<p>My experience with my son and other students I have worked with is that taking the SAT II subject tests in May is very helpful. With all the reveiw for the APs, a student should be prepared for the subject tests. For some students the subject test can point out gaps in their preparation for the AP like a certain time period on the US History. Many students have said that the Biology and Chemistry subject tests were helpful before the APs the next week. </p>
<p>As far as the Math subject tests, the 08 PSAT math score will give you a good indication of which test will be better versus basing the decision purely on the math taken in school.The level 2 math is hard and a student should score between 68-80 on the PSAT or a similar score on the SAT before deciding to take it. </p>
<p>With all of the SAT II subject tests, the College Board has review books with practice tests that the student should use to prepare.</p>
<p>yay for archiemom's S2! D1 is currently taking driver's ed and then will hopefully get a dry-snowless day to take the road test during winter vacation. </p>
<p>first term ends next week, the workload seems manageable, but that's because there are no sports right now and we've had some extra days off for elections and veterans day.</p>
<p>My D is also taking driver's ed now, but she won't be finished until January. She's already gotten her certificate which means she's able to take her road test, but I'm in no rush. She can't drive alone until she's 17 anyway, and that won't be until summer.</p>
<p>jackief - your D is lucky to have a little downtime right now. Although my D also had off for Election and Veterans Day, she has been endlessly busy - and her sports season is also over, and the new one doesn't start until next week. She just never seems to have any free time these days.</p>
<p>My D is over-scheduled as usual. She has rehearsal after school every day until the middle of December (she's in 2 plays). We had to cancel her guitar lessons for the next 3 weeks because there is just no time. She is not interested in driving at all, and I do have an old clunker for her that I have not sold yet, because I thought she would want it.</p>
<p>My S will be taking his driver's license test in the spring, at which time we'll have to pony up the $$ to fix the tranny on the '00 BMW and he'll be in business. Well, he will be once he learns how to drive stick shift, which we haven't got to yet.</p>
<p>He came down with a nasty chest cold after last weekend's final water polo tourney, and missed a couple of days school this week. Luckily, one of the day's was the holiday. It's so nice the homework assignments are accessible on line, so he pretty much kept up with things. Best of all, he was better enough on Thursday to attend school, so he was able to attend the Mock Trial competition at the courthouse in downtown LA. They find out today if they (prosecution side of the team) won. He said the competition judges (all attorneys) liked his presentation. He was a witness, and said, "I owned that defense attorney during the cross (examination.)" Still coughing today but more happily so.</p>
<p>Well, as for a car...we purchased a new Honda CRV last spring when I took a new job with a 90 mile-round-trip commute as well as local travel. My husband still drives a 1999 CRV with 120,000+ miles on it. And we kept the old Honda Odyssey (1998 and 250,000+ miles) for S1 to use when home from school last summer, also thinking that S2 could use it around town when he got his license.</p>
<p>H & S2 were on their way to the DMV for the test this morning in the newest CRV and I was driving the old CRV to work when the transmission blew. I mean blew. AT 65 mph on the highway...a big bang...and then nothing. H pulled up behind me to wait for AAA and I ended up taking S2 to the test. Then later in the morning as I was leaving home again for work (3 hours later) we discovered that the new CRV had a flat tire from a big nail struck straight into the tire (where do those come from??????). I wasn't going to do the usual commute on the teeny spare tire, so here I am working from home today. And NOT getting into another car until tomorrow.</p>
<p>SO he has a license, but we are likely down to 2 cars...good for the insurance. Not so good for the scheduling of everyone's activities. Thank goodness we don't have four drivers at home right now.</p>
<p>Congrats, archiemom! S is having a hard time fitting in the practice hours (50 are required here) to get his license. He got his permit in April, but then was away for much of the summer. Where we live, everything is just a few minutes' drive away, and 10 minutes here and there take a long time to add up. He and H have been taking longer drives on the weekends, but he's still only up to 20 hours.</p>
<p>When S got his license 2 years ago, we bought me a new Camry and gave him the 1997 Camry. DH is very attached to his SUV. Somehow last winter we ended up with 3 cars in the garage/driveway, but only one being driven! S was away at college (no cars on campus for frosh or sophs) and H works from home. I'd look at the insurance bill and cringe, it seemed like such a waste, but I knew we'd eventually need all 3 cars again. </p>
<p>D (hs class of 2010, hence this thread!) just got her license a month ago, so she's currently driving the 97 Camry. But S wants to see if the college will let him have the old Camry on campus next semester, he needs it for his club sport. If that happens, D is not getting another car, she can just drive H's SUV, since H works from home. </p>
<p>And for a "reliable" car, the 97 is showing it's age. This fall it needed completely new brakes, rotors & calipers; a new exhaust pipe, and a new O2 sensor. It only has 90,000 miles, but they've all been here in the northeast with our salty-road winters. I'm sure the body will die on that car before the engine will....</p>
<p>Why is it that car problems tend to come in pairs?</p>
<p>Booklady:</p>
<p>We have the same issues here in getting in drive time (50 here in CA, of which 10 are to be nighttime and that's the harder part.) I keep a little notebook and log in each 10-15 minute increment and tote them up at the end of the month. It takes awhile, but I think we'll make the 50 by spring, especially if we decide to take a drive for a ski trip to Mammoth (which will depend on what the pocketbook's looking like.)</p>
<p>Here in CT the driving time was just increased (Aug 1) to 40 hours. But since S2 got his permit last May, he was only required to complete the old 20 hours. When S1 got his license, only 8 hours was required (hard to imagine)! 20 hours is nothing...so we will restrict his driving to local trips and increase the range as we become more confident with his level of skill and responsibility. Thank goodness he cannot drive with anyone other than a parent in the car for one year.</p>
<p>We also kept a running list on our refrigerator calendar. And it was hard to accumulate the right experience in 10 minute chunks!</p>
<p>Driving time here is 20 hours - but we have the same problem some of you have - everything is so close that it's hard to accumulate hours in 5-15 minute bits of time. Still, I'm not really cut out to be driving around as the passenger with an unlicensed teenager, so that's about all I can take at any given time.</p>
<p>BTW, you guys are all so good - keeping track of time. We're just keeping track in our heads, and I think D's only accumulated about 5 hours of practice time - we'd better get moving since I'm sure she'll want to take her test in the spring.</p>
<p>I found I wasn't cut out to be the passenger/teacher of an unlicensed teenage driver either. If the only job I could have was as a driving instructor, I'd be either unemployed or someone with a mongo sized ulcer. This, despite my S's cautious approach.</p>
<p>Yes, it is a strange feeling putting your life and your child's life into your child's hands. </p>
<p>I have a friend who had his own way of measuring driving time. Although the state requires 40 hours (plus classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction), his family tracked their kids' driving in miles. The dad's rule was that his kids could not go for the license until each had driven 1000 miles. Took longer than any of the state's rules!</p>
<p>D got her learner's permit this week and I asked her if she wanted to drive the car back from motor vehicles. To my relief she declined! Our goal is for her to get her license by next summer. </p>
<p>So many milestones to cross in the coming months!</p>
<p>DD has had her permit for about 4 months but has just now started to do the hours. I was not going to push it - and so it just wasn't happening. The turning point was seeing her friends get their licenses... so now she is more eager. As for now, I want one of those brakes on my side!!!</p>
<p>We are planning to go to LA next month to visit colleges - a 5 hour drive each way - so I am hoping she will be ready for taking on part of that drive - at least the lightly traveled portions. (For those of you familiar with CA - I am thinking 101 from Salinas south to San Luis Obispo)</p>
<p>You're braver than I am! My DD has had her license for 3 months and I've yet to ride with her on the freeway. She's actually a very cautious driver...but I'm still not ready for the highway with her! And she's only driven on it a couple times with her driver's training teacher and grown sister.</p>
<p>Scualum wrote: #978</p>
<p>DD has had her permit for about 4 months but has just now started to do the hours. I was not going to push it - and so it just wasn't happening. The turning point was seeing her friends get their licenses... so now she is more eager. As for now, I want one of those brakes on my side!!!</p>
<p>We are planning to go to LA next month to visit colleges - a 5 hour drive each way - so I am hoping she will be ready for taking on part of that drive - at least the lightly traveled portions. (For those of you familiar with CA - I am thinking 101 from Salinas south to San Luis Obispo)</p>
<p>Yikes - we haven't even taken D on the highway yet. She's driven on a few highway-type roads (one even calls itself a highway), but they all have traffic lights. I don't believe her driver's ed teacher has taken them on the real highway yet, although I know he's supposed to soon.</p>
<p>I'm glad to know I'm not the only parent who's afraid of being a passenger/teacher for our teens. And yes, scualum, I've often wished for one of those brakes on my side of the car (sometimes, even when my H is driving me ;) ).</p>