The SAT: the infamous standardized test that can impact the trajectory of almost every senior applying to college. Some of the returning juniors spent their summers endlessly studying at SAT courses. To help their fellow peers, these students have decided to share their experiences.
Valentina Choi, junior at NVD, spent her summer at the Master Klass course in Closter Plaza, undergoing a demanding couple of months of summer vacation, and shared her opinion on the overwhelming amount of work. She advertises their strong training while cautioning that it can be a lot to handle during the NVD school year.
“I went to Masterklass [sic], and I would recommend this if you are looking for a more rigorous course. However I do think an SAT prep class is not necessary for a good score, there’s a lot of self services online for students,” Choi said. “My experience was good, but there was a lot of work. I would recommend taking it in the summer so that it’s not too much to handle on top of your schoolwork,” Choi stated.
Another Master Klass veteran, Joanne Shen, seems to have had a more fulfilling experience compared to Choi, appearing to be more enthusiastic and reflecting the eagerness the Master Klass teachers portrayed during lessons.
“I recommend Masterklass [sic] located in Closter and Palisades Park. The teachers at Masterklass [sic] are so passionate about their jobs, and the practice test reviews helped me reach my target score,” Shen said.
Master Klass appears to be a popular SAT study hub, though to mix it up, junior, Meva Turegun, adds Prestige to the list, favoring Prestige’s more well paced study system as she feels less swamped by her studies.
“I would recommend Prestige because I feel that, for example, instead of making you memorize 100-200 words a day like Masterklass [sic], they make you memorize a reasonable amount so it sticks to you better, and all the teachers are well qualified to be teaching,” Turegun said.
When practicing at Prestige, Shen and Turegun have different opinions on the matter. Shen shares how both Prestige and Master Klass include a sturdy amount of prep work. Unlike Turegun, Shen doesn’t seem to find either course to be too heavy. Instead she found that both courses aided in the preparation.
“I did two different prep programs, starting with Prestige at Closter early in the year and switching to Masterklass [sic] later. I wouldn’t say they were too stressful because most of my practice was done after the AP tests were over; both Prestige and Masterklass [sic] helped me a lot,” Shen said.
Junior Connor Yeoh follows up by explaining another difference between Joah and Prestige/Master Klass is,
“Joah is only in Palisades Park…their questions [are] harder and force you to learn,” Yeoh revealed, adding that, “Both of them aren’t that cheap but they’re very test oriented which is nice. Another thing that sets them apart is their questions – they are harder and force you to learn. Personally I’d recommend doing a summer course (that’s what I did) as I couldn’t imagine taking a prep course that intense with school.”
When asked what course they would take if they had the opportunity to choose differently, Choi, Shen, Turegun, and Yeoh do not regret their choices.
“My experience was good, but there was a lot of work. I would choose the same course, because I think it did a good job of preparing me for the SAT,” Choi said about her Masterklass [sic] experience.
Shen, both a Master Klass and Prestige student, had a similar sentiment.
“Looking back, I wouldn’t change my place of prep for the SAT if I could. In the end, it really just comes down to how you practice and how much time you’re willing to dedicate to the test,” Shen said.
Yeoh agreed saying that Master Klass was as fun as an SAT prep can be.
Turegun came to the same conclusion as her fellow peers while reflecting a more in depth assessment on why.
“I would choose the same, because, I feel like Prestige is very specific, they look at your tests and see what kind of questions you got wrong and give you practice problems on that, and I think most places do not do that,” Turegunu said.
