<p>What were your child's individual scores? Was there any area that he did better in? </p>
<p>Get him some practice books/tests.... the more practice, the less nervous one is.</p>
<p>FIRST.... Do not have him practice using timed conditions. Let him just get used to the tests. THEN... when he feels more "at ease" then time him.</p>
<p>My sis gets nervous so her doctor prescribed a med (may have been some kind of tranquilizer) so she would not get too nervous during her grad school exams (must be a med that doesn't make you tired). Ask you doc if he/she can prescribe such a med for your kid.</p>
<p>To tell you the truth, tell him to practice, practice, and practice more, under timed conditions. With no practice, of course the scores will be low of an average student. Get him some prep book like the Real ACT Prep Guide, have his mind focused, and have him go for it. Afterwards look up the answers of what he missed or guessed on, and look at the explanation, and understand how the problem works. That is definitely his best bet, and he scores will improve.</p>
<p>Your son has AD/HD which can be a learning disability. That's probably responsible for the really low test scores. </p>
<p>Has he tried taking any stimulants like Ritalin for it? </p>
<p>Has he had cognitive tests done to 'diagnose' the AD/HD? (Generally this is done to show a large variation between IQ and the expected scores from academic schoolwork). ACT accepts a few of these tests as 'proof' of a learning disability.</p>
<p>ACT is extremely picky about who they will give extended time to though. If he hasn't had some sort of test like that done, and also hasn't been on any medication for the AD/HD yet, the chances that they will give it to him are probably slim.</p>
<p>Mo24: My Son is currently taking a Med for ADD. Also, his high school that he attends is a pretty vigorous college prep school, and has a B average right now. He has had accommodations since freshman year. Has has extended time for his tests and my also take them in another room. That has helped so much. We have sent all of this to ACT in hopes that they will allow him extended time on this test. We also have sent documentaion from his Dr as well. So, all we can do at this point is keep our fingers crossed. We do have him enrolled in a Act prep class and he told us that this is helping him. He is learing some strategies that he had not known for the prior test. I did buy the Real ACT Guide and we will be working with that as well. Also my neighbor gave me the Kaplan CD Rom for the ACT as well. Does anyone have any feed back about Kaplan program? Thanks in advance</p>
<p>i hate it when people recieve extra time on the ACT. If your not smart enough to finish the test in the standard time, you shouldn't go to an elite school. I don't believe in ADD or ADHD at all. It's just a scam to make money.</p>
<p>"If he needs help on his ACT, what about when he goes to college? He can't be babied there..."</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I can't think of a single instance when, in college, I had to take a COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAM or I was under that much pressure to perform on one test.</p></li>
<li><p>Under the ADA, colleges have to provide accommodations to students with disabilities. Any kid who gets accommodations for the ACT can also get them for exams in college. And I bet kids in college can also take medication to help with test anxiety.</p></li>
<li><p>Accommodated testing isn't "babying", it's giving kids a fair chance to demonstrate their mastery of the material, not just how fast they can read a question and pick from a list.</p></li>
<li><p>This kid got a disappointing score because of a diagnosed and treatable neurological disorder. What's your excuse?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Let's say he gets help in college. He takes his tests under extended time. What happens when he gets a job and his employer tells him something is due at the end of the day? Im pretty sure saying you have ADHD then isn't going to get you extended time.</p>
<p>Let's stick to the topic. We are not here to discuss whether it's fair or not that people have extra time while testing.</p>
<p>Justamom08: I definately think that you and your son are taking the right steps towards getting higher score. I personally feel that Kaplan provides a very good review in their books. Classes help a lot also. I took a class and increased my score five points. The test is actually very easy when you figure out the strategy. I do think your son should avoid using the CD though. I used online classes and CD's and they don't resemble the test enough. It's not worth doing the problems on the computer because I think one should mimic the environment of the test. Good Luck.</p>
<p>Mrs. Ferguson and TangyTart: Thank you for the kind words and support! He took the science part of the practice test out of the (Real ACT Prep Guide) (TIMED), I might add, for those of you that have your insane issues about this....He did do better, but still needs to improve. But I think we are on the right track. I do think the classes that he is taking are really helping him. We will just keep moving in a positive direction and be hopeful of better scores, the next time around. For Meow360 and Indiankid, I certainly hope that you never have to face adversity in your life, I'm not sure you would be able to handle it. I can say for my Son, he knows what it is like to have to work extremly hard for something and to do well at it. We have very high standards in our home, and first and foremost, we do not knock people for whatever reason or issues they might have. I actually feel very sorry for you both......</p>