I was a math tutor for the Princeton Review for most of 1997 and I took their GMAT course (the business school admissions test - it's just a souped-up SAT). I found Princeton Review to be great for math at all levels and mediocre for verbal, especially students aiming for a high verbal score.

Any student would benefit from the math tutoring. Princeton Review is FANTASTIC for math and has developed a ton of great techniques for mastering the math section of the SAT. Do the exercises, get comfortable with working quickly, and I believe that any dedicated student can add 100 points to their math score using Princeton Review techniques, with incremental improvement above 720 or so.

Verbal is another story. In my experience, most students saw very minor improvements in their verbal score (20-30 points). I believe that much of that study time could be better spent on math problems. The SAT always tests the same word usages (affect vs. effect, etc.) and Princeton Review can help with that, but I didn't see much value in the reading comprehension or vocabulary practice other than familiarization with the test format.

- A student on a budget with a ton of discipline could learn the Princeton Review techniques out of the Princeton Review book for $20. A student on a budget without a lot of self-discipline should take the Princeton Review math-only and buy the book to practice the verbal side. A student with zero self-discipline, if money is no object, or if English is not their first language, should take the verbal side too. For $20, you can just buy the Princeton Review book and learn 80% of everything they teach in the course - the class seems designed to force-feed students the techniques that they could teach themselves using the Princeton Review book and a copy of 10 SATS.

- Princeton Review generally has several offices in a given city. In the smaller offices, only one math and one verbal section are offered. If it's a feasible option, students should enroll where there are multiple classes offered simultaneously, so that they're grouped with students who are shooting for the same scores. (Ask the Princeton Review office what time of year is most popular - fall/winter is pretty dead compared to spring/summer.) There are very different techniques if you're shooting for a 500 in math or an 800. When all levels are lumped together in one classroom, the high- and low-end students don't get the instruction they need.

- If you can't avoid being lumped in with a ton of students, ask for 1-on-1 time with the instructor. Princeton Review offers unlimited free 1-on-1 tutoring in conjunction with the classes, but most students never asked for it.

- Find out how many times the tutor has taught the SAT - you don't want someone the first time through. Princeton Review has just one or two hiring sessions per year so if you take a class in March you're more likely to get an inexperienced teacher than if you take a class in May.

- Princeton Review offers individual tutoring at twice the price of a regular course. Unless your schedule makes it impossible to attend a regular Princeton Review class, I don't see the value in 1-on-1 - and I've been a 1-on-1 tutor.






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