I would have him retake the ACT in June just so he can complete Precalc - that alone may raise his Trig subscore. Along with studying and taking a calculator, he can score 30+ in Math.
We also found just taking practice tests on a very casual basis (for a while it was one section a week) increased her Science score as well. It was a matter of getting familiar with the exam and figuring out the best way to go through the questions (don’t bother reading the passage, just look at the charts and graphs).
I agree with @SlackerMomMD. Re-take the ACT in June if he can, after practicing timed math and science sections. I think he can bring the math and science scores up with practice. One section at a time is fine for a while until he gets the hang of getting through it and beating the clock. The science section is all about practice and figuring out a strategy. You can’t read everything and get through it in time. It really is a race against the clock. My daughter raised her score dramatically just practicing on her own with the ACT review book. She started off just doing single sections at a time, timing herself. And then going back and figuring out how she could have gotten through it faster.
It is worth to take it again and only focus on the math section. He has plenty of time to do that. It worked well with my son. He took old tests and figured out why he was making so many mistakes (even in subjects that he knew very well). I would not say he “killed” himself studying but just focusing and paying more attention to the test he was able to raise his math sat score by 100pts in one month. I want to mention that when he retook the test although he only studied for the math none of the other sections suffered. Instead he saw some increases there too. I do not know your kid but with my son if he knew he had to prep for the whole test he would not have done it. However when he knew he only had to work for one session he felt more willing.
I’ve been reading this with great interest, as it nearly mirrors what my son did, but my son had worse math scores. Breakdown: 27 composite, 31 English, 32 Reading, 24 Science, … and 20 Math! Math was substantially lower than PSAT score, and he was really kicking himself for not studying. Almost everything he missed was geometry. He said he knew how to do it, but felt a lot of time pressure and didn’t immediately understand what to do (by that I think he meant it took him about 30 seconds to “recognize” the problem since he didn’t refresh his memory by studying). The good news is he’s now motivated to study, and I think his March SAT will benefit greatly. He’s only in Algebra II (private middle school was on a different timeline from his public high school).
@slackermomMD Excellent recommendations! I will see when it’s offered in June. Thank you!
@VMT one thing he mentioned was the time constraint. He wasn’t expecting it. I think advance prep, along with the calculator will help him improve his score! Thank you!
@am9799 I was surprised my son’s math score was so low. He was in the 93rd percentile with the PSAT. Prepping for the areas which are lacking seems to be the way to go. Thank you!
@mamaduck I’m sure your son will do really well in March. I feel the pressure for my son. Can you imagine their pressure? Thank you and good luck to your son. Please check in when you have an update. We can compare notes and help each other out
Wait. Study and retake with his calculator (and put in fresh batteries beforehand). ACT has score choice, wait until his second set is in. Also, the Gruber books are good for SATMath prep. Although his English scores aren’t so hot… So some Bluebook time for that would also be good.
Math is the easiest one to improve. D. actualy prepared ONLY math, her strong subject. Most math on ACT is an old middle school material that needs to be re-freshed. It would take few hours, one hour / day for several days to do so. Just do problems out of ACT practice book and go over every mistake / incorrect answer. Understanding is the key. Parent should be available for help. If you do not remember yourself, ask your kid for his school Math book. In 13 years of school, they could not learn how to use indexes at the end of the book. If you did not find it in the book, just Google, I guarantee that you find everything, any question and will be able to provide help to your kid (and have an awesome time together!!!)
Does the College Board still have “SAT question of the day” email subscription? I though that was cool.
Many students benefit from study. My kids happen to be fine test-takers. I sent DD to a 2-night PSAT class since she was in range of NMSF score. Her before/after class scores were same. I didn’t make son attend. We did simply ensure Saturday morning readiness:
good night’s sleep
healthy breakfast
charged calculator
sharpened pencils, good eraser
transportation plans … not so easy the day that a road race starting line was at the local hs test site
I’m late to this thread, but it has some similarities to our situation. We’re in Northern VA. Our son seemed on the engineering track but that focus is shifting now towards Computer Science / Cybersecurity. He’s around a 3.2 GPA and we’re not even considering UVA, Tech. GMU is close (a major requirement of his) but that may be a stretch. We’re actually giving a lot of consideration to Marymount University in Arlington. The small school setting is ideal for his needs.
http://www.marymount.edu/Academics/Programs-of-Study/Majors-Programs indicates that Marymount University does not offer computer science as an undergraduate major. There is a computer science concentration within its less technical information technology major, but the main focus of the department appears to be management of computers and software, rather than designing them.
The comments from @ucbalumnus and @mom2collegekids are indicative of the offerings at less well known private colleges. The small classes and entrance stats are appealing for the kid in the 3.0-3.6 range, but the offerings are extremely limited (or limiting) for the CS or quantitative type kid. There are many reasons for this, one of which is lack of quality faculty in CS (or other technical fields) who’ll hang around for the low salary paid to faculty at non-elite privates .
@Monorailgold - you’ll see that the suggestions in this thread have tended toward non-flagship state universities. For technically oriented kids without the high stats, the smaller liberal arts colleges aren’t offering the necessary curriculum. BTW, many of them are reporting declining enrollments - wonder when those colleges will start to put two and two together.
Sorry if I missed it, but did your son ever talk to his GC about suggestions for schools that meet his profile that would be good to look at and that are likely to admit him? Have fun on your visits!
@sevmom He emailed her and she was glad he had done some research and wanted to follow up with him when they worked on his course selection for next year. Then she told him how to access the Family Connections and scattergrams. It’s a useful site. Thanks for remembering!!
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. A kid from Staunton VA just received his engineering degree from SDSM&T last spring. He also happened to be an All-America track & field athlete.
Also investigate:
Ohio University
U of Rochester
U of Maryland-Baltimore County
U of South Carolina-Columbia
U of Alabama-Tuscaloosa
