by Christa Cersosimo

When it comes to taking what’s arguably the most important test of your life, several test prep institutions are taking that importance to the bank.

SAT prep courses such as the Princeton Review reap $4 billion a year, while the yearly take home for the Kaplan Test Prep courses stands at $2.2 billion a year.  That’s because the average student spends roughly $1,000 on SAT prep courses, according to one test guide.

Up Your Score, publishers of several SAT prep books geared towards easing the anxiety of test-taking, finds parents are “willing to spend up to $1,000 on an SAT prep course.”  But in the Bronx, scrounging up SAT prep fees does not come easily for every family.  Oftentimes, the students are helping to foot the bill.

Ani Akpan of Highbridge is a senior at Browning School, splitting the cost of paying for the extra help with his parents. From his own savings, he paid for books and $750 for a one-year subscription to Method Test Prep, an online course. His parents covered the $1,000 bill for weekly tutoring.

But not all students are as lucky as Ani.  For instance, Nicholas Doron, 16, had to get by without the extra support.

“My parents don’t have the money so I had to borrow the book from the school,” said Doron, who attends the Lehman High School in Throggs Neck.  “It wasn’t that helpful.”

Students like Nicholas are exactly what worries Bob Shaeffer.

The cost of SAT prep can put low-income students at a disadvantage, according to Schaeffer, Public Education Director at Fair Test, an education think tank promoting fairness in test taking. “The test preparation companies leave less affluent students further behind the eight ball,” he told the Los Angeles Times earlier this year.

In 2012, 1.6 million students took the SAT nationally and the center that issues the test made $600 million in 2009, according to CNN news anchor and reporter Carol Costello.

Wealth is often linked to success.  And while some families can afford for their children to take the test multiple times utilizing various testing resources such as tutors, books and classes to fuel their success, some families are not so lucky.  A survey taken by The Washington Post in October 2013 found students whose family makes less than $20,000 a year score an average 1326, a below average grade, while students who come from a family that makes more than $200,000 have an average score of a 1714.

Cost aside, some students think the SAT plays too big of a role in the college application process. Several students argue that the test only appeals to more academically focused students, leaving college admissions counselors to likely disregard one’s extracurricular activities.

“This test doesn’t define who I am as a student,” said Shakema Barnison, 20, a student at Borough of Manhattan Community College.

admin

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.