College Board Report No. 98-6 - Effects of Coaching on SAT I: Reasoning Scores

Sep 14, 2026

A College Board-sponsored survey of a nationally representative sample of 1995-96 SAT takers produced a database covering more than 4,000 examinees, including about 500 who attended formal coaching programs outside their schools. Multiple alternative analytical methods were applied to estimate coaching effects on SAT I: Reasoning scores. Results varied across methods, yet all estimates indicated coaching effects are far smaller than claims made by major commercial test preparation companies. The revised SAT I also showed no greater coachability than its predecessor.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Effects of Coaching on SAT® I: Reasoning Scores

Method

Sample

Data

Data Analyses

Analytical Models

Results

Case Studies

Score Changes

Who Seeks Coaching?

Estimates of Coaching Effects

Differential Effects by Examinee Subgroups

Discussion

References

Appendix A

Appendix B

| College Board Report No. 98-6 | | --- | | | | Effects of Coaching on | | SAT® I: Reasoning Scores | DONALD E. POWERS and DONALD A. ROCK Donald E. Powers is principal research scientist at Educational Testing Service. Donald A. Rock is an educational consultant. Researchers are encouraged to freely express their professional judgment. Therefore, points of view or opinions stated in College Board Reports do not necessarily represent ofﬁcial College Board position or policy. Founded in 1900, the College Board is a not-for-proﬁt educational association that supports academic preparation and transition to higher education for students around the world through the ongoing collaboration of its member schools, colleges, universities, educational systems and organizations. In all of its activities, the Board promotes equity through universal access to high standards of teaching and learning and sufﬁcient ﬁnancial resources so that every student has the opportunity to succeed in college and work. The College Board champions—by means of superior research; curricular development; assessment; guidance, placement, and admission information; professional development; forums; policy analysis; and public outreach— educational excellence for all students. Additional copies of this report may be obtained from College Board Publications, Box 886, New York, New York 10101-0886,(800) 323-7155. The price is $15. Please include $4 for postage and handling. Copyright © 1998 by College Entrance Examination Board. All rights reserved. College Board, SAT, and the acorn logo are registered trademarks ofthe College Entrance Examination Board. Printed in the United States of America. Acknowledgments The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions ofthe following people to the study reported here: Nancy Ervin for assistance in retrieving information from test score ﬁles; Laura Jenkins for help in matching the PSAT/ NMSQT and SAT ® databases; Laura Jerry for processing and analyzing the data; Ruth Yoder for help with several aspects of the study, including preparation of the ﬁnal report; Larry Stricker, Spence Swinton, and Stan Von Mayrhauser for helpful comments on an earlier draft; and the members of the Joint Staff Research and Development Committee for their support. Contents Abstract............................................................... 1 Effects of Coaching on SAT® I: Reasoning Scores............................................. 1 Method................................................................ 1 Sample ................................................................ 1 Data .................................................................... 2 Data Analyses ..................................................... 2 Analytical Models ............................................... 3 Results.................................................................6 Case Studies ........................................................ 6 Score Changes ..................................................... 7 Who Seeks Coaching? ......................................... 8 Estimates of Coaching Effects ........................... 11 Differential Effects by Examinee Subgroups ..... 11 Discussion.......................................................... 12 References.......................................................... 14 Appendix A ....................................................... 15 Appendix B ....................................................... 17 Tables 1.“Case Histories” for 10 SAT I Takers................6 2. Mean Pre-SAT I, Post-SAT I, and Gain Scores for All Coached and Uncoached Examinees .......7 3. Demographic and Background Characteristics of Coached and Uncoached Examinees ..............8 4. Test Preparation and Test Reactions of Coached and Uncoached Examinees ..............9 5. Effects of Coaching (All Programs) Based on Alternative Models

FAQs

What data source does the report use to study coaching effects?

The report uses a College Board-sponsored survey of a nationally representative sample of 1995-96 SAT takers, creating a database covering more than 4,000 examinees.

How does the report estimate the effects of coaching?

It applies several alternative analytical methods to estimate coaching effects on SAT I: Reasoning scores, producing somewhat different estimates across approaches.

What conclusion does the report reach about coaching effectiveness?

Across analyses, the estimated effects of coaching are far smaller than claims made by major commercial test preparation companies, and the revised SAT I does not appear more coachable than the prior version.

Sep 14, 2026

Uploaded by Sophia Brooks