<p>Greetings, 2013 Parents! Here’s another lurker finally coming out of the shadows to join the PSAT angst. I’ve been reading this thread, and also the 2012 parents’ thread, for several months while gathering my courage to plunge in (never having posted on anything like this before). I am so impressed by all the support that you give each other, as well as all the great experience and info. that you share! I’d love to be part of it too.</p>
<p>My (Texas) D just got her PSAT score yesterday— 229. She’d scored high taking it as a sophomore, and in the months since I’d managed to convince myself that she was going to be one of the few who score lower this time around and not make the cut-off. So highly relieved that she will probably be making it.</p>
<p>RobD: thanks for the (much needed) validation…this is definitely proving to be a way that I can think about this stuff and get questions answered without letting on to my S that it’s on my mind at all (just have to remember to keep a fake window open in case of sudden appearances). I am so glad this community is available.</p>
<p>Congratulations to every one who did well on PSAT…</p>
<p>My s13’s PSAT result came yesterday…He has missed the state cut off for NMSF by few points…he has 220, and ,last years cut off was 223 for MA. I would assume that the cut off will go up this year. 3 errors and he has 68 points on his writing session…ooops… and he also missed a math question, which is very unlike him, and lost 3 points on it. In all practice questions and all his prior tests, he has scored perfect score in math. He signed up for January SAT yesterday as March SAT’s interfere with his robotics program.</p>
<p>S refused to do any prep and continue to refuse getting help on SAT’s as well. Anyay, at this point, I just have to let him do what he thinks is best for him.</p>
<p>Welcome to Pigmom and Poppycock and anyone else who has popped on here that I haven’t yet greeted!</p>
<p>Congratulations to all who have kids who have gotten their PSAT scores- lots of kids doing fabulously well! I am truly happy for them.</p>
<p>Now, for those of us who will lose our minds if our kids even hit 2000, I’m feeling pretty alone on this bench! I might need to go breathe into a paper bag for a bit. For me, this is the hardest part of participating in CC. Her PSAT paper says she scored in the 90th percentile for Juniors but when I’m on here, I feel like she is doomed! ;-)</p>
<p>Still waiting for DD13’s scores. The GC is meeting with each child and discussing their scores. It’s a good thing to get them started thinking about options from another source other than a nagging parent. However, I’d really like to know her score! </p>
<p>Don’t worry vandy, there are all kinds of parent on CC! I participate on the '12 board for my DS and there is a wide range of kids/parents and everyone is very supportive. Right now, it’s a little early in the process so parents on CC at the moment on this board consist of parents of really high achievers and second or third time around parents. There are tons of different schools, tons of different kind of students. No worries!</p>
<p>Welcome to all the new folks on our little thread!</p>
<p>vandy, my D is not currently a top test scorer, but she is a top student in her school and is pursuing a rigorous curriculum. She has taken the PSAT twice, but she won’t get the 2011 scores until sometime in January. She is not anxious for these scores as she knows she flubbed the math section and that is typically her best section. She really does treat the PSAT as practice for the real thing and does not apply added importance to them. She will prepare some for the SAT in March, but in no way will she do any formal prep or devote an inordinate amount of time to it. I think she would be pleased if she broke the 2000 mark, but I don’t really know because we have not talked about it. So I will sit on the bench with you, but please know our Ds are not doomed! The 90th percentile is nothing to sneeze about!</p>
<p>Hello to all the new folks. Congrats on the high PSATs as well. Very impressive. </p>
<p>Vandy, I will join you on the bench. D’s practice SAT was lower than a 2000. We will see how the PSAT goes. </p>
<p>D was saw GC yesterday and the box of PSAT scores was not even opened. THe guidance office here is sorely understaffed. THey are 100% focused on getting college applications out still. They promised to get them out the week before Christmas.</p>
<p>Vandy, I am on the bench too! D1 and S2 both scored below 2000 and ended up at great schools where they are thriving, so you don’t have to score a 2300 to be happy and successful.</p>
<p>Vandy, I second tx5athome. S was below 2000 and loves his school and his major, is now a sophomore.</p>
<p>But what happens here happened to my daughter in real life yesterday. When she was picking up her scores, good, but not NMSF good, someone was in the GC’s office, jumping up and down with a 228 score, surely above the cut-off for our state. </p>
<p>I think the competition is pretty tough, and the kids feel it first-hand. Darn it. I hope that some Christmas shopping tomorrow will help.</p>
<p>Good morning everyone, D’13 is home for the third day in a row due to migraines, the next two weeks will be very busy for her between finals and make up work. Last night was the last test for her DE Chemistry Class, so glad that is over. Next semester, she is taking her three classes at the HS: English H, German, & World AP, three DE: College Alg, Psych, and Theater then two thru FLVS: Alg II H and Micro Economics AP…I can’t wait for summer! </p>
<p>Still waiting for PSAT scores as well, then she will do a practice SAT to see how it compares. I am wondering as parents is most of the concern over PSAT scores, because your need to know parents like me or NMF related?</p>
<p>MumTo3 - If I understand you correctly then, yes, that would make for a be as good a way as any to make an estimate in your state. However (1) I believe the NMSF allocations are recalculated each year based on the most recent HS graduation data and so the number of MNSF slots allocated per state varies each year and (2) PSAT participation rates vary from year to year and if it should vary significantly in your state then your estimate would bound to be inaccurate. </p>
<p>On the first point I have wondered if the need to wait on national HS graduation data is the reason the NMSC doesn’t release NMSF information until August/September. On the second point I have not really looked at the data to see how much variation there is but would suspect there might be quite a bit in the lower-participation states. Anyone could research this by looking at the CB’s PSAT data for the past few years.</p>
<p>BTW I have a D13, too, and will probably be peeking at the aggregate data when it is released. But all of these techniques are really blunt instruments for doing cutoff projections and many of us will still have to wait until next fall to learn the real scoop.</p>
<p>RobD - Thanks for citations. I am not sure what there is left to explain but I will do what I can. Being helpful is always my primary motivation when I post. Let me add that much of what I have learned about the NMSC I have gleaned from previous posters on CC (and verified it with my own research and calculations.)</p>
<p>Someone speculated the MA cut-off (223, the nation’s highest) would probably go up. My observation is that it has remained relatively steady each year (222-223) and did not go up this year in spite of the general trend across the country. So to me it appears kind of “maxed out” and I would be willing to bet it does not, at least not by much.</p>
<p>Good morning everyone, it’s my day off today so good PSAT or bad PSAT I’m still going to have a great day.
I want to know D2’s scores but I won’t worry too much whether she makes NMSF. There are only a few schools that will make any difference to her college decision. She did say immediately after taking the PSAT test that she missed a few writing questions. That is her weakest subject but I didn’t know the curve is so steep. She did score perfect on her math for sophomore PSAT but not sure how she did this time.
On the SAT front, she took a couple blue book tests and scored reasonable. Again it depends on the curve. But what she has learned that even in math she has to read carefully. It’s all about reading and not math.
She’s planning to take it in Jan because she has a small break.</p>
<p>I used to think ds had a chance at NMSF. But last year, our state cutoff jumped four points – unprecedented – so now I’m not so sure he’ll pull it off. But, yeah, I want to see his scores so I can make my best guess as to whether he’ll make it. Also, he is taking the January SAT so I want to use the PSAT scores to help with prep.</p>
<p>Last year, CA jumped up a few points also, I think it’s 221. Our local high school normally has about 60 NMSF and dropped in half to less than 30 NMSF for 2011, so I won’t hold any hope that D2 to be a NMSF either. I wonder if the curve is steep this year, would the cutoff for NMSF be lower. Wishful thinking I know.</p>
<p>Congratualtions to all on such great PSAT scores! I am in the camp of…just hope that the score is somewhat reflective of her aptitudes and won’t depress her. It is particularly hard when one kid in the family is a good test taker and the other isn’t…Like blueshoe and others, our school wont’send out the scores until mid January and, frankly, what’s the rush? You won’t know hte cut-offs for sure for a number of months and apart from NM and a few other “awards” the scores are not used for anything else. However, if I had a kid who was a good scorer I would be very curious about the results. </p>
<p>I have been searching the boards more for advice on how to survive the darn IB program. D is just worn out with the work. In desperation she is starting to strategize…deciding what assignment to skip or turn in late in the classes where she has a good grade so she can concentrate on the tougher classes. It is a bit ridiculous since some of the assignments look interesting and sad to take a hit on the grade because you choose to turn it in late in order to do better on a different assignment in another class. She is thinking that she won’t run track in the spring and says she doesn’t want to do sports in college because she can’t imagine having to work any harder than she is now and play Div III sports or even intramurals. How sad is that? I am hoping she will consider a gap year when the time rolls around because senior year looks even more of a grind than junior year. ON the one hand I can already see that the IB courses have really impacted her writing in a positive way and the math is excellent if difficult. College will be an easy transition. On the other hand, she is getting burned out and turned off of school. To much grind, not enough energy to enjoy what she is studying. Anyone else concerned about these accelerated all AP or IB programs?</p>
<p>famm, I’m sorry to hear your dd is so stressed. Remind her that in college she doesn’t go to classes all day every day so she’ll likely have time for at least IM sports. Ds1 draduated with something like 12 or 13 APs and played a varsity sport, but at college is on four different IM teams and is still doing fine in all his classes. Ds2’s HS is really competitive and kids load up on the APs, but I think a lot find college easier/more enjoyable because THEY are in charge of their time – when to take classes, when to study, when to work, when to play.</p>
<p>Let me preface my response by stating that I do not mean in any way to criticize any other parent’s philosophy of facilitating their child’s education, just share my own.</p>
<p>I too am very concerned about the “grinding” trend I see in high school education, spilling into middle and even elementary schools, and the exhaustion young people seem to exhibit with coursework, before they even enter college as freshman. I do not see the problem as coming from the AP classes themselves though. In our high school, the AP classes are taught by the most excited and enthusiastic teachers, and taken (in general) by young people who really want to learn. In my opinion, problems with stress occur with students and/or parents and/or teachers and/or schools and/or districts and/or college admissions offices placing far too much emphasis on an end result (the number of AP classes taken, the grade on the AP exams, the number of extracurricular activities, or service hours) instead of on the process of education. Sometimes, there is a balancing act. Fewer AP courses, more running, or skiing, or (gasp) playing video games. In my opinion, what should truly matter are the answers to these questions: what did our children learn in their last year? How excited were they by the subject matter of their courses and their application to the world outside their classrooms? Did they have fun doing something that helped them grow as a human being?</p>
<p>My son and I talk every year about the AP and “regular” classes he plans to take and the pressures we know he will face. We agree to save room for those things he loves (music) or needs (martial arts) and values (reading … for fun, or rock climbing) to keep himself sane. Halfway through his junior year, my son won’t have as many AP classes as I am sure he could have “handled,” but he is still engaged by his courses and has time for extracurricular activities which may or may not ever make it onto his college applications. I guess time will tell us if he is successful in those applications.</p>
<p>So my own advice, completely untested as yet: work with your daughter on balancing her many interests and aptitudes. Help her to have fun and let her know you value her complete education, beyond academics. She sounds like she has so many interests, and that is wonderful! Don’t let her lose those, because she may have regrets. Good Luck to you both!</p>
<p>Thanks for all of your warmly greeting. Congratualtions to all of your S13 and D13’s great PSAT scores!</p>
<p>Last year, S got 194 on PSAT and then 2100 on SAT in his sophomore year. I’m eager to see how much he could get for Junior PSAT. I guess the scores won’t come so soon to Canada.</p>
<p>I would like to ask if your D or S still play games or read Manga on computer? My S is super busy on his IB, but he seems still have time to play.</p>
<p>He is tutoring math for 3 students. I think he should work in a big retailing stores like Costco or Staples to learn to work with a team and meet more people. He said tutoring can make $20 per hour while Costco might pay him only $10 bucks. What jobs do you think our kids should do (for entering top schools)?</p>