$600 test prep = $180,000 scholarship

[PepperPotts]

https://collegeguidepost.com/scholarships/national-merit/full-ride-college-scholarships-national-merit-finalists/

4 years ago I paid $600 for unlimited test prep from Kaplan for my DS, then a high school freshman.  He took the online courses for SAT once, PSAT twice, and ACT once, so we "made our money back" compared to paying for each course out of pocket.  He made an okay score on the PSAT in 10th grade and a better score in 11th, just meeting the cutoff point for National Merit Scholar Semifinalist for our state.  He took the ACT just once after getting rescheduled 3x during the COVID 2020 summer and ended up with a 34.  He never took the SAT.  He attends a smallish private school and makes good grades, and is just below the top 20% of the class.  He also did 2 years of Kumon, but lost interest around the Algebra II level and quit. 

See link above, the schools offering full tuition, room, and board scholarships for National Merit Scholars aren't as generous as they used to be, but my DS will be attending the #2 school on the list this fall at little to no cost.  That's a lot of $ for good test scores.  We are tickled pink by the outcome.  We weren't counting on this, but it means we can use his 529 money for other purposes, albeit with some taxes/penalties on qualified vs. non-qualified withdrawals. Didn't have to fill out the FAFSA either (win).

If you are looking for a way for your kiddo to attend university debt free, the test prep/math prep may be a very wise investment.  Then, if they do make the semifinalist or finalist stage, apply to the universities with the most generous merit aid. 

[Dicey]

What a great Mother's Day gift! I hope he loves his college experience.

[nereo]

Why are you attributing your child’s success entirely (or predominately) on a test prep course?

[Cranky]

We are you attributing your child’s success entirely (or predominately) on a test prep course?

My dd checked a test prep book out of the library and went on to be a National Merit finalist, but I kinda think it’s because she was a smart kid who tests well.

[nessness]

As someone who was also a National Merit Scholar and who taught test prep for Kaplan, I agree with PPs that you shouldn't give the test prep too much credit. It can raise your score a bit, especially for students who are more motivated by a class than a book, but it certainly isn't the largest factor.

But regardless, congrats to your son! I also picked a school that gave full rides to National Merit Scholars, and it made a big difference in my early career to not have student loan debt to worry about.

[cool7hand]

Kudos!

[Mariposa]

You can withdraw the amount of the scholarship from his 529 penalty-free (but you still have to pay taxes on the earnings):

https://www.investopedia.com/news/penaltyfree-way-get-529-money-back/

[waltworks]

I got a perfect GRE score (on all 3 parts), which back then were math, logic puzzle stuff, and english/analogies/whatever the hell that stuff is called. ELA?

Anyway, great, that and $10 will get me a latte.

Then I started getting solicitations to work for Kaplan and tutor students for the test. They offered (wait for it)... $8 an hour (this was in 1999, but still). And you had to do a ~30 hour training course that was unpaid.

I wondered who on earth would be smart enough to do really well on their test and also dumb enough to take the job.

IMO test prep is pointless unless your kid struggles with standardized tests more than their general ability would suggest. There are a few folks out there who do benefit. But OP's kid is probably just a smart kid (or at least good at not making dumb mistakes on easy material, but that's another topic), full stop.

-W

[getsorted]

Why are you attributing your child’s success entirely (or predominately) on a test prep course?

Test prep raises the average ACT score by two points. That is easily the difference between a scholarship and no scholarship. And that's the average. You can raise it more. When I was a student, I used a test prep course to raise my score by two points, and that put me in a category where I was competing for a full ride - which I did eventually win. 

I am no lover of standardized tests. They have virtually no correlation to lifetime success. But if that's how the system runs, and you can game it? Small differences in score can mean a large amount of money.

[nereo]

Why are you attributing your child’s success entirely (or predominately) on a test prep course?

Test prep raises the average ACT score by two points. That is easily the difference between a scholarship and no scholarship. And that's the average. You can raise it more. When I was a student, I used a test prep course to raise my score by two points, and that put me in a category where I was competing for a full ride - which I did eventually win. 

I am no lover of standardized tests. They have virtually no correlation to lifetime success. But if that's how the system runs, and you can game it? Small differences in score can mean a large amount of money.

Here’s the thing though: the numbers advertised and touted are almost always before/after improvements, and deceptively don’t account for the fact that scores improve simply with added experience taking the test and several months of additional schooling. And I used to work as a paid tutor for improving kids scores for these very tests.

The second part is that your post title attributes the entire savings to a test prep course (“$600 prep = $180,000 scholarship!”). It glosses over that your son was already “on the cusp” and 99% of his accomplishments occurred because he is a bright, dedicated person who have had involved parents and some good teachers (assuming that is all true, as it typically is for high achieving students)

[getsorted]

Here’s the thing though: the numbers advertised and touted are almost always before/after improvements, and deceptively don’t account for the fact that scores improve simply with added experience taking the test and several months of additional schooling. And I used to work as a paid tutor for improving kids scores for these very tests.

The second part is that your post title attributes the entire savings to a test prep course (“$600 prep = $180,000 scholarship!”). It glosses over that your son was already “on the cusp” and 99% of his accomplishments occurred because he is a bright, dedicated person who have had involved parents and some good teachers (assuming that is all true, as it typically is for high achieving students)

You're missing the point. It's exactly the small differences that equal a huge amount of money when it comes to scholarships. Scholarship dollars are limited and competitive. All the other kids trying to get them are also some combination of bright, talented, hardworking, have involved parents, and are also prepping for the same tests.

There is zero doubt in my mind that learning and practicing the material on a test makes people better at the test. Whether you hire a tutor for it, or your school has a class in it, or you check out a book on it- there is no way that preparing for a test does not lead to better performance on that test.

Also, I'm not the OP.

[PepperPotts]

Hi All, thanks for chiming in.  I'm not attributing his "success" to the test prep, but considering he made the National Merit cutoff score with not a point to spare, I'd say the test prep was a good investment.  It made the difference between full ride scholarship and tuition-only scholarship. I'm not posting on the MMM forum for attaboys, but because this may be a yet another way for a financially savvy mustachian parent to work towards a debt-free education for their mini-mustache.  And yes, I am well aware that you can check out a book from the library.  But the schedule and accountability of an actual class with assignments and deadlines enabled getting through the material on time.   

[FLBiker]

That's cool!  I was a national merit scholar as well and I wish I'd have known about that list of full ride scholarships.  I just went to the university my dad worked at (Washington University in St. Louis).  It was a good (and otherwise expensive) school, but I had no idea I could have gone other places for free as well.  I was only aware of the Wash U employee benefit, which would have paid half of another school's tuition (or something like that).  Oh well. :)