<p>Good luck QM's D. </p>
<p>And fyi for any lookig at registering for Dec test dates, the deadlines are:
ACT Dec 13 test -> register by Nov 7
SAT Dec 6 test -> registerer by Nov 5
that is for "regular" ie no additional fee registration.</p>
<p>vicarious, even if your D thinks she wants to take 3 tests, you can still register and pay for one (any one, subj doesn't matter) and then she can add on additional tests that day at the center.</p>
<p>My D never decided whether to take the December SAT, so I told her she's taking it - now I just have to complete the registration!</p>
<p>vicarious - my D didn't prep much for her SAT IIs - but she took them when she finished the courses which probably helped a lot. </p>
<p>jackief - thanks for posting those registration deadlines. Now I'm wondering if I should sign her up for the December ACT as well. Maybe I'll ask her to take one of the practice exams so she can decide.</p>
<p>LIMOM, I don't mind (too much) wasting < $10 to register for an SAT II that might not be taken, but $46 to drop on an ACT is more than I want to just throw away. So. I will try to get D to look over the real ACT book this weekend and maybe even do one practice, and then decide probably on the evening of the 7th!</p>
<p>jackief - I agree about not wanting to throw away $46, and I won't register D until she takes at least 1 practice test and tells me whether she feels ready or not. We have a copy of the "real" ACT book, so she just has to make the time to do a practice. I've decided to register her for the SAT since she said she doesn't care whether I do or not. While she doesn't have much free time now, she never has much free time, so at least she has no other major exams in December. January is midterms, and I figured if she tooke the test in December or Jan., she could always try re-taking it in March if necessary.</p>
<p>we have the real ACT book also. One thing I remembered reading another thread is that we also have the ACT test info pamphlet from the college office at school that contains a practice test. </p>
<p>I also think December isn't that bad of a time for her to take some tests as we are between sports seasons now plus she has Thanksgiving break.</p>
<p>jackief - you're lucky -we're rarely in between sports seasons as D does three seasons, which include practices and games or meets over breaks. Her fall sport is over, but she still works out everyday after school to stay in shape for next season. Still, she'll be working on some pretty major research projects in the spring, so that's why I'm pushing for December. I'd also like to try fitting in some college visits this spring, though how that will happen, I have no idea.</p>
<p>Yes, December seems like a very good choice-before finals and after Thanksgiving. Of course D has a play the weekend after.</p>
<p>She's back from the PSATs and she said the Math was "ridiculously easy" but she did not know a single solitary vocabulary word in CR. Somehow I get the feeling she is wrong on both counts. We will see.</p>
<p>QM- do you k now if you get the scores back at the same time as the rest of the kids in her school?</p>
<p>And is your school on a semester schedule with finals in December? We have trimesters, but most courses are year long. D is taking 3 separate English trimesters this year but I don't know yet what there will be for a final paper/project/test. The term closes right before Thanksgiving. (she is happy because between the English classes and the 2 AP classes she'll only have 3 finals in June compared to 6 last year)</p>
<p>I think it will come at the same time. I know the college board is sending the scores directly to the school not to us, just like the regular ones. Yes, D's school is on a semester schedule. The first quarter ends this Friday and they take first semester finals in January after they get back from winter break. The second semester ends in June and they take finals then. D's AP classes do not have in class finals either. They only have to take the May AP tests, so she will have some free time to take the SAT IIs then (that's the hope anyway).</p>
<p>QM/jackief - my D's school has midterms in January, finals in June. For some AP classes, she'll also have Regents and/or finals, so that's pretty annoying for her.</p>
<p>LIMOMOF2, why does she have to take Regent's exams for AP classes? When I went to school in NY (all those aeons ago), we did not have any regents for AP classes.</p>
<p>I have been meaning to ask - and please forgive the stupid question from a west coaster - but what is a regents exam?</p>
<p>On the subject of semesters, we are on the semester system with finals after Christmas break - until next year when the board and the teachers finally got their act together and moved the school year up. We are starting earlier - around the 10th of August and having finals before Christmas break. It is about time!!!!</p>
<p>Regent's exams are state wide NY state tests.</p>
<p>Are they like California's STAR testing - e.g. all students take them to measure how good (or bad) their schools or teachers are?</p>
<p>scualum - I don't think the purpose of the Regents exams is to measure the teachers or schools - just the students. In NY, we have mandatory state testing through 8th grade which serves that purpose. Regents are offered in sciences (earth science, bio, chem, physics), English, global history, American History, the various levels of math, foreign language (after completing 3 years), and probably some other stuff - not sure what else. Some are required for graduation, some are extras or required by some schools or programs.</p>
<p>Queen's Mom - I know when we were kids, Regents were not given when kids took AP level classes, but back then, most APs were only available to seniors - at least at my H.S. Now, kids start taking APs as sophs in D's school, but they're still required to pass certain Regents courses to graduate. So, for example, this year D is taking AP Eng Lang, but she still has to take the English Regents (required by all to graduate in NYS); she's taking APUSH, and has to take the American History Regents - also required for graduation; she's taking AP Physics but she's already taken the physics regents (and it's not required for graduation anyway), and AP Stats which has no regents or final - just the AP (yay!).</p>
<p>So its more of an exit exam (which we also have in California although only in Math and English at a basic level)? To put it another way, if a non college bound kid takes all the usual basic classes, would he have to take these tests in order to get a diploma?</p>
<p>When I was in school (and Queen's Mom........lol), you had to pass a bare minimum number of Regents to graduate, and if you took a certain number above that, you graduated with a Regents Diploma which was considered more of an honor. </p>
<p>Now, they've increased the number of Regents required to graduate - so yes, a non-college-bound kid has to take Regents exams in several basic classes - English, global history, American history, math (not sure how many minimum), science (not sure how many minimum), foreign language, maybe some others. I tried looking them up online, but something is wrong with the site right now.</p>
<p>scualum,
The NY state Regents exams are only given in the public schools. As I recall, there is some minimum grade which is needed on each exam in order to graduate. If a student receives a certain level of grades, he/she graduates with a Regents diploma.</p>
<p>Regents are a lot more like the old British O-Levels. They test basic high school knowledge by subject. I believe the passing grade is now 65. There are two levels of Regents diplomas - the basic one and the advanced. The advanced version requirement are basically a minimal college prep level (i.e. math through algebra 2, three years of a foreign language, English at approx. jr. year level, a couple of science courses, US and World History). It does mean that the basic curriculum across NY State is pretty similar.</p>