Test Prep vs Classroom Instruction: Which Approach Works Better

1.  To start, let's define what test preparation is.

As someone who has been working in test preparation for 25 years, I've had the unique opportunity to see both test prep and classroom instruction in action. First and foremost, I want to pay homage to the fantastic teaching that happens in the classrooms across the United States. I'm always amazed at a teacher’s ability to teach new subjects and new concepts to students who learn in so many different ways and to help them master important objectives. A best-practices model for test prep should support core instruction and enhance a student's learning experience. But, test prep is different from standard classroom instruction although schools often use the same approach. This blog outlines what an effective test preparation program delivers and how to engage both teachers and administrators. School districts who think they can provide tutoring purely on "great classroom instruction" are missing the boat on providing their students with an engaging and enriching test preparation experience

2. Engage and Entertain to Educate

Engagement, and sometimes entertainment, is vital to deliver in a quality test prep experience. In a typical school setting, if a student does not show up to class, it is the student's fault. The responsibility to attend the class falls on the student and their family. In a test prep program, the rules are quite different. If students don't show up for class, who gets the blame? The test prep company. Therefore, step number one is that test prep has got to be some percent of educational instruction and some percent fun and engagement so students will return for future sessions. SureScore practices the classroom philosophy of "work hard, play hard." We work hard first and try to be playful second while creating an active learning environment that is enjoyable for the student. It is important students view their test prep experience as different from their traditional school classroom. SureScore encourages students to try new approaches and experiment with various strategies, make mistakes, and be vulnerable to share what works and what doesn't to improve their approach to taking tests.

3. Know when to teach Strategies and when to review Content

Test Prep is not about teaching new content; it's about reviewing content that students should already know and teaching strategies to try whenever they don’t have mastery of a specific concept. It is about helping a student not give up on a problem and randomly guess when they cannot solve a problem, but instead identify wrong answer choices and reduce guessing between two answer choices versus four or five. These simple approaches can have a dramatic effect on overall scores. More importantly, you have kept that student engaged on a difficult question versus randomly guessing. Test Prep is not about having mastery of all the content being tested; it’s about helping students figure out how to maximize their score on the test. Classroom instruction is about mastery of as many concepts as possible while the goal of test prep is to score as high as you possibly can on any given test. Every extra bit counts, whether it’s on the 40 yard dash, or the ACT. 

4. It is most efficient to place students into groups based upon ability; mixing students at different levels may work in the classroom, but it hurts students when it comes to test prep

Too often we see students who are at different academic levels in the same test prep session. We all understand that students are at different levels and have different goals, yet our concern is that too many advanced students are being left behind. As a specific example, SureScore recently ran an SAT Prep Academy with a group of 28 seniors. In looking at their previous SAT scores, one student in the class had an 1190 and another student had a 910. It was important to separate those students into two separate classes, yet the counselor argued to keep them together so the advanced student could help the lower-performing student. We fought to keep them separated because the higher-scoring student was on the precipice of breaking into the 1200s and would not have their needs met if the test prep focused on the student with a 910. Both students need equal support, but college admissions has gotten so competitive for Tier I colleges that advanced students require more attention than ever to gain admissions into select higher ed institutions. 

5. Blend core instruction with an effective test-prep approach. Engage teachers to build foundations and teach concepts - don't put all your eggs into one basket with "test prep" only. 

When students have a mastery of specific concepts like quadratic formulas or intensive annotating skills, it helps immensely in test prep sessions because no "reteach" is required. Concept mastery allows test prep instruction to hone in on important test-taking skills like time-management and quickly identifying easy, medium and difficult questions on the SAT or ACT. Essentially, we want students taking the test versus the test taking the students. Strategies can help students learn how to take a timed test more effectively. If you have mastery of content but you don't know how to apply that effectively on a specific test, you're not going to do your best. Flagging concepts, so that teachers can ensure high-ability test takers get extra time to understand and master the concepts, makes a test prep instructors job easier because then they’re not having to review so much content. Thus, they can drill into test-taking strategies and hone in on specific techniques that the students needs to master in order to score as high as they can. 

6. Be organized and prep students immediately prior to a specific test date

The most common mistake we see in schools is students are placed into a prep class without targeting an official test date. That means students are “prepping” for an SAT or ACT but may not take the test for several months after the prep class is over. It is vital in any test prep session that students know when their test date is going to be for either the SAT, ACT or TSI. Your test prep session may not cover a rigorous concept until November yet some students may be signed up for an exam in October and will miss an important session when they take their test. It is vital in any test prep session that all the students are signed up for an upcoming test, and that your test prep schedule is synced with your core instruction schedule for students to maximize their scores. It helps with motivation and keeps everyone rowing the boat in the same direction. It will also help so everyone gets the core test prep instruction and a review before they take the TSI or the SAT, or the ACT.

Happy Prepping!!!