Q: What can I expect from my child taking a test prep class? What improvement will I see?

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A: One reason we encourage everyone to take real, previously-administered College Board tests is to get an accurate idea of a student's current status. Without an actual test, everyone, including experienced instructors, is only guessing. 

So the second step is what to do next. One thing I do with all my students is to set goals at the beginning of the summer sessions. For example,  if a student comes in with an 1100 and says they want to reach 1300 by the end of the summer, I advise them it will take 5 hours of class daily and 4 hours of homework after class, including weekends. Some students can do that; some don't have enough time. Then we revise the goal accordingly. Additionally, after 4 weeks of class, I sit down with students and re-evaluate their goals. Trying to predict how much any student might improve is kind of like betting on horse races – even those people who are really, really good at it are nowhere near perfect. If someone tells you they can predict how much a student will improve, they are selling you a bill of goods –  chances are they will come up with excuses later to explain why they were wrong. 

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No educator can guarantee what a student will do in the future, just as no coach can guarantee his team will win every time. But one thing I can guarantee is that your son will benefit from instruction. Countless times I have heard from former students in college how they are still using the tools I taught them in SAT/ ACT class. All instruction in reading, writing and problem solving benefits students in their future academic careers.