TikTok Test Prep Advice is Failing Students—Here’s What Actually Works

How Misinformation on TikTok and Social Media Is Undermining Test Prep—and What The Best Test Prep Does Differently When It Comes to Professional Test Prep

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, July 16, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In a cultural landscape where teenagers scroll through social media for answers and guidance, test prep has become the latest victim of misinformation. According to Eric Gutman, founder of The Best Test Prep, a growing number of students are entering the college admissions process armed with direction from very unqualified influencers on TikTok—and it’s costing them.

“The internet is swamped with amateurish test prep advice,” says Gutman. “All someone needs is a YouTube channel or TikTok handle to broadcast bad strategies to an unsuspecting public.”

With the rise of social-media-promoted study hacks, viral "test tricks," and motivational soundbites, students are being encouraged to do the opposite of what professional preparation demands: skip mastery, chase illusory shortcuts, and hope to somehow pull a rabbit out of a hat on Test Day.

The Most Common Misinformation

Gutman points to several recurring pieces of bad advice seen across TikTok:

-Try to “game” the test without truly mastering the content
-Start preparing for the SAT or ACT during junior year (instead of earlier)
-Plan to take a standardized test more than once
-Anchor prep to a test date and work backwards


“Our abundant experience teaches the exact opposite,” Gutman states. “The goal should always be to ace the test the first time and retest only if necessary. That requires content mastery and professional test-taking mechanics—not trendy gimmicks.”

Entertainment Is Not Education

While the format of TikTok promotes engaging, snackable content, Gutman warns that this can be a dangerous trap when applied to test prep. “Entertainment content can be fun to watch, but should be handled with care,” he cautions. “Professional prep contains all the accurate guidance students actually need.”

Gutman adds that many students arrive at The Best Test Prep with skewed expectations or bad habits picked up online. Fortunately, the company’s intake process is designed to provide a complete reset. “Our initial consultations are very thorough,” Gutman continues. “We make sure to dispel any misinformation right away.”

What Actually Works

When asked what does work, Gutman does not hesitate: “Getting a high score is the natural result of combining razor-sharp test-taking mechanics with a mastery of the material. Both need to be reinforced with structured repetition.”

Unlike influencer-style advice that’s based on generalizations or soundbites, The Best Test Prep provides constant guidance customized for each student, based on diagnostics, performance, and most importantly, proven methods for every question type. Each student is treated as a unique case to go to bat for, not a follower in a mass audience.

Gutman emphasizes that effective test prep is built on professionalism and consistency, not inspiration. “You cannot binge-watch your way to a high score. You need professional methods, a study plan, and a coach who has had success for many years.”

Social Media Isn’t the Problem—Amateurs Are

Gutman asserts that social media can be helpful in moderation, but only when the content comes from verified professionals. “It depends on the source. Posts from real test prep professionals can contain helpful guidance, information, and even inspiration. Posts from amateurs or imposters, however, are likely harmful for the reasons explained,” he says. This distinction matters because teenagers often struggle to evaluate expertise online. High engagement or flashy editing is easily mistaken for credibility. “With TikTok as a tutor, students are usually in for a rude awakening on Test Day,” Gutman warns. “Credentials matter.”

Reprogramming What TikTok Broke

So what happens when students arrive on The Best Test Prep’s doorstep with habits learned from TikTok? “It’s always best to get a student fresh, before he or she has learned anything that’s wrong and needs to be unlearned,” Gutman explains. “That having been said, many of our clients have come to us after receiving amateurish test prep elsewhere, which didn’t work, and with our forceful, clear instruction and practice over time, those habits were corrected.”

The Best Test Prep focuses not just on skill-building but also on re-educating students to approach the test professionally, taking care of every section with composure and control.

A Word to Parents

Gutman also offers a practical word to parents trying to make sense of the prep advice their teenagers consume: “Parents should always ask their children for the source of any test prep guidance. If it’s not from reputable professionals, it should be immediately discarded or run by someone who’s an actual expert.” He adds that parents can support their children not by micromanaging, but by making sure they are working with a competent instructor—one who delivers results, not clicks.

About The Best Test Prep

Founded by Eric Gutman, formerly the world’s largest test preparation company’s highest student-ranked SAT/GRE instructor in the nation’s biggest market, The Best Test Prep is a boutique that delivers top-notch standardized test preparation by hiring only full-time, experienced instructors with years of proven success with students. Its professional methods for every question type have been refined through a decade and a half of working with thousands of students to be practical and effective on Test Day. Since 2010, The Best Test Prep’s faculty has been transforming bright, motivated students into professional test-takers who have dominated the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, and more. For students and families who want stellar results, not viral distractions, it offers the professionalism that digital culture forgot.

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