Visit The College Board Official SAT Practice Test website and have your child download and take a practice test. You can choose to have her take a paper or online test to reflect the experience and scores of the SAT version she will take later. Review her results carefully; these initial scores can help you and your child identify areas that need improvement -- key issues that can help you choose the best prep program.
Talk with your child about how she feels she learns best: studying at home at her own pace; studying online; working in a one-on-one or small-group setting; or attending a classroom course. Students who are comfortable studying at home in a self-paced and self-directed manner may do best using an SAT prep book from the bookstore or local library.
Consider your finances. The College Board, the Princeton Review and Kaplan, for example, all offer commercial preparation courses, which range in price from $70 for the College Board online course to $1,500 for the Princeton Review's small-group and classroom instruction packages, at the time of publication.
Have your child attend a class or take a sample online lesson before enrolling. This allows her to try the course before you make a financial commitment that is often nonrefundable and lets her see if the course will address her weakest areas.
Ask what is included in the course fee. Many courses include books and materials, practice tests and tutoring services, while others charge "a la carte" for components.
Read the fine print of the course's contract. Most classroom and small-group courses offer a score-improvement guarantee that allows your child to retake the course or take a refresher if her SAT score does not improve. For students who need a lot of help or who are nervous test-takers, a guarantee can help take the pressure off.