<p>DS just got home from SAT exam. He just said he did fine. I ordered the QAS. Does anyone know if QAS will send us the actual essay back?</p>
<p>4beardollsāactual essay will be posted on-line even for those who do not pay for QAS. I canāt recall if it is posted 19 days after exam or 26. I think it may be 26. The scores are posted 19 days after the test date with only a score for each section with the writing score expressed as an essay score and the MC score. It also includes national percentiles for each section. </p>
<p>The score report posted on day 26 includes additional info, such as number of each type of question correct and incorrect, percentile score on a national, state and school level, the essay prompt and written reply, but no feedback on scoring. (Essay ubric available at CB, I believe.) You will not have the opportunity to look up the incorrect questions here as you would on the PSAT.</p>
<p>I hope I have not gotten any of these details confused. Amazing how much one can forget in a month!</p>
<p>Thanks, CT1417. I will look for them on-line.</p>
<p>Itās been a while since I bought my kids calculators. Okay, just checked the backpack, TI84plus. I do know we avoided the oneās that are not allowed on SATās (I believe there is a TI89?). Interestingly enough S2ās eāschool does not allow calculator use whatsoever in calc, so his entire first year no calculator. I donāt remember if they were allowed last semester in Differential Equations (bad mommy unitā¦Iām not technical, so I listen, but have no idea what these classes are). I also canāt remember what book S2 used to study for the Math2ā¦braindrain from 3yrs ago. If I find it in the bookshelf Iāll post it, but Iām sure there are better ones by now.</p>
<p>I just looked up College Boardā¦ todayās SAT score will be availiable on-line in 19 days, Feb 14.
I also just ordered a free SAT score report to be sent to National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Since DS got a 230 on his PSAT, I thought I would take advantage of the free report and get a jump on the finalist process. The min SAT requirement to be considered for finalist is 1960. This is calculated without the essay score; they use writing multiple choice score times 10 and add CR and math.</p>
<p>4beardolls - excellent PSAT score!!! Heāll have NO trouble at all getting a 1960, though you may have just been throwing that out there for info purposes. Itās great to hear about the MC X 10, because my DS13 got an 80 on the MC part, but a 9 on the essay. That was still an 800, but itās great to see that even without the essay, its an 800 as far as NMSC is concerned. I heard that finalists hear that they are finalists in mid-february, but the small percentage that did NOT make finalist hear in mid-late January. No letter here, so Iām hoping no news is good news! </p>
<p>CT1417 - the son mentioned above said that the Math SAT II was definitely harder than the regular SAT, but that it was āstill easyā because of the curve. He also stated that there were definitely some questions revolving around ācalculusā ideas. He thought it might be hard to get them right with only having had precalc. But again, thereās a curve. My DS14 took it as a sophomore after pre-calc and still did reasonably well (710) but not as well as DS13 who had finished AP Calc AB and AP Calc BC. Too bad we canāt see how many they actually got wrong to gauge the curve. </p>
<p>Speaking of DS14 - he came home from school yesterday feeling quite ill and had a fever. We decided to forgo the SAT today. He was bummed, but today was even more glad when he felt worse than yesterday. And now it changes our plans, pushing out his next test til March, then if a third needs to be taken, May - which is in the middle of AP season. Weād hoped to avoid that. He doesnāt have strep and doesnāt have the fluā¦ but he did get a note to stay home on Monday. So now heāll have 2 Calc tests (one of which is a āquarterlyā) and a bio test and heās not looking forward to it. Itās hard to think about working hard with a 102.7 fever! 
</p>
<p>By the way, anyone know what the essay question was? Are there usually a couple, with different questions at different locations?</p>
<p>3gr8boyzā¦my S14 refused to tell me what the essay question was today because itās āillegal.ā Lol! But, he said it was a fairly easy one. All I got from him is that he cited Adam Smith and Gregor Mendel in his answerā¦which seemed like an odd combo!</p>
<p>Sorry to hear you S14 is sick and missed the test today. Hope he feels better quickly! My D14 started feeling badly yesterday and woke up with a fever today too (fortunately, she was not scheduled for the SAT today though!) and sheās already stressing about whether sheāll be well enough to go to school on Monday!</p>
<p>Just go into the SAT prep forum on here if you want to see the essay question. The thread for it was probably started 20 sec after the test ended. ;)</p>
<p>All of the US gets one essay question; the rest of the world gets a different one (but same).</p>
<p>Thanks dowagerā¦ Iāll check that out :)</p>
<p>Dowager - thanks for the link. I looked around on the site, and there were other scholarships for different religions and different schools. Definitely something to look into.</p>
<p>Hope the kids get to feeling better! Sorry my3gr8boyz ds had to miss the SAT! Iām sure heāll do great on the March one and not need the May test. :)</p>
<p>Did any other kids participate in Science Bowl? Great program! Winning team from each division gets a paid trip to Washington DC to compete in National level. DS did it yesterday. His schoolās A team won! Sadly, he was on the B team. The A team was mostly seniors and the coach said that the juniors will be really strong next year. The B team went into the playoffs as the only undefeated team. Their first game in the playoffs was against the A team. I think it made them nervous since they practice with them all the time! But the questions definitely got harder the deeper into the competition they got, too.</p>
<p>Sā14 happy to have yesterdayās SAT in the rear view mirror. I wish I knew how to protect the kids from the stress. I try to tell them that SAT seems important now, but you will not care about it at all by October or '14 or so - and never will again for years and years. I didnāt work.</p>
<p>glido - Kids are very āin the nowā thinkers! (me too, so I shouldnāt really talkā¦ 
)</p>
<p>ecouter11 - I went to SAT Prep and have found lots of talk about yesterdayās test, and found an reference to the essay topic, but didnāt find the topic itselfā¦ </p>
<p>Thanks for well wishes for DS14. Heās still dragging, but I think getting better. :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This may be whyā¦</p>
<p><a href=āhttp://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/642156-defy-college-boards-rules-your-own-risk.html[/url]ā>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/642156-defy-college-boards-rules-your-own-risk.html</a></p>
<p>I did find someone saying what the topic was, but maybe they deleted it. My S14 said it was an āeasyā essay topic for him. Weāll seeā¦</p>
<p>Ok - I have prepared/braced myself/educated and planned. S14(1) visited Rhodes on Friday - this is his 2nd ārealā college visit while students were in session, etc. Heās decided heās done lookingā¦ he will visit Rice as already planned in March and then will make one of these two schools his first choice but as of now he wants to go to Rhodes.</p>
<p>I feel a bit letdown - I have lists/info/booksā¦ but he LOVED Rhodesā¦ the head of the physics dept spent 45 minutes talking to him about physics/Rhodes/other schools/grad schools/etc. Can we really be already done? Rice will be a stretch - even though heās a legacy but I am fairly confident he can get into Rhodesā¦ taking the ACT on 2/9 but heāll be either 1 or 2 in his classā¦</p>
<p>Is this good? is he being shortsighted? Iām sure there are other schools heād like as well butā¦ is it worth the extra effort? I think I am doneā¦ (time for focus on S14(2) - and time for S14(1) to get his EAgle Scout project DONE!</p>
<p>Congratulations on a wonderful visit for your S!! Although a lot of options were considered, when it came down to it S2 was set on applying to two schools. I insisted on a third. Iām not sure if I would have if the situation had been different but because of the competition for the better public schools from our area of the state, in reality his safety was a match, and his match a reach. It didnāt matter what Naviance or common data sets said, I knew every year high achieving kids were shocked and heartbroken to be turned down. He needed a clear academic and financial safety. I wasnāt content to phone it in. I searched until I found one he was completely content that he would be happy attending. In the end he was accepted at all three but it was worth the effort. Again, if it hadnāt been the fear of what was a safety on paper not really being a safety, I donāt think Iād have insisted on the third school. </p>
<p>If heās happy, itās financially doable, then at least for now Iād let it be. It just squeaking into February. Thereās plenty of time for him to revisit that list if he wants to later.</p>
<p>txvelle ā consider yourself lucky ā your child found a school he loved and could get into. Iāve heard great things about Rhodes and plan on visiting for my son.</p>
<p>The only thing Iāll add is: he may also want to add some other schools as the spring of junior year/fall of senior year develops. I think there is so much relief in finding a school but it may not be ātheā school in the end. I would congratulate him on finding a fit but keep looking just in case.</p>
<p>Had a bit of a ācollegeā chat with S14 and we choose schools to visit over spring break. Looks like: Lehigh, Stony Brook, Drexel, UMD College Park & Princeton. Weāll be going in a weird order (i.e., not what I would choose based on geography) because of special opportunities only on certain days of the week at many of the schools. </p>
<p>(I am pretty sure there is no way he can get into Princeton as he just doesnāt have the leadership or community service for it. Or to be honest the grades. His strength will be his test scores, and thatās not going to be enough for a school like Princeton. But who knows if he will either be super-motivated, or at least find qualities he likes that he might find in a different school.)</p>
<p>Wow good luck to the many kid who took SATs today. S is taking a 6-month prep class which specifies he take May and June. Iām not going to push it until then. D took one last one in November of senior year and her scores went up enough to make me expect we will follow the same course with S. spent the weekend at. Soccer tournament. Let D drive four hours on Rt 95 coming home. Off to get a drink. She did well but there were a few times I had to comment about being too close to someone or THEY ARE SToPPING aHEAD! Glad we are home nowā¦</p>
<p><a href=āhttp://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1450220-suggestions-organizing-college-search-notebook.html[/url]ā>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1450220-suggestions-organizing-college-search-notebook.html</a></p>
<p>Jumping in from the Parents of HS Class 2015 to share a helpful CC thread on organizing college search notebooks/materials. I didnāt start the thread, but I lurk on the Parents of HS Class 2013 thread, and I asked them to add suggestions - which they graciously did!</p>
<p>For some, you & your kids may be well-past the point of deciding how to organize all the info & papers associated with the college search. If so, would you mind adding to the thread with advice? For those families who are still getting stuff together, you might find useful info on this thread.</p>
<p>Hope it was OK to pop in here.</p>
<p>GoAskDad</p>