Advice from Other Parents Regarding ACT Test

Parents Forum
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<p>I did also post this on the ACT Prep section, but I am also looking for other parents that either find themselves in my scenario right now, or have found themselves in this situation in the past. I hope this is okay w/the mods to also post this post in this section as well. I am just looking for advice from other parents and I am not sure how many parents actually check the ACT section of this forum. Any advice, thoughts, or comments would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! Here's my post from the ACT section:</p>

<p>My daughter is currently in an ACT Prep class and as part of that class they have been taking a practice test every Saturday morning. Her best composite score has been 28. She got a 27 on another test, and then a 26 on the other 2 tests. Is there hope for her that she can get that composite score into the 30's?</p>

<p>I just hate this test! She has everything else going for her. She has a 4.3+ weighted GPA (3.9+ unweighted), lots of EC's, she's ranked in the top 2% of her class, has always had honors level classes for all of her core class and is now taking AP classes in addition to her honors level classes....</p>

<p>I just feel that this darned test is going to be her downfall! She's worked so hard over the course of her high school career to be involved in school and to get good grades, but this ACT test is going to ruin everything for her! UGH!</p>

<p>So far most of her prep for the test has been in her prep class. She takes a practice test every Saturday morning (she's had 4 practice tests so far, and she will have 1 more) and then she meets w/a class every Wednesday night for 3 hours. We've tried to do a little bit of prep on our own. She has the Real ACT book, and another book entitled 10 Practice ACT Tests. It's hard to find the time for her to prep on her own because she is so swamped w/homework for all of her classes. They are supposed to prep in English classes for the English and Reading portion of the test, but she is in a AP English class and the teacher does not want to spend any class time on ACT Prep because they are trying to prepare for the end of the year AP test as well. The kids in regular English class have been prepping like crazy, but the kids in the AP classes are not. I feel the AP kids are at a disadvantage because they are not getting the in class prep time w/their English teachers. The AP English teacher has given them some prep stuff to do out of class, but they don't get any points towards their grade, and the prep that they do has to be taken out of the homework time, too.</p>

<p>I am just so frustrated w/this test! On her first practice test where she got a 28 composite, she got a 34 on science, but since that test she can't score above a 26 on that section. So did she just get lucky and get an especially easy science test for that section? Is this test that inconsistent? She's been in honors math since middle school, but can't get above a 27 on math. Her English and reading have been consistently at 27/28, but are not improving any more. She tried a different reading strategy on one of the practice tests for reading and got a 23. She ran out of time and had to completely guess on the last 10 questions. She typically isn't a very good standardized test taker, but based on her grades, she should be scoring a lot higher than she has been. Why is this test so hard?!?! She wants to major in engineering and she wants to go to a big 10 school. We were hoping that she would also qualify for some scholarship money as well to help pay the cost of college based on her grades, class rank, and EC's, but if she can't get above a 28 on the test, not only will scholarship money vanish, but she might not even be accepted into the programs she wants to apply to.</p>

<p>I know I need to calm down because I am starting to panic! Her first real test isn't until April 14th. We also signed her up for the one in June and she takes one at her school on April 24th, but it won't have a writing portion, and we have been given mixed information if she will even be able to use that score when applying to her chosen schools since the test doesn't have a writing section. Her writing section is pretty consistent in that she has gotten 10's on all the practice essays, and she is happy w/that. I also looked online and there is another ACT test she can take the beginning of September.</p>

<p>I am starting to worry though, and I guess I am just looking for some support from others here that have been in a similar situation. Either parents w/children going through this type of scenario, or even kids themselves that find themselves in this situation.</p>

<p>If you have made it through my monster post, thank you!! Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated! My daughter is my oldest so I feel this is such new territory for me. I just am so sick to think that this ONE test could potentially ruin everything that my daughter has worked so hard to achieve.</p>

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<p>Is she a junior? Has she taken all the classes that are covered on the ACT?</p>

<p>Has she tried the SAT to see how she does on that? Some kids do better on one than the other.</p>

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<p>I’ve PM’d you.</p>

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<p>Is she not taking the SAT’s? I would strongly recommend that take that at least twice. At my D’s school most kids take the SAT’s and some take the ACT’s in addition, but I don’t know anyone who only took the ACT. D’s GC told her most kids do better on the ACT but that is not always the case, some do better on the SAT. Definitely have her give it a try, it’s not too late.</p>

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<p>It sounds like she is under a whole lot of pressure here, and maybe that’s affecting her scores. I agree with ohiobassmom too - maybe the SAT is more her thing.</p>

<p>As an aside - good for the AP teacher for not taking up class time to prep for the ACT.</p>

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<p>Yes there is hope. My son went from around that area to a 33.
Is she running out of time during the test or is she getting wrong answers?
Is the prep class using real ACT tests for the Saturday tests? Sounds to me like that class is not helping her if her scores has not gone up, perhaps she needs private tutoring? My son did one 8 week private tutoring, worked like crazy for that short time but it was worth it.</p>

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<p>Thanks so much for all the replies, everyone!</p>

<p>We live in the midwest, and that is what most if not all of the kids take here. My daughter does not know anyone taking the SAT. That is something that we need to look into. Perhaps she can take that in the Fall and have time to prep for it over the summer? Thanks for mentioning that.</p>

<p>She’s a junior, and is in a honors level math class meant for seniors. Next year she is taking AP Calculus BC. I do think she sort of panics when taking standardized test, and that coupled w/not getting anywhere near the score she needs is making her panic more. It’s such a vicious cycle!</p>

<p>Lilmom, I have not received a PM from you yet. Thanks for taking the time to send me one though and I am looking forward to receiving it.</p>

<p>Thanks again, everyone!</p>

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<p>Is she finishing all of the questions? My d finally got the practice test scores up when she focused on speed and finishing all the questions. Made a big difference on the actual test. Hope this might help.</p>

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<p>I don’t know about scholarship money or specific programs, but a 28 score seems like it’s solidly within the 25-75 percentiles at most of the Big 10 schools. That combined with a great GPA is hardly the end of the world. </p>

<p>Those group prep classes tend to offer very general strategies; I think the key is to figure out what she’s doing wrong–is it time management or is it something else. Go over each question she got wrong and figure out what the problem is. Then you can tailor to prep to her specific issues.</p>

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<p>Bluebird, thanks so much for the reply! I was hoping I would hear from somebody that had a child that was able to raise their scores. She has spring break where she can really prep for the April 14th test and she is hoping she doesn’t get too much homework since the Friday before break will be the end of the quarter. She will also get a couple of weeks to exclusively prepare for the one in June since school will already be out.</p>

<p>We have been trying to go over the problems that she missed and when going over she realizes what her mistakes are. In some of the math problems she will make stupid mistakes like forget to carry the negative over. For example, she will mark the answer as 4 when it really should be -4. With the reading she just runs out of time, so she will have to guess on the last few questions. The science section has been confusing for her. Outside of the first test where she scored a 34 and only got 2 wrong, she has just been so confused and sort of muddles her way through. The problem is that we haven’t been able to spend the time we need to on this because of her other homework. We are going to spend a lot of time on spring break going over the questions she got wrong. I am hoping that taking lots and lots of practice tests will enable her to raise her score like your child was able to do. We also will probably consider private tutoring over the summer for the September test if she doesn’t do that well on the April and June tests. Thanks for replying! You have given me hope!</p>

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<p>The ACT is an achievement test with a time critical gun. Time is an important factor in how well you do. If you get a time extension for any reason, you have a definite advantage on the ACT. I think part of the blip in students taking the ACT, is their parent’s knowledge of this big advantage. Every question your daughter does not answer is huge in terms of score and she will be competing not only with her peers, but with students who have had the time gun removed.</p>

<p>Because the SAT is much more of an aptitude test, a time extension does not help nearly as much. So if not finishing is an issue, have her take the SAT.</p>

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<p>I was in a similiar situation but with the SAT. My Son was doing okay but certainly not inline with his academics from highschool. So then I was given some great advice. The ACT is a completely different test than the SAT. The ACT is a test of recall. It requires quick recall of past knowledge. You are basically asked to spit out things that you have learned from high school. Its very fast paced, because the concepts aren’t overly difficult. The student is just asked to do massive recall of prior learning in a very short period of time. So if your D doesn’t recall well, this may not be the test for her. Its not a test that is meant to trick the student. Now the SAT is just the opposite. Its a reasoning test. The concepts are more difficult and questions are meant to trick the student but theres more time. The SAT requires kids to think through the solutions. So it just depends on which test is better for your D. Colleges will take with test. So think about it and determine which is better for her. I would suggest going to the library and taking out a Princeton Review book for the SAT. Take a sampe test and see how she does. Also how did she do on the PSAT? Actually, if time is a concern then look back and see how she did on her PSAT? don’t bother taking the sample test. Also keep in mind the PSAT is harder than the SAT, so whatever score she got on the PSAT means that her SAT will be 100-150 points higher. Of course thats a general rule of thumb. Also she can do practice questions for the SAT on Collegeboard.com. Let me know what you think. Good Luck and keep in mind that these test scores aren’t the end all. Colleges do look at the student holistically.</p>

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<p>Qialah ~ I, too, think that 28 is a solid score. But she wants to major in engineering which means that she is going to need a score of at least 30. She also wants to go into biomedical engineering which is a little bit more difficult since it it so new and they only take a limited number of students. We have been going over a few of the questions that she got wrong and trying to figure out ways that she can answer those types of questions correctly on future tests. Our problem is that we don’t have the time right now to put that much time into this because she is so swamped w/homework for her classes. We don’t want to put her grades in jeopardy for ACT Prep, kwim?</p>

<p>Sunshinestatemom ~ She is finishing most of the questions, but she is having a hard time finishing on science and reading. I am hoping that taking lots of practice tests will help her w/the timing and also help her get more comfortable taking this particular standardized test. Over spring break she will be able to devote a lot of time hopefully to taking practice tests for the April test, and then the test in June she will have a couple of weeks to devote to practice tests before the June test date.</p>

<p>Dungareedoll ~ I think at this point we have to look into her taking the SAT. I don’t know off the top of my head what her PSAT score was. It was above average, but not in line w/what her grades and class rank are. Thanks for the info about the practice SAT questions.</p>

<p>Jennalee ~ Thanks for the advice! I do think the timing of the test is very hard for her. We will look into the SAT test for her. Although I am not sure if her issue is more that she panics when taking standardized tests or not.</p>

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<p>My S got a 28 on the ACT and was offered several merit scholarships with it, and was accepted into one college’s honors program. We aren’t talking Ivies here, but very sold LACs. </p>

<p>We’re also in the midwest and most kids take both ACT and SAT to see which they do better on. If your D is looking at east coast schools she may HAVE to take the SAT anyway.</p>

<p>If finishing is a big issue, a lot of practice testing, like from a book, may help her manage her test time better. </p>

<p>She has the entire summer to work on this if she wants to, there are plenty of fall/early winter dates that are in time for college app deadlines.</p>

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<p>The ACT is a speed test. The questions are rather straightforward, but time is of the essence in contrast to the SAT, where the questions are ‘trickier’, (require more critical thinking for setup), but time is not so much of an issue.</p>

<p>Strong engineering programs will expect a high math scores (30’s), and Math 2 (subject test), altho xx chromosomes is a big plus factor.</p>

<p>Yes, in my experience, the Science section is inconsistent in quality. (One of the S tests in the Red Book is particularly easy.) But note that the Science section is most time-sensitive of all of the sections.</p>

<p>Instead of full length sections, break up one test into one passage and practice at home against a timer. Try to complete one passage in ~7/8 minutes, for example. It will help with pacing against a clock.</p>

<p>Suggest she consider the SAT. Some students just do better on one test.</p>

<p>tw: the ACT has exactly four trig problems on it, two of which are always right angle problems and can be easily solved with the Pythagorean Theorem. (Four easy points!)</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

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<p>PS: The SAT II/Subject tests in math/sciences would substitute for the ACT math/science sections at many schools.</p>

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<p>My kids have all taken the ACT, never really focused on SAT. But my 3 that have taken it so far are all fast readers/comprehend very well and I do think this helps them on the ACT. My next child might be more of an SAT kid. So, advice given here to maybe try the SAT is something you should consider.
What worked for my current hs junior was a private tutor- mostly for English and who then touched on math/reading/science with him but not much- Just to go over some strategies then he practiced like mad - he used the real ACT book as well as some tests the tutor had and he would set a timer and take a section each night for weeks on end after he finished all the homework/studying/sports - he, too was very busy while doing all this. It worked - he scored very high - higher than I might have thought but he put in a lot of time on this. Additionally he went over the problems he got wrong and why.
My older stepsons did not use a tutor or class - just studied on their own. All scored well over 30. Your daughter is taking challenging classes and seems to be a hard worker from what you’ve posted so just give it some time. Between the April/June tests you have registered for you should be able to get in a fair amount of prep if you do a little each day.<br>
And yes, I can understand your concern about getting into a BiG 10 engineering program - they are some of the best programs around and are very competitive. Been there, done that!
Best of luck to her - I do think having more of junior year under your belt helps, too, fwiw.</p>

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<p>My daughter took the ACT two times. The first time she didn’t do any prep but one practice test online. Her scores were all around 28 with a 28 composite. I bought her the one of the ACT practice test books. She practiced by taking one test section at a time within the time allowed. We marked where she got to and then she finished the rest of the test. I would score it and then she spent a lot of time going over the wrong answers and tried to understand why she missed each question. This seem to help her. She begin to understand the test and learned how to work quickly through the parts she did really well on and then she had more time on the difficult sections.</p>

<p>I think she had 3 months prep time between the first and second test. The second time she made 32 on all sections but math and it was a 33. She had to take the test in the regular amount of time, but learning how to budget her time raised her score 4 full points. Tell your daughter to concentrate on the questions she is missing and the test will be easier. Best of Luck and I hope she gets the score she wants.</p>

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<p>If you decide to go the SAT route, many highly selective schools also want to see SAT 2 subject tests in Math and a Science for engineers. Maybe she should sign up for the Math SAT2 for this spring to get a “taste” of the SAT? I’m pretty sure it’s much shorter in time and the number of questions. If she does well, it may boost her confidence:) Or she can do a Science SAT2 test instead (or in addition)… Biology or Chemistry. If she’s in an AP science class now she’ll already be studying for that in the late spring anyways. We, too, are in the midwest. Most kids at my D’s hs are taking both ACT and SAT.</p>

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<p>OP:</p>

<p>Your daughter does not need a 30 ACT to major in engineering, maybe for your instate flagship, but there may be other options.</p>

<p>Iowa State has a fine engineering program. A 28 would bemore than adequate and being a femal, would likely qualify her for some nice scholarships.</p>