<p>The best outcome for success will be if the student “owns” the process. In other words, you can plead, cajole, bribe, etc., but the results will be limited if the child is not engaged and you are continually forcing the issue. It is not unusual for a junior to be uninterested in the process in the fall - spring SATs seem a long way off. Many students don’t get into gear until they take the January or March test and don’t do as well as they should. A student like this may end up on a later track, even taking the last round in the fall or January of senior year.</p>
<p>Some do need a kick start, however. My son became motivated after we visited a few colleges and he saw the SAT ranges required to even have a shot at being accepted. Only then did he decide to challenge himself to do his best. He bought a bunch of prep books and went to work on his own - ended up with perfect scores. I don’t think he really minded the effort that much. My daughter really hated preparing, however, but she also had her eye on very competitive schools, so she slogged it out and got it done. I suggest taking a road trip and looking at a couple of colleges on your daughter’s list.</p>
<p>Back in the day most of us “studied” for the SAT by looking at the little booklet they sent out for maybe 10 minutes the day before. Yet scores were generally higher than today. Our teachers just said “get a good night’s sleep and don’t stress over it”.</p>
She doesn’t seem to have any idea what she would study, other than what it’s NOT (engineering, math, chemistry, etc.). On the previous round of visits with S, she liked the big hurly-burly schools like UNC Chapel Hill and Penn State. Whether that will be what she fancies when it comes application time is an unknown. She also likes the idea of a big city.</p>
<p>We had the same problem with my S (you can read my previous posts - he even cheated on the SAT studying rather than spending time actually learning). We decided to opt for the ACT instead of the SAT as it seemed less “tricky” and he was able to note progress much more quickly. There also weren’t as many prep books and stuff for the ACT and I think my S got overwhelmed with the massive amounts of SAT prep materials I amassed.</p>
<p>Two things turned it around a bit for us. One was taking him to look at a couple of colleges. The one he really liked I told him was more competitive and he would have to start making a concerted effort to practice on his ACT. The other one he really didn’t like, but it would be easier to get into. So, I told him that unless he worked to get into the one he really liked, this may likely be his only option.</p>
<p>Then, despite the inducements of $$ for studying and improvement, which had no impact whatsoever, he saw where Target had gorilla costumes on sale for Halloween. He’s always wanted one, so I told him that if he got his ACT up from a 28 to a 31, I would buy him one. He’s been working diligently since then (about 6 weeks) and has brought English up from 25 to 26 (still working on that), math from 28 to 30, reading was at a 31 and we haven’t retested that, and science from 28 to 35. If he gets a 32 on the reading he gets his gorilla suit. Go figure.</p>
<p>Good luck. I know how extraordinarily frustrating this can be.</p>
<p>JRZMom voiced my thoughts. You can not win a power struggle like this. Studying on her own can be very effective, but only if she wants to do it. Sign her up for a class, or find a tutor, and then take 3 giant steps back. </p>
<p>Once upon a time I found myself locked into a similar power struggle with my smart but sort of flakey middle school D, who, in MY opinion was capable of much more than she was showing in school. (She suffers from having two very intelligent, very self directed older brothers.) Bless her heart, she finally told me to back off. We wrote a contract together that in essence, limited me to asking her how her day went. She agreed to take responsibility for her homework and projects, and promised to ask for help if she needed it. Her grades went down before they went up, and I practically gnawed a hole through my lip while I worked very hard at keeping my mouth shut, but several years later she is better at time management, her grades are great, and we are unconcerned whether or not she is in regular, honors, or GT level classes in high school. She’s not headed for the Ivy League, but she’s in control of her own life, and will be successful at whatever college she attends. </p>
<p>School, and life, is a journey, not a race. Your daughter will end up where she needs to be, but it is her journey, not yours.</p>
<p>Is it really so bad not to prep hugely for the SAT? What kind of a student is she otherwise? Does she do her homework and handle her academics without interference? Is she interested in at least some school subjects? Maybe she feels she has better things to do with her time than prep for the SAT.</p>
<p>There are a lot of kids who score high on the SAT but are not very good students. The amount of time and effort expended on this test has become absolutely ridiculous. Perhaps the kids who do some reasonable and limited preparation, take the test once, and get on with their lives are on to something.</p>
<p>Ds1 was so compliant and did everything I asked in terms of prepping for the PSAT/SAT (I used a modified xiggi). He is like his dad. </p>
<p>Ds2 is, unfortunately, like me. He complied for a while, but it’s been several weeks since he’s done anything and several weeks since I asked. My mantra with this one is “I can’t want this more than you.” It kills me as he’s so close to the NMSF cutoff for our state, despite this year’s four-point increase. He is a naturally great standardized test-taker, but his grades aren’t as strong as I’d like. He really needs NMSF to compensate for a so-so class rank. He does not lack for confidence and thinks he’ll <em>beast</em> the PSAT next month. <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>We let our two oldest decide how much they studied for standardized testing (or not) … in one case I’m sure s/he would have done better with more prep. However for Mom3ToGo and I we believe our kids are doing some self selection with their approach to school work and test prep … if we encourage/“force” our kids into studying for the SATs and they sneak into a more selective score on the basis of those improved scores is that a good outcome? Or have they artificially been put into a deep end that may be too deep for them? In our house we believe having our kids drive their process results in options that appropriate for their potential, commitment, and level of academic maturity.</p>
<p>3togo, that’s one reason I’ve backed off (dh leaves all this nagging to me). Ds1 is at a top-tier LAC and – cringe – hasn’t made a single A. He’s doing well enough and loves it, but, again, he’s willing to ask for help, etc. Ds2 isn’t. I’m not sure I want him in over his head for fear he’d crater. He says he wants a top-tier school, but he’s got to demonstrate that on his own. Again, I can’t want this more than he does. He works hard enough to get mostly A’s, and his SAT score will be strong. He has a more-than-satisfactory social life. We’ll just have to see where that lands him.</p>
<p>This type of threads always saddens me. This is because it is obvious that the same mistakes are repeated year after year. The typical mistakes are starting too late and then looking for quick fixes that abdicate the process to third parties that prey on the insecurities of parents.</p>
<p>While there are students who “own” the entire process, the best combination for success comes from a proactive and POSITIVE collaboration with one or both parents. Positive collaboration does not mean buying a ton of books and screaming when the student fails to “deliver.” It means to find ways to build a reasonable amount of preparation into a student’s schedule and to develop a set of attainable incentives. Being part of the process is not confined to nagging or threatening. It does, however, requires WORK on the part of both the student AND the parents. </p>
<p>Very few students --if any-- enjoy slaving over preparing for standardized tests. This is why they postpone working on them until the very last minute. Making it a game one can play and win is one key to the solution. Keeping the process concrete and void of obscure objectives helps tremendously. </p>
<p>It is really not as complicated as many think it is!</p>
<p>I would advise an eariler test date than March. Something this year, or Jan at the latest.</p>
<p>For some kids, the SAT score is pretty meaningless. Example: In Texas, a student needs to be in the top 8-10% to bet into UT in Austin. A&M takes the top 20% or so. The other state schools are less selective. So, if a student is in the top, say 12-15% of the class, and wants to go to a state school, as a very general rule, he isn’t going to raise his class rank enough to get into UT and isn’t going to lower his rank enough to disqualify him from the other schools, so there just needs to be an SAT score in the file.</p>
<p>LOL xiggi, son took first SAT last January. Did well, but not high enough for guaranteed scholarships (by a few points). Studied this summer, but not as much as I “encouraged” him to. I have done everything I can think of to motivate him. He did well on the ACT, but again, one point below guaranteed scholarships. Do I think/know that he can raise those scores? Yep. If not, I would not push him or expect it of him. But he does have to find it in himself to do it. </p>
<p>The conversation I just had with son was “I can not do this for you, you can not do extra credit, and college board is not going to curve the grade. Either you find it in you to prepare for the next few tests, and really work on it, or you are going to end up going to the college that you don’t want to go to because of financial constraints.” We gave him a chart explaining the differences in costs, and why it was so important. </p>
<p>We are not pushing him to do this to get him into an IVY, or even sub-IVY. Just for the ability to afford the school he wants to attend and is a good match for him. </p>
<p>I have given our son books, websites, posts from CC with advice, study schedule, goals, and incentives. There really is not much more we can do for him.</p>
<p>I hate these tests, and think that they are pretty meaningless. I explained to him that this is not about anything except him proving that he can score a certian score on a standardized test. And that he is willing to work and sacrifice some to make that score.</p>
<p>A&M, as far as I know, still has the auto admit program – top 25% of class combined with a 1300 CR+M. Or at least it was in place for the class of 2010.</p>
well neither of our kids did any test prep (and I fundamentally am not a big fan) … however we did read with the kids at least 1/2 a day when they were small, have made about a million trips to the library withe them, and own hundreds of books … for my money we did do test prep for the reading section of the SAT … we had our kids read.</p>
<p>Well, there is nothing wrong with reasonable preparation consisting in reading the free prep book before the test, and the incentive being a trip to the local ice-cream parlor.</p>
<p>Students approach the PSAT and other tests with very different backgrounds and preparation. Students who have read since early childhood or grew up in a highly educated environment find the verbal components less challenging. Students who have played lots of boardgames and routinely solve puzzles find the math sections trivial. International students have very different issues as they usually struggle with idiomatic concepts but breeze through 90 percent of the math. </p>
<p>Everything in the above points towards the merit of an individual preparation. And why classes built on the “one size fits all” proposal are inherently flawed.</p>
<p>Two of our kids did not study at all and did fine. (Like 3togo, we emphasized reading for many years, which isn’t targeted prep, but was good enough.) </p>
<p>The third child here needed to study but wouldn’t/couldn’t. Taking the test as practice can provide a motivation to do better, or not. In her case, not. In the end, our third applied to schools that were SAT-optional and is in a school that is good for her.</p>
<p>Financial aid is more often need-based. Pressure to perform on these tests for monetary reasons can backfire, I have seen. Maybe the original poster’s child can apply to schools that do need-based aid, and that will ease the pressure.</p>
<p>Junior year is still early. It is a good time to make clear that the student is in the driver’s seat, but support is available. I would say step back, but be there when needed.</p>
<p>If focus and perseverance are problems in other areas, consider an evaluation for ADHD, but there is nothing in your post that suggests that, just a stray thought.</p>
<p>*One method that works with teenagers is hitting them in the wallet. In a positive way that is! Offer them a compensation for taking practice tests in earnest. Not full tests – just a couple a of sections a week. *</p>
<p>I agree…we would give money for 2 matinee tix (for student and friend) after doing a practice test.</p>
<p>Have your child take a real test and see how she does. Then she’ll see “her way” isn’t working.</p>