Mom seeking support

<p>RMom, best of luck to your son in teh ACT tomorrow. </p>

<p>As others have pointed out, the science section of ACT has really little to do with sciences. It is mostly a different way to ask questions within a short time frame (35 minutes). So, please get your son to just read upon a couple of them to understand how they are structured. </p>

<p>My DD is also strong in science - with a 800 Phy and a 750 Bio etc. But she got a pretty low science score because she took too much time to read the questions.</p>

<p>I second the need to review the science part format. D says that the ACT essay format is somewhat different from the SAT's, so let your son check that chapter of the book, too.</p>

<p>The ACT site posts sample graded essays so he can see what they are looking for.</p>

<p>I third the suggestion to review the science format of the ACT. It was by far my son's lowest score--he couldn't even finish the section. In his case, it didn't matter, but if you're trying to pull up the scores, I'd suggest review on that section. The ACT is heavily timed and if you get bogged down, it hurts.</p>

<p>I think this is one of those moments where you have to let your child work out the strategy for himself. He has to truly own his game plan. You can point out options; he has to make the call. You will empower him to believe in his abilities if you avoid appearing deeply concerned or stressed. So much of performance on these tests is psychology. Also, why fixate so much on private schools with rigid test score requirements? Some fine schools don't even require test scores. Point that out to him right now. He's got to know his future happiness does not depend on these tests. He'll do better if you can instill that in him. When my Ds get stressed over a future test of any sort I find myself explaining to them why it really doesn't matter that much. It always seems to help them perform better than expected. Or at least I think it has helped. Good luck. No parent out there is enjoying going through this. It's hell.</p>