<p>Greetings fellow parents,</p>
<p>I am relatively new to CC, so forgive me if I posted this in the wrong place. I thought it would be better here rather than the SAT/ACT forum.</p>
<p>My rising senior S has taken both the ACT and SAT, each once. His score was 1950 on the SAT and 30 on the ACT. He did not study or prepare. I am encouraging him to take one (or both) tests again in the hopes of maximizing the score. We live in California, and he is interested in applying to some of the UC schools, where competition is fierce.</p>
<p>Should he just focus on the ACT, since that score was relatively better? His high school offers a <em>discounted</em> Princeton Review prep course, but it is $950. That does not seem to be a good value to me. It also takes place after school starts, when he will be busy with studying and other things.</p>
<p>I am even considering <em>bribing</em> him with pay for performance if he increases his score as an alternative to the prep course! I know, I am losing my marbles! He is a smart boy but not super ambitious when it comes to maximizing his scores. I know he would be motivated by $$.</p>
<p>Thank you in advance for your comments. I am grateful for any insight you can provide.</p>
<p>I would look at his score. If he is weak at WR and Math those are the 2 areas that you can improve. I ordered the Ultimate Guide to SAT grammar from Erica Metzer
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/1173896-ultimate-guide-sat-grammar-erica-meltzer-book-review.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/1173896-ultimate-guide-sat-grammar-erica-meltzer-book-review.html</a>
For CR, I ordered Direct Hits1 & 2. Vocabulary seems to be D2’s weakest part. D2 does not like to prep and is not motivated by money either. So far she has done 10 Real SATs.
All of her friends are the expensive SAT and ACT prep schools this summer. I wouldn’t spend $950. Buying these prep books are a lot cheaper.</p>
<p>Step 1: Determine where your S was strong and weak on both the SAT and ACT. The SAT Score Analysis Option may be helpful … even though in our case it wasn’t. Is he finishing all of the test questions? Is he doing better on early questions in a section, rather than later questions? Is he doing fabulously on “easy” questions, and not as well on more difficult ones? Are Math/Reading results consistent between the two tests? … And here’s a common issue, was the ACT “Science” sub-score low even though your S is strong in Science?</p>
<p>CCers be able to provide specific guidance when they have a bit more to work with. (Has your S considered The Xiggi Method for test prep?)</p>
<p>Thanks DrGoogle and NewHope33 for the good insights. I have not heard of the Xiggi method so will look that up. It’s difficult to distinguish between these scores as he shows stronger in Math with the SAT and stronger in English with the ACT. </p>
<p>Here are his individual scores: 640 Reading 710 Math 600 Writing for SAT</p>
<p>Here is the ACT breakdown: English 33<br>
Usage/Mechanics 18
Rhetorical Skills 16</p>
<p>Mathematics 30<br>
Pre-Algebra/Elem. Algebra 17
Algebra/Coord. Geometry 14
Plane Geometry/Trig. 15</p>
<p>Reading 26<br>
Social Studies/Sciences 13
Arts/Literature 14</p>
<p>Science 32 </p>
<p>Combined English/Writing 30<br>
Writing (score range 2 to 12) 08</p>
<p>What immediately jumps out is:
33 English
26 Reading</p>
<p>Is there a specific test result your S is aiming for? A reasonable improvement in the ACT Reading area should net your S a 32 Composite. That would be 98th percentile based on 2010 ACT scores.<br>
[ACT</a> Score Information: National Ranks for Test Scores and Composite Score](<a href=“ACT Test Scores | ACT Scoring | ACT”>ACT Test Scores | ACT Scoring | ACT)</p>
<p>You can start reading about the Xiggi Method here:<br>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice.html</a></p>