<p>Hi Vandy! I’m currently focused on my DS12, but DD13 is close behind! I think I can answer some of your questions about the SAT and colleges. Some colleges require you send in all SAT scores and some require you send in your highest dates. You can go and look on the College Board web site and it will tell you how each school superscores. There is a version 1 and version 2. Then, some colleges require all scores to be sent, even if they superscore some want to see all the scores. So, it really depends on the specific schools your DD finds interesting to her. I’ve also been told that 3 times is really the max that any child should take the SAT. After that, your kid looks like they are a professional test taker and that isn’t what a college wants to see. Although, many colleges will only see the scores you send. Our guidance office tells the kids to take it twice in their Jr year and wait and take it again in Sr year, b/c seniors generally score better. Of course, that was not the case for my DS12! </p>
<p>For DS12 we waited to see what his PSAT scores were, and then prepped for the March test based on those. He retook it in May. We used the June testing date to take SAT2s. I think for very strong students, who are likely one and done, taking it early and being done is a great stress reliever. So, it really depends on your child. </p>
<p>DD13 is anxious to take the test. Her BF was a one and done kid for the ACT, although, she is not that kind of kid. I’m trying to get her to wait till March to take her first SAT, but I think she really wants to take the Jan test. </p>
<p>This thread will pick up as soon as PSAT scores come out, vandygrad. ;)</p>
<p>I’ll tell you what we did with ds1. After having spent a couple of years lurking and posting on cc seeing how wound some people got about this, I had ds1 set a goal score that if he hit he was done. He’d never take the SAT again. Well, he fell 10 points short on the January test, so he signed up for the May test. He supescored more than 100 points better (yea!) and was done. This is the same strategy we’re going to use with ds2. June testing will be used for subject tests.</p>
<p>IMHO, I think it looks bad to take it more than three times. If after three tests you can’t get a score you’re happy with, maybe you’re aiming too high. I don’t really get the thinking of taking the SAT “just to see.” That’s what the PSAT is for. They’re similar enough that you can use it as a gauge.</p>
<p>Concur with geogirl that each school is different in terms of wanting to see all scores. And some schools superscore, and some don’t.</p>
<p>S3 is taking the test on Saturday too! Opening night of his play is Friday night so probably it is not the best date to take it, but it seems like something always conflicts. We have some SAT notecards that I think he has glanced at.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses! So it sounds like most will have their kid take the SAT at least twice and probably at the most, three. That’s along the lines of what I was thinking for her- take the Dec SAT and the Feb ACT, just on the off chance that she scores much better on the ACT. Assuming not, then prep and re-take the SAT at one of the late spring dates. Either be settled with that score or take once more as a senior. Does that sound about right? </p>
<p>Thanks GeoGirl, I’ll check the College Board site for that info.</p>
<p>Looking forward for the PSAT scores to come out, then, so things get moving. I’m tired of being neurotic all alone! lol</p>
<p>vandy, many of us here are from the class of 2010 and were neurotic the first time around. We get to look chill now. :D</p>
<p>I think ds2’s target number is a little low for him, so I’ll be really curious to see whether he makes it in January. But, yeah, if not he’ll retake in May (his sport should be over by then) and if he still doesn’t hit it, I’d have him retake at the first fall test (is that October?). It’s REALLY nice to be done with testing in junior year.</p>
<p>CHIS- Sorry for the delayed response. We live in NY State and I agree the ACT is not really discussed. However, my niece (also in NY) opted to do the ACT only and had no problem getting a scholarship to a NY state school. My D is planning to take both and see what she likes best. Then she will focus her retake efforts on the one she likes more.</p>
<p>Looks like Sat will be the day for some of us
S isn’t too happy with his first set of scores from taking the SAT stand-by a few weeks ago. Pretty sure that not going bed until after midnight and then waking up late and feeling rushed didn’t help He is really concentrating on his Writing score which was his lowest. (During the 1st test, he ran out of time and was unable to finish his essay.)<br>
He has been doing practice essays using the prompts from the SAT “blue book” nightly to work on his timing. Last night was the best result with him finishing just at the 25 min mark.</p>
<p>I am still not sold on the SAT the more I learn about it. I am almost thinking that ACT will be a better fit. So we will have to wait and see…</p>
<p>On another note: is anyone else behind on their Christmas decorating this year? I usually have everything up and good to go by the Sat after Thanksgiving. I just can’t seem to find the time this year :/</p>
<p>I’m one of the formerly neurotic now chill '10 parents though I should probably employ a bit of neurosis with my D’13er, we haven’t even talked tests yet I’m really waiting until PSAT scores are back and then we’ll have her do one sitting of the SAT and the ACT and then focus on the one she feels more confident with. </p>
<p>Her 1st quarter report card though was fabulous for her so I know she’s starting to focus on these things.</p>
<p>and Reeinaz - thanks for the blurb about that major at Kutztown - I may have D check that out!</p>
<p>My D is self-motivated and prepped for the SAT over the summer some. We figured it would help with the PSAT since she was close to the NMSF cutoff last year. Her OCT SAT scores were very good; she was disappointed with the math, but I do not feel it is worth a retake for her. She will take the ACT in Dec and decide from there. My older 2 kids took each test once and were satisfied.</p>
<p>well, I wouldn’t say that I am “chill” but getting the first one off definitely was more stressful and I discovered CC a little late. Thus the panic for him to take SAT IIs in the fall of senior year. What I do see from my S and others is that most kids find a good fit and then flourish at that school. We were lucky that s found the perfect school early on but I would have liked to have cast the net wider and looked at some lesser known options. </p>
<p>My time on CC since then has been well spent looking for lesser known schools (outside of our area) that may be a good fit for D and scheming how to present them to her so that she will consider them with an open mind. I didn’t have time to do that for S and that would have helped him more t han me stressing about dates and scores and essays. Also, it is a lot more fun. I particularly enjoy reading visit descriptions and following how kids decide which school is for them once the acceptances come in. treat CC like good entertainment and an escape valve and you will have a more relaxing and enjoyable ride through application time.</p>
<p>Hi Everyone! I can’t believe we are almost half way thru the school year, crazy! D just took her first practice ACT and considering she hasn’t completed Alg II (remember she was suppose to be class of 2014) and then totally skipped 7 questions on the science section I was very pleased with her 30, she will take the ACT in Feb and if she manages a 33-34 she will probably be done with it. Because of other commitments she can’t take the SAT until May and by then she will have completed Alg II and College Alg, via dual enrollment, if we are pleased with her scores then she won’t test again…otherwise we will sign up for the first tests next fall.</p>
<p>Also we toured FAU 2 weeks ago, it was a nice new campus just not what D is looking for…she said her instate public choice is FSU. So this is how the list goes: Duke, Rollins College, U of Miami, then in no specific order: UNC-Chapel Hill, Univesity of Hawaii-Manoa, UNC-Wilmington, and FSU. We still have a few left to look at; College of Charleston, U of South Carolina and College of the Atlantic. I will be so happy when we can stop looking and start applying!</p>
<p>Long, If you loked at FAU, you were close to Lynn U. Much nicer campus, merit for someone with your DD’s stats. In Sarasota is New College, a gem if it has your d’s major.</p>
<p>S3 will likely take the subject tests in June. I was afraid of the May date because it is so close to the AP testing dates, I didn’t want his brain to blow a fuse!.</p>
<p>Quote: I will be so happy when we can stop looking and start applying!</p>
<p>I am just the opposite! </p>
<p>I am also a mom of a '10 and a '13. My '10 looked at a few schools and declared he was DONE with looking after about 5. He wanted big school, rah rah sports and engineering school. (They all seemed about the same to him.) D’13 and I have seen 4 schools, and the plans will be about 20 in total if I have my way. I am loving the travel. When she goes to college, I will be stuck with DH for travel. Just kidding.</p>
<p>I suppose we’re all waiting for the PSAT results to give some clues about how things will go…I can’t stand the suspense! My son’s school wants them to take the ACT and SAT to see which they like best and to plan on taking the one he likes best three times. I’m not sure if he will need all of that but we shall soon see! He is taking the ACT Dec 10 and the SAT on Jan 28 and then we can go from there. He is not studying too much for the ACT which is really annoying me (!) but he did well on the PLAN and he did very well on the PSAT practice test, and he keeps saying he cares more about the SAT. Then in May he does AP Chem and Psych tests, followed by SAT subject tests, probably Chem, Math2 and Latin. He will also take the Math Olympiad test in February and the Nat’l Latin Exam in March. All of this is making my head spin!!</p>
<p>I’m hoping we get PSAT results at the report card conference this week. My son’s advisor said it was important that he be there because she wanted to go over “college stuff”.</p>
<p>ReeinAZ- is it even possible to get PSAT scores this week? I thought it would be closer to late December at the earliest!</p>
<p>BerneseMtn- I take it you have a Berner? We have an almost seven year old Bernese who thinks she is a 70 pound lap dog. Not the smartest dog we have ever had but definitely the sweetest! No joint problems at all yet, either, which is great.</p>
<p>Oh, and all you parents doing this for the second time or more…
Glad to know that it gets somewhat easier! You can help hold all us newbies together.</p>
<p>D and I went on the College Board site to pick her four schools to send scores to. We wanted to do Score Select and I hope we signed up properly to do that. It was confusing so I’m not sure. Eeek!</p>
<p>Vandygrad87 - I’d put money on the score reports being at the schools already. I mean, there’s no reason PSAT results should take longer than SAT results, especially with no essay to score. And last year, kids on this site started getting scores the first few days in December. Within reason, it really is up to the schools to decide when to release them. I think some even wait until January so they can still focus on senior college applications. But the CB site says generally mid December. My son got his the week before Christmas break last year. And yeah I know the end of November is not mid December :)</p>
He is really concentrating on his Writing score which was his lowest. (During the 1st test, he ran out of time and was unable to finish his essay.)<br>