Does SAT prep really help?

Without specific data from students, test prep companies, and tutors, it's impossible to say that prep does help. However, even without data, I can shed some light about prep and its potential impact of preparing the right way.

In order to understand how prep can help, it's important to understand the objective of the test. The SAT writes a test that provides consistent scores (i.e. students are not increasing scores after a few hours of studying). That's why the average score per section is roughly 500 every year. That's why students, on average, score nearly identical scores each time them retake the exam. Brutal, I know.

How does College Board (ETS) do this? It writes a test that is based more on reasoning (think patterns) than content. If you think about it, most high school exams grade students on their ability to recite material. The more you've memorized, the higher you score. With the SAT, memorizing formulas leads to little--if any--score increase.

What should students do to avoid scoring similar scores?
#1 - Look for patterns instead of memorizing.
#2 - Don't expect scores to automatically increase after an SAT class or a few hours with a tutor. Growth takes time. Establish short term and long term goals.
#3 - Practice reading critically.
#4 - Don't try to answer every question, unless you're aiming for a 700+. Students aiming for 600 to 650, for example, should only attempt 16 of 20 math questions. Skip the hard questions--the test gets a lot easier.
#5 - Use official SAT questions, The Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd edition.

If you have other tips, please share them.