Khan Academy’s SAT prep helping students improve scores, study finds

Students participating in Khan Academy’s free SAT Practice program are more likely to earn higher scores when they take the actual college entrance exam, according to a new study.

Khan Academy and the College Board, the SAT’s publisher, recently released findings of a study that indicated that students who spend at least 20 hours on the Academy’s SAT Practice program saw an average increase of 115 points compared to their earlier and preliminary PSAT/NMSQT exam, more than double the increase seen by students who use other practice tools.

A student points to an online Khan Academy lesson.
Courtesy of EdSource.org

“The SAT is a strong measure of college readiness.  It is heartening to see this positive association between personalized practice on Khan Academy and growth in college readiness,” Khan Academy founder and CEO Sal Khan said in a statement.

“This was only possible because of the hard work of many people, especially incredible teachers, counselors and school districts who have leveraged these practice tools for their students,” he said.

The study follows an announcement last month of a partnership between Khan Academy and five county offices of education, including the Orange County Department of Education. The partnership will allow the agencies and the Academy to collaborate to increase usage of Khan Academy’s materials, making the free resources a more formal part of school curriculum.

Read more about results of the College Board and Khan Academy study in an article in EdSource found here.