My kids didn’t do any prep at all but their scores went up second time. You may not need to spend a lot of money for his scores to improve. I think the focus should be on strategy, which isn’t rocket science. There is info online as well as practice tests. Kahn is good. By all means, if he needs the structure of a prep class, go for it, but it doesn’t have to be super expensive. Does the local public school offer a prep class? He would be eligible since you reside in the town or city.
@jazzymomof7 I would consider a 1-on-1 test tutor also. Your son may not need a full program to get the timing right. It’s possible he just needs a few sessions. See what costs you less. Also, since he’s a home schooler, does he learn better in a 1-on-1 setting vs classroom?
I don’t think Kahn is going to be enough. I think he’s gone as far as he can on his own. It was a 200 point increase over the PSAT 10.
Speed is really the issue. He also had 2 math questions blank and about 5 at the end of the writing section that he filled in randomly. The reading section hurt him the most, though.
Individual tutoring would probably be best since it would be tailored toward his needs. Any ideas on how to find someone or make sure the person is reputable?
It sounds like his accuracy was decent on the ones he didn’t leave blank. You may be able to find strategies for saving time on the reading (such as going straight to the questions) without using a tutor, though I suggest that if he changes his test-taking strategies, have him practice them a lot, until they are automatic, before he takes the SAT again. The kids over on reddit seem to like UWorld for practice and a book by Metzler for reading, though I don’t know anything about either one.
If speed is an issue the ACT off the bat is not the right test. Speed is a critical skill needed in ACT. As far as individual tutoring, I would say look up Wyzant and talk to someone. I would also ask for evidence they themselves scored at or near perfect on the test.
My mom is an AP teacher and says she likes tutoring services that have a different verbal vs. math tutor, unless one tutor can prove they are exceptional at both. I would definitely spend an hour with them and ask them to show you how they approach tutoring.
A key to knowing if you have a good tutor if a kid is struggling (not for the kid looking to go from 1300 to 1600) is the ability of the tutor to detect the underlying skill gap and fill that in as part of the program. This is appropriate for scores below to slightly above average. If there are skill gaps, prepping could take 6 months or longer. If there are not, then review, test taking strategies, and speed drill prep programs are appropriate.
I am really saddened by how high stakes this test is - but I told my son that if he can manage to do really well there might be money involved and therefore more choices. If he doesn’t, oh well - I don’t view the prep as a waste. He really benefited from the math refresher and he seems to be more aware than ever that math is something he needs to really pay attention to - practice for and check for mistakes.
I would agree with the poster that mentioned one on one tutor. My D had issues with finishing in time frame. if you get a good SAT tutor they can help with identifying strategies to quickly identify answers. Tricks like getting the main idea quickly in a paragraph etc. Test taking strategies helped tremendously and increased score dramatically. Another drill she did at home was taking practice tests initially with no timer then scoring. She kept at it and eventually added in a timer.
For a home schooled kid, standardized testing is going to matter a lot more. College scholarships are worth a lot. He is going to have to learn how to answer questions efficiently and not think about them too much. That only comes with lots of practice, so much that he will have seen hundreds of similar questions and will be able to answer well within the time frame. Several of our family members have raised their scores from about the 60th percentile on initial practice tests to the 98/99th percentile on the actual ones for both college and graduate standardized tests.
Only on CC is a 1330 considered “Oh no”, " Can he take again?", “Does he have a reading deficiency?”
Thats a great score. Take the ACT my daughter did way better 31 ACT and I cant remember SAT 1280-1320 she hated it felt like every question was a trick. (Or psyched herself out of it)
@TooOld4School That’s good news about your family’s score increases. Because ds was homeschooled, he had only taken one standardized test (the Stanford which is untimed) prior to taking the PSAT 8/9 in 9th grade. He does overthink them, and it throws him off to try to move quickly. I think some tutoring might help. I’m going to start testing my younger kids sooner so they get more practice.
@hannuhylu Haha! That’s so true, isn’t it! We are actually happy with his score, and it is high enough to gain admittance to the schools he is applying to. But we need it to be higher for merit scholarships. He said he’s willing to retake it.
Our older son attended a school without tests through 8th grade. Needless to say, HS and standardized college tests were a shock because he never had been exposed to them. Eventually he was able to master the format and get good scores. A 1330 is very good for a first attempt, especially for someone unfamiliar with standardized testing and its formats. Learning from his brother, our younger son took the ACT 3 times and progressed from 25 in 7th grade to 36 as a junior. By the third try he was extremely comfortable with the format and the pressure was a lot less. He only studied and reviewed significantly in his final test.
College Panda is a great online blog on test taking strategies for SAT and ACT. There are strategies to improve Reading section completion. My son took the SAT 4 times and had the same problem on the first 3 times until the last go round we really understood the test and focused on test taking strategy and practiced many times under timed situation. ACT questions are more straight forward but must practice under timed situation because time is the issue on that test. Peterson’s ACT book is a great practice book. Also, there are free SAT tests and ACT tests (old tests) you can find online by googling and print them off for more practice. Good luck!
Update: He did some private tutoring in May, and his June SAT scores are in. He went up to a 1380 - 680 CRW, 700 math.
Missed 4 math questions, missed 0 writing & language questions, missed 18 reading questions. He did not finish the reading section, just bubbled in the last 10. He was finishing in practice sessions, but said he mismanaged his time on test day.
Anyway, I think he’s maxed out his score, and it’s a good score - 94th percentile.
He’ll be auto admit at TX A&M and should get some merit money at the schools on his list, although we’ll have to wait and see how much.
Thanks for all of the advice!
^ congrats to you and your son. That’s wonderful news.
Don’t get your hopes up for merit at A&M. My son has 1490 and 3.93 unweighted and have been told he will probably get no merit there. Would love if I’m wrong.
Yes, I’ve heard A&M is fairly stingy. I think he’ll get some merit at UTD, U of H, and Texas Tech based on what they say on their websites and the info I’ve found in the forums.
It is nice to be auto admit to A&M, though. He put his application in yesterday.
@dallastxmom Where is your son applying?
He is applying to A&M, UT Dallas and Arkansas. He thinks Computer Science but has not ruled out Chemical or Mechanical Engineering. His not being sure at all knocked out UT Austin - very hard to change there. UT Dallas does not have ChemE but I feel like he will get merit there and it very strong for Computer Science.
His older brother is about to start his Junior year at Arkansas ChemE. It would be my 1st choice for him but I want him to pick where he thinks is the best fit. He may end up applying to U of H also.
Glad to hear you’ve had a good experience with Arkansas. Ds is applying there, as well, since they have some good diversity scholarships.
He decided on business as a major, so he will apply to UT even though it’s a long shot. It stinks that it’s so difficult to change majors there.
Dh and I met at and graduated from UTD. We had a great experience there!
U of H has the Tier One scholarship that is almost a full ride. I think it covers everything except room and board for junior and senior year. It says that the best applicants have at least a 1400 SAT score, so your son might be a good candidate. Also, there are a lot of oil and gas companies in Houston so that might interest him given his major.