<p>What's interesting is that some of the SAT II tests that one would think would be more demanding are, in fact, generous when it comes to scoring. You can check this out for yourselves on the College Board web site. The Math II test is more forgiving than the Math I test, for example. Likewise for the Physics test.</p>
<p>Knowing this can present some opportunities for students who need to be taking SAT IIs in addition to the SAT I. Make sure your student knows the best time to take the relevant SAT II test in relation to when they've taken the subject in class. This is why June is a popular time for taking SAT IIs.</p>
<p>My DS took honors trig/math analysis as a freshman, which meant he could have easily taken Math II that June. However, he and his Dad decided it was too soon. So S took it last June. This turned out to be after he had AP Calculus BC, which added nothing he'd need to know for Math II. As a result, he needed to do some self-study and happily ended up with a good result of 800. And yes, the kids in the calculus class already knew about the generous scoring.</p>
<p>My D hasn't been able to fit in any test prep for the past two weeks. Her ECs are so time consuming, and she's been overloaded with work, so I haven't been pressuring her. She'll be taking the test Saturday, so I'm not going to worry about it anymore. </p>
<p>FindaPlace - it sounds like you have everything under control - that must feel good. Congrats on the great Math II score. D will be taking that test this coming June, so it's good to know there's a generous curve.</p>
<p>I'm impressed that your S finds time to prep during the week - that will never happen for D. She gets home so late almost every night, and and then still has hours of homework.</p>
<p>Test prep for my son is just recreational reading, along with the class reading in his better classes. The only test-prep-as-such we've done is taking the actual previous test shown as a sample test in the test registration booklet, and sporadic use of the SAT Question of the Day by email. My son is glad to be retired from taking the PSAT.</p>
<p>LIMOMOF2, it's nice for me to have the illusion that SOME things are under control, while we all watch the rollicking financial markets. And don't we all wish the election were held this week, rather than the first Tuesday in November?</p>
<p>I'm also hoping the volatile markets cause a change in how the 529 college accounts can be managed. To tell a parent the asset allocation can be changed ONCE a year is absurd. Once a quarter would be more reasonable. Makes me wonder who writes these rules (in this case, if I read correctly, it was the IRS.)</p>
<p>The kids don't know how blessed they are now to just have to focus in on their classes and the long list of admission related tests.</p>
<p>TrinSF, your D is lucky. I attend a public charter school as well, one that is extremely college-focused and only offers college prep (and above, obviously) classes--but PSAT and AP test fees are entirely out of the parents' pocket. We highly recommend that both sophomores and juniors take the PSAT; the guidance department individually calls those who don't sign up to make sure that the student didn't just forget to hand in his or her money. AP tests are required if you take the AP class, and yes, you have to pay for it unless you get a CB waiver.</p>
<p>We don't have Naviance, either. Too expensive, probably.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm also hoping the volatile markets cause a change in how the 529 college accounts can be managed. To tell a parent the asset allocation can be changed ONCE a year is absurd.
<p>DougBetsy, who is your 529 with? Ours is with Fidelity, and I've never seen that rule. (Although we invested in age-based accounts, so I don't think I've ever considered changing the asset allocation, so maybe it does have that rule and I just never noticed?)</p>
<p>Thanks, jackief. I'm hoping D's not too stressed out tomorrow. It's been a crazy week, and she's not going to get home until late tonight because she has some stuff she has to finish up at school. Not ideal, but I don't think she'd be studying if she stayed home.</p>
<p>Oh DougBetsy, you're right. It is an IRS rule. DH reminded me that when the 529 law was originally passed, you couldn't re-allocate existing money at all, only change future allocations. But they changed it to once a year. Perhaps to keep expenses down, or keep people from getting stupid and changing every few weeks. Not too helpful for most people right now!</p>
<p>Well, check that test off the list: PSAT. My S's comments on it: "The math part was ridiculously easy and the reading part was harder." If I gave a HS response back, it would have been, "Well, DUH!" I guess we won't know anything more until the test results come back. Does anyone know when this might be because my S doesn't?</p>
<p>PSAT results take a long time to come out. The October SAT that is taken later will have results come out sooner. I think the NOVEMBER SAT also has its scores come out sooner. Usually high school counselors schedule information meetings about what PSAT scores mean, and you may not hear the scores for a long time. (We get our scores by mail as a homeschooling family, but none too soon. I recall it was December last year before we knew the scores.)</p>
<p>Our HS has already scheduled a meeting for what the PSAT results mean and I believe it's on January 8! I was hoping for sooner results, since my S is scheduled for the March SAT and I wanted him to have ample time to focus on the areas most in need, decide whether paid for prep is needed. Sigh!!!</p>
<p>We got our results in early/mid December last year. Also, I seem to remember someone on CC posting about some type of glitch in the CB system last year, and some people were able to find out their grades sooner - I believe that was corrected shortly after the the post appeared.</p>
<p>When I asked my D how the test went, her response was, "well, I don't know my grade yet, so how should I know!" Can you tell she was cranky? That had nothing to do with the test - it was because she had an argument with her coach about missing an event because she was taking the PSAT. </p>
<p>I believe the list is sold to the colleges before that though. I remember the emails starting a week or so before Thanksgiving, and the Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, the emails coming in non-stop. So insane.</p>
<p>My D couldn't find her religion - Roman Catholic - on the list on the PSAT (I'm sure it was there, I don't know how she missed it). So she bubbled "Christian Disciples." Then she came home and asked me what it was.... it will be interesting to see what kind of mail we get!</p>
<p>Lafalum, oh that's interesting, I didn't know religion was a question they asked! My D is also RC but she won't consider a Catholic school until ... heck freezes over...</p>
<p>jackief - just curious, but why wouldn't your D consider a Catholic school? Some of them are really great - Georgetown, BC, Notre Dame, etc. </p>
<p>We're also RC, and last year when we started receiving mail from colleges, we got tons from Catholic schools I had never heard of - I asked D if she had checked off her religion on the form, and she said she had. Not sure if that's why we got mail from those schools, but it seems likely.</p>