory classes.

However, the only effective method to prepare for these tests is to study with private tutors. While tutors typically cost more than a class or a book, their expertise and personal catering to each student provide a real advantage and will result in higher scores.

“My SAT tutor taught me how to approach the test and to notice the nuances of the SAT reasoning test,” junior Hanna Brody said. “We didn’t just go over practice tests; he taught me the techniques to raise my score.”

Students in prep classes often work at different paces, so logistically, the classes cannot cater to every individual.

Therefore, the classes are typically comprised of a few practice tests and reviews of those tests, implying that the student improvement is entirely based on personal initiative.

According to the article previously mentioned, some SAT classes make their practice tests harder so that when students take the actual SAT reasoning test, their scores improve. As a result, students automatically assume the prep class was the source of score increase.

“There was no increase in my score when I took the SAT after the prep class,” Cornfield said.

Another problem with large prep classes is that each student needs special attention in certain areas.

In a big class, it is impossible for the teacher to help each individual in problem areas.

However, special attention in problem areas is the biggest benefit of hiring a private tutor.

Laurence Bunin, the College Board senior vice president, says the board’s own research shows a limited amount of beneficial progress from test prep courses.

Bunin says that the first step to take as a student preparing for the SAT is to take a practice test to familiarize his or herself with the test in general.

For further preparation, beyond a basic understanding of the test, the best course of action would be to hire a tutor. Prep classes are as beneficial as buying a prep book to study from individually. While the cost per session may be higher, a lesser amount of time with a tutor yields better results than copious hours spent in a group prep course.

“I took 12 SAT prep classes and was unsatisfied with the results in my score,” Cornfield said. “Then I met with a private tutor. Four meetings with the tutor did more for my score than the entire course ever did.”

It is hard to find a student who has had a negative experience with a private SAT tutor; however, there is something to be said for finding the most reputable tutors.

Most students find that their learning ability is at its peak when they are tutored individually.

“My tutor helped me raise my score 300 points,” Brody said. “I could not have been happier with my SAT prep experience.”