How many sessions are needed to prepare a student for the SATs?

Students who take the SATs without any preparation are like the person who wants to write a book using pencil and paper instead of a computer.  It can be done, but the person using a “manual word processor” is at a distinct disadvantage.  The SATs are just not like school tests.  They do not merely measure what you know.  They test how well you can take the test.  A good tutoring program can help you learn strategies that lead to higher scores.  Prep classes teach strategies that help you identify the correct answer in less time.  Why approach a math problem by doing the algebra when a strategy can let you find the correct answer without spending time on the computation?  Why read an entire reading comprehension passage when a strategy can be used to locate the correct answer in a matter of seconds? 

For about ten years, a student has been taking teacher-designed tests.  The SAT is very different.  The student must learn new test-taking behaviors.  Developing a new approach takes time.  Yes, a student can pick up a few strategies in just a few days, but to optimize his/her chance of practicing and internalizing SAT strategies while reviewing the appropriate subject matter, an appropriate amount of time must be devoted to preparatory work. 

Tutors who specialize in SAT-preparation classes agree that 10-15 hours is the average amount of time that a student should spend in prep classes.  These classes meet once a week, and the student is expected to do homework in between the sessions.  Soar For Success, for example, expects students to put in 15-20 minutes a night for five nights and to take some of the practice tests at home.  That is enough sessions to “cover” the material, and it a long enough span of time for the student to begin to develop new test-taking behaviors.