@jonri Just curious, has your stepson been tested for dyslexia? We had a similar issue that it took us a while to find an educational psychologist that would examine kids over 16. My son had taken 3 SATs previously but could not break 1800. Once he got the CB to give him the extra time on the last SAT test, he went up over 150 points.
Our school also just has everyone take the PSAT in 10th grade. That year it really can be just for practice. When my older son got a score good enough for the NMS that year, he knew that studying for the PSAT or the SAT probably was not necessary. Of course then they added the Writing section to the SAT - though since his class were the guinea pigs no one worried too much about it as long as the score was embarrassingly different from the other two.o
My younger son’s math score went up a fair amount the next year on the PSAT, just because he knew more math that was on the test.
S2 was in an IB program and his scores went from 181 in 9th, 203 in 10th and 218 junior year. Took the 9th and 10th grade tests with zero prep – we attributed the increase to the IB program’s focus on close reading skills and the usual HS progression through Alg II and Precalc/Trig. DH worked with him on math for the junior year PSAT.
He took the SAT twice – would have stopped after the first one, which was slightly higher than his PSAT, except he was disappointed with his CR score compared to his PSAT CR. He decided to give it another go. Did zero prep for the second SAT because he spent all of May taking AP and IB exams. He raised his score by another 90 points (and ironically, his Math score was higher than the CR. He still marvels at that.).
We didn’t pay for test prep or tutoring. He did various sections in the Blue Book, and then DH or I would sit with him and analyze the questions he missed. He also did some practice essays to make sure he could finish in 25 minutes – he has LDs but didn’t have an IEP or testing accommodations.
Some kids just do better on the ACT. One of my nieces had decent but not spectacular SAT scores, but knocked it out of the ballpark with the ACT.
S2’s IB program recommended the ACT for its student because they are taking advanced courses across the board, which lends itself to the ACT modality. Had S2 been unhappy with his SATs, he would have tried that.
Don’t understand the question. What do you think, would students have better grades if they prepare for the exam? I think, the answer is obvious.
@californiaaa Based on the answers, it’s not so obvious. Some kids go up a little, some go up a lot, some don’t study and do very well… I was looking for personal stories, because my child’s scores were mediocre in my opinion and I was wondering if most people found that the the 10th grade scores were a predictor for future SAT grades. I don’t even know why I’m explaining myself. If you don’t like a question, skip it.
My kid’s high school allows Honors students to take PSAT during freshmen and sophomore grades. My kid got 159, 190 and finally during Junior year 221 and made NMSF, all without going to any prep centers. And he got 33 in ACT and got into Stanford REA with around 3.9 GPA. Early on, we realized HYPS colleges care more about ECs and genuine voice in applications rather than perfect grades or scores, so we stuck to our belief and course. I believe my kid was around 20th out of 500 kids in his class gpa wise. School doesn’t rank but his counselor told him he barely made top 5%. Really, my kid focused on pursuing ECs he enjoyed in and outside school. I would say his ECs taught him a lot and gave him good material for his essays.
My younger son got a 181 PSAT in his junior year (171 as a sophomore). He took the SAT in October in his senior year and finished with a 2030. Missed one on the math, which still ticks him off – his dad and older brother had perfect scores on the math portion. Got into 9 of 9 colleges he applied to. Is very happy where he is – and has a full tuition scholarship so his debt will be very low when he graduates in May 2018 with majors in finance and economics and a minor in math. The school also offered him a chance to stay an extra year, and he plans to do so, and earn his masters in business analytics.
Yes, lots of them.