SAT Tools Used More by Students From Higher-income Families
Professors from The Ohio State University and Emory University presented a new study at the American Sociological Association last week, saying students from higher-income families are more likely to use SAT preparation tools such as classes and tutors. The tools give them an advantage in getting into more selective colleges.
The students who took private tutors and classes averaged scores 60 points higher on their SATs compared to those who didn’t take those classes, according to results from “The Myth of Meritocracy? SAT Preparation, College Enrollment, Class and Race.”
“SAT prep tools have become a tool of advantaged families to ensure that their children stay ahead in the competition for college admissions,” said Dr. Claudia Buchmann, co-author of the study and associate professor of sociology at Ohio State.
Buchmann conducted the study with OSU colleague Dr. Vincent Roscigno and Dr. Dennis Condron of Emory University. They examined data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, which followed the preparation methods of eighth-graders from 1988. About 18 percent took a high school class on SAT preparation, 11 percent took a private class, and 7 percent had a private tutor.
But the authors said prep tool classes are also expensive, with courses from Princeton Review and Kaplan charging more than $800 for their classes.
Results showed that students from lower-income families, and with parents who have less education and lower-level jobs, were less likely to use any form of test preparation.
