<p>My daughter is a high school junior at a private school. She has two diagnosed learning disabilities and has gotten extended time for the ACT. She is very bright, but having a rough time getting a high score on the ACT. She has study books and has taken a prep course.
Any advice out there?</p>
<p>Maybe she would do better on the SAT. OR maybe she should look for test optional colleges. There are a bunch of them.</p>
<p>What do you consider a high score? It’s harder than some people think going in to get ‘high’ standardized test scores.</p>
<p>How many times did she take it? My son is a HS junior and also gets extended time but he’ll be taking it for the first time in April.</p>
<p>I second thumper’s suggestion that she try the SAT.</p>
<p>There are plenty of practice tests available - she should try several sections and see how she does. She does not need to do an entire test to find out if it’s a better fit for her; one or two of each of the test sections should be enough to give you a good indication. (And, by “practice tests,” I mean official SAT practice tests - not the knock-offs marketed by Barrons, Princeton Review, etc.)</p>
<p>If it seems to be a better fit, then you should arrange for her to get accommodations for that test, and see if she doesn’t have a better outcome. And, while you’re dealing with the accommodations side of things, she should practice, practice, practice - using actual SAT tests. (If you have trouble finding them, PM me and I’ll try to point you in the right direction.)</p>
<p>I’m not a fan of College Board or its test . . . but for many kids, it’s just a better fit.</p>
<p>The ACT is much more of a speed test relative to the SAT. Concur with the suggestion to check out the SAT.</p>
<p>How badly does she need that “high” score? Is she trying to qualify for merit-based aid that has a minimum score? Or, is it because the colleges/universities on her list typically admit students with a score of XX?</p>
<p>Even the top institutions do admit some students with relatively lower exam scores because of the other things those students have to offer. She should discuss whether or not to reveal her LDs with her guidance counselor. In her case, it may be worth it to her to mention them in her applications (or for her GC to mention them) because of the effect on the standardized exam scores. </p>
<p>I’d also encourage her to take a look at the no-exam and exam optional list at [The</a> National Center for Fair & Open Testing | FairTest](<a href=“http://www.fairtest.org%5DThe”>http://www.fairtest.org) </p>
<p>Wishing both of you all the best!</p>
<p>She certainly could try the SAT but she may also have “topped” out on what she can achieve on the ACT. My LD dyslexic “topped” out on the reading section of the ACT and even with extra time and a prep class and was only able to add one point (after 4 tries)…then you have to work with what you have, you have to ask the GC to help by addressing the strengths, and spread a slightly wider net of colleges because you don’t know how the college/unis will view the student’s profile. I think the Fair Test colleges are a great opportunity for these kids if you have little to no need for merit money. It was our experience that most asked for test scores to be considered for merit money but of course your mileage may vary and S wasn’t looking at ALL test optional colleges.</p>
<p>If she wants to try the SAT, Princeton Review gives proctored practice tests for free - in NYC, they offer them pretty much every weekend. I think you can probably find a test center in lots of places. It’s useful to take the test out in close to realistic conditions.</p>
<p>I agree with the above suggestions to try the SAT. DS’s school offered trials of both, to see which one they might be best at. A half hour into the trial ACT, DS called me to come get him, telling me “It’s very clear I won’t be taking the ACT. No need to finish this test!”</p>
<p>Extended time is offered on the SAT as well, with appropriate documentation from the school. DS will be getting extended time. I think the ACT was just too rushed for him. He did very well on the practice SAT.</p>
<p>My LD daughter did very well, ultimately, on the SAT, but it took a combination of accommodations & her usual Rx. SHe took the PSAT with extra time but not her Rx and did very poorly. She doesn’t have the stamina for a super long test without them. She took several practice tests, took a small-group prep class for 10 weeks and had a private tutor. FWIW that’s what all of her classmates do. She went from low 50’s on the PSAT to 2050 on the SAT. The ACT is very good for kids who are straight-forward linear thinkers–and there’s lots of Math and Science (something that’s not my D’s strength).</p>
<p>It’s worth applying for the extended time on the SAT. If your daughter does not take medication, I wouldn’t recommend taking them only for the test, it’s a trial and error process. If she does take meds, you have to calibrate them a bit to account for that 5 hour test period (i.e. don’t take them at home, but just as she walks into the school for the test). If you live in a big city, choose your test center carefully. Pick the smallest site they offer–others can be too chaotic. </p>
<p>You still have plenty of time to study and take a couple of SAT’s. THe March test is too soon. Contact test company and get the ball rolling on the accommodations (it takes at least 6-8 weeks to come through) There are tests in May & June and again in early October. Worth a try. I think it helped put my D over the top at the schools she applied to (her GPA was dismal).</p>
<p>Mine took the ACT multiple times, studied intensively using multiple methods (including Xiggi’s), and did worse each time. She was admitted to 6 out of 7 schools to which she applied, got into her first choice where her scores would have placed her in the bottom 15% of the class, graduated in three years magna cum laude, with “senior” honors as the best student in her department. and got a scholarship to graduate school where she completed a two-year masters in one, while working. Her GREs were even worse than her ACTs/SATs. </p>
<p>You really can do without 'em.</p>
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<p>Just want to jump back in to disagree (adamantly!) with this suggestion.</p>
<p>(1) Princeton Review practice tests are not the real thing . . . and will NOT necessarily give an accurate indication of whether or not a student can perform well on an actual SAT.</p>
<p>(2) For a student who’s going to need accommodations, there is no advantage whatsoever to taking a practice test in “realistic” conditions!</p>
<p>And for students who don’t need accommodations, I still would not recommend it. Speed on these tests comes with practice . . . lots and lots of practice. So, when I’m working with a student, speed is the last thing I worry about.</p>
<p>Dodgersmom, I can’t say that I agree with you on your second point. True, a practice test with a prep company can’t mirror 100% the conditions your student will find in the actual center (hard to duplicate the nuttiness of some of the proctors, for example). But some test prep services do offer the extended time set-up (can’t speak for Princeton Review) and it’s worth doing a few times, to see how that 5 hour window feels. My D tried to do a few practice tests in one sitting at home and there were just too many distractions. In NYC, there are services that charge to take the test, but you don’t need to be enrolled in one of their courses and you get the graded test with a certain amount of analysis. In my D’s case, her scores received on the practice tests came in a bit lower or equal to her actual scores.</p>