ACT and SAT preparation

Test Preparation ACT Preparation
1

<p>My son is in his sophmore year and I am thinking of signing him up for ACT and SAT classes over the summer so that he will have time to review the materials and soak in before he takes the test in spring of his junior year or fall of his senior year.</p>

<p>Is this a bad idea. He has taken good math classes but is in the regular classes for everything else. His interests seems to be in math and music. During the school year, he might not have time for these lessons as he has other activities (swimming).</p>

<p>Princeton review has a good reputation in this area and they offer online lessons for about $400. If he does this over the summer and keeps reviewing it during the year, would that be adequate preparation? Would he lost when he takes the course over the summer because he has not taken Physics yet( will be in junior year) or Pre calculus. ( again will be taking it in junior year.)</p>

<p>Any inputs would be appreciated.</p>

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<p>I’ve never found SAT/ACT classes from Princeton etc., to be particularly helpful but that’s for you to decide. I recommend taking classes from a local person. Many students here take classes from a college student who does SAT preparation on the side and I find that these classes tend to be more helpful than the ones that are set by the PR.</p>

<p>Also, school grades / courses aren’t really something to worry about. Obviously they help but specific ACT/SAT preparation has a much greater factor in determining score</p>

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<p>Hey! Hope I can be of help to you.</p>

<p>First off, like the poster above me said, classes from Princeton aren’t especially helpful.
To me, I think of it as the ‘tip of the iceberg’ in terms of score. It might help in the 20’s or so, but after that, I’m not so sure.
It depends partially on your child’s current level, as well. If he needs ‘pushing’, then do what you need to do, usually I find that classes will, sorry for my word choice, ‘push’ your son into doing what he needs to do. For better or for worse.
Ah, another thing about this is the money. You could get more bang for your buck by buying two or three good workbooks. But, this is mostly dependent upon your child’s willingness to work.
There are threads in this ACT Preparation section of CC that could help you find a good book.</p>

<p>However, if he’s already at a higher level, I’d say a composite 29 and up, then those classes should not be much use to him. If you’re/he’s not satisfied with those scores, then instead, he should look to studying on his own. Hopefully, he can find it in himself to want to do better. For this, I’d advise him to constantly take practice tests, and always check his mistakes and correct answers. This is the repetitive part, just sheer practice.</p>

<p>When you’re asking about Physics and Pre-calculus, I don’t think not taking these things will hurt him. The science section of the ACT is more like the reading section, but instead with graphs, charts and information. Knowing or not knowing Physics should not help or hinder him too much. Not knowing Pre-calculus might be a little bit troublesome, so I would suggest he take the ACT later in the year. But, I think Pre-calculus is a small bit of the math section. If he is solid in his other topics (Algebra, Geometry, etc. Apologies, I can’t really think well right now) then he should be alright.</p>

<p>It’s definitely not a bad idea to get him thinking about these things early. Standardized test scores are important.
Is it a bad idea to push him into this? I can’t say.</p>

<p>Finally, this is a really helpful link that might be of use to you and your son:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/act-preparation/1436083-act-tips-noob-consolidated-list-tips.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/act-preparation/1436083-act-tips-noob-consolidated-list-tips.html&lt;/a&gt;
I’m not too great with linking, but essentially that is a link to another thread that discusses important tips/information. I hope you find it useful!</p>

<p>If you search around, you’ll also be able to find official practice tests from previous years. (I believe last time I checked it went all the way from 1999.) There are new versions usually every year until the 2005’s and on or so.
Either way, you should check out these free resources. A simple Google search should do the trick. (I.e. search up “1999 official ACT practice test pdf”.)</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

4

<p>My mother always say that “Repetition is the Mother of Learning.” If money is not an issue, then hearing the information once will be helpful even if he gets rusty on it and needs a little more review later. If you have time this coming summer and he is receptive to these types of classes, then go for it. Like everyone else says, without knowing your son’s specific goals it is difficult to make recommendations. I think that any class would be helpful. The Princeton Review prep books certainly seem to be highly recommended.<br>
Because the classes are so expensive they are really not an option for me, so I am self-studying for the ACT which I am planning to take in April. It would definitely help me to stay on “schedule” with my preparation sometimes if I were enrolled in a class and had someone to hold me accountable.<br>
Best of luck to you and your son!</p>