There is so much financial gain to be made from companies that offer these courses, and so many vulnerable students and families are affected by this.
However, some children do seem to benefit from studying and prep - and so much depends on the child, the tutor, the setting, the particular child's needs, etc. My experience has been that studying the guides may be enough; however, for unmotivated students and those who benefit from more structure, an individual tutor who can focus in on his/her needs is preferable to a class.
Unfortunately, there is a widespread assumption that kids who have high SAT scores, particularly if they reside in suburban areas, are the products of test prep and that alone accounts for their scores. This diminishes their abilities, and promotes what I believe is the false assumption that with test prep, anyone can do well on these tests.
