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It’s time to take the SAT’s. How should you prepare? The only sure thing is that you need to prep. It’s been proven those students who prep for the SAT’s do better then the students who don’t. There are many options. Use a test prep review company, there are many. Hire a private tutor. Or you can just buy a book.

Going the book route will save you a considerable amount of money. There are plenty of books regarding SAT review. The best way to determine what books are the most useful are the ones that rely on college students, high school advisors, online discussion groups and students who have written the SAT.

Of all the options, this one of course is the cheapest. But remember; only you know your study habits. Are you effective studying from a book? Do you need the reinforcement that comes from a class room type setting?

Your other option would be to use a test prep service. This is a little pricy compared to buying just the book. With a test prep service you get a class room learning environment, which is usually small in numbers. There are many to choose from. Some are large chains; others are smaller local classes that pop up here and there.

When deciding which type to use, the larger or smaller service, the advice is the same. Ask around. Ask around from students who have taken the course from these services. Any forum out there will have the same comments about the exact same service. This was greatest. This was terrible. I used them and I aced the SAT test. I used them and I didn’t increase my score at all. How can the same service have different reviews? Remember, there is a turn over rate for the larger services and they need teachers to keep in business. Find an instructor that has a good reputation.

The best and of course the most expensive is the private tutor. Private tutors offer the one on one that is very effective. But the same advice applies to the prep services. Ask around. Find someone who has used a tutor and ask for references. Even if you get a reference, you should always interview the tutor. Not everybody relates to everyone. Any good tutor doesn’t want to be in a bad or uncomfortable situation. Ask them to meet you.

All these options have merits. Make your decision based on what’s right for you. Some options are cheaper then others but taking the test multiple times is also expensive.

Richard Amburn is the contributing writer for http://www.globaltestprep.com a resource on the subject of test preperation. Be sure to visit http://www.globaltestprep.com for more information on test preperation!