Commercial SAT preparation courses showed no statistically significant effect on SAT scores in a national propensity-score-matched sample (Domingue & Briggs, 2009)¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q2·i1small
Currency · newest study 2016 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q2 i1 In a quasi-experimental propensity-score-matched comparison of 706 students from the Educational Longitudinal Survey of 2002, participation in commercial SAT preparation courses showed no statistically significant difference on SAT scores (domain average effect size 0.10, improvement index +4). → ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs 2016
Evidence¶
ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs 2016¶
ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs. (2016). What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/664
q2 · i1 · causal · r2
Propensity score matched comparison of 353 coached and 353 uncoached students from ELS:02 data. The WWC reports SAT Math at effect size 0.13 (+5, p .08) and SAT verbal at effect size 0.08 (+3, p .31), domain average effect size 0.10, +4, not statistically significant; effect sizes were computed from the study's ordinary least squares regression coefficient.
"Domain average for general academic achievement (high school) (Domingue & Briggs, 2009) 0.10 +4 Not statistically significant"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- ACT/SAT test preparation and coaching programs have positive effects on general academic achievement (high school), based on six studies averaging a +9 improvement index — a broader claim this one bears on
- Self-reported test preparation showed no significant difference in ACT composite scores in a national sample (Scholes & Lain, 1997, Experiment 2) — related
- Two computerized SAT coaching programs showed no statistically significant effect on SAT scores (McClain, 1999) — related
- A school SAT preparation course improved SAT scores at one Texas school (Filizola, 2008; domain average effect size 0.28), driven by the mathematics subtest — related
- A 6-week computerized Latin and Greek root-word program improved SAT verbal scores (Holmes & Keffer, 1995; effect size 0.49) — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
commercial-sat-prep-no-significant-effect-domingue-briggs |
title |
Commercial SAT preparation courses showed no statistically significant effect on SAT scores in a national propensity-score-matched sample (Domingue & Briggs, 2009) |
description |
Commercial SAT preparation courses showed no statistically significant effect on SAT scores in a national propensity-score-matched sample (Domingue & Briggs, 2009) |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
weak |
newest_evidence |
2016 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-09 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — actsat-test-preparation-and-coaching-programs-2016 |
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