Parents of the HS Class of 2016 (Part 1)

<p>my older D had a 1950 (I think) on her PSAT(as a Junior)…and got up to a 2190…but that was with a lot of practice-- my other D had a 2070(also a Junior) and went up to a 2240… I don’t remember what the sophmore year psat score was…but, it may have been somewhere in the 1800…'s… so, it’s doable…but why so specific a score?</p>

<p>Thank you for answering Drmom</p>

<p>The reason for the higher scores is because my son wants to go to an Ivy League college or at least a top 20 school. He knows to do this his scores need to be higher than 1800 and I figured he needs at least a 2250 or higher.</p>

<p>I have another question, my S (and one other student) are the first students at his school to ever get all A+'s on their report card with the hardest curriculum possible. The school is in the top 700 schools in the country.</p>

<p>I was hoping to have him take the SAT Math II in June, the SAT I in January 2015 and then some other SAT Subject test at the end of his junior year. The problem I have, is that I cannot get him to start studying for the SAT tests. He has done a lot of extra curriculars and is ranked number 1 in his class. The SAT apathy is killing me. I know some parents on here have had their kids go to top colleges, did you face this problem? If so, what did you do? Did you force them to study or do I let them figure it on their own and hope it isn’t too late once they do. Do I send him to a program like ACI or Elite to hold him accountable? I know what this post sounds like and I hate how competitive the college process has become, having to get great grades with the hardest classes possible, high AP scores, community service, positions in clubs and national organizations, athletics, and now the SAT’s on top of all this is really just too much to ask, but some advice on how you handled this would be nice.</p>

<p>I have noticed a 450 jump in one year is not easy. It may get there by early 12th grade through the iterative fix your mistakes by lots of practice. </p>

<p>For anyone to take SAT II Math II, they should have completed precalc in order to do well. </p>

<p>Some who are good in school but not doing so well on SAT show more aptitude on ACT since it is more tied to school curriculum.</p>

<p>Thank you Texaspg. </p>

<p>The problem I have is my son tested out of precalc and went straight into calc.</p>

<p>In that case he should be ready to take SAT II Math II right now.</p>

<p>My son is in Pre-Calc right now and we plan to have him take the SAT2 Math2 this June. I just gave son the Real ACT study guide and he is going to work his way through it. His older sister (HS’13) did much better on the ACT then the SAT and so far he thinks he will like the ACT better. We would like to have all testing done by end of junior year.</p>

<p>We plan on touring more colleges this spring. So far he has only seen UVA, UPenn and Princeton (sister attends '17).</p>

<p>My son took the SAT II Math 2 last year after he finished pre-calc. He found he didn’t need to prep for it. There are subject tests offered on the January 25th test date, and the deadline to sign up is December 27th. The next time subject tests are offered is May.</p>

<p>I have two kids in college now(near the “top 20” schools)…so, I understand the worries and anxiety…but, I have to say…my particular S’16 is no where near ready to even think about college or SAT’s…I am grateful that he is now becoming upset when he gets a ZERO for not handing in homeowork…!!! I am feeling like I am in a completely different world and not sure how to approach it! I know he will go to college; I know his light bulb will eventually turn on…but, not so quickly! :)</p>

<p>Mysonsdad - how did your son do on the Math section of the PSAT? If he didn’t score near 70 I’d personally be hesitant to schedule him to take the SAT Math 2 until he practiced more…</p>

<p>Anicdotal at best, but I can tell you that my daughter went from a 204 PSAT sophomore year to a 232 Junior year without cracking a prep book. Thank goodness because despite being a motivated student in every other capacity she showed zero interest or inclination to prepare for the SAT’s. I was definitely in the hands off mindset. Had she not raised her scores she’d now be at our very good state flagship.</p>

<p>Highbury
He scored a 68 on math on the PSAT</p>

<p>I don’t believe there is much of a relation between SAT II Math II and PSAT math. PSAT math is more aptitude relevant while SAT II math II is more knowledge relevant. Math II also requires 2 more years of Math knowledge.</p>

<p>Yes texaspg I do understand this…but Mysonsdad’s post seem to indicate that his son is a “mathy” guy. If my kiddo tested out of precalc straight into calc - yet scored say a 58 on the math PSAT I’d be concerned as to why the disconnect between ability and testing. Concerned enough anyway to hold off on immediate MathII testing before investigating further…</p>

<p>Mysonsdad - a 68 is a good baseline score, that should rise naturally as he gets used to the SAT. At least you know it’s the verbal side he should really concentrate his efforts on improving.</p>

<p>Highbury, thank you for your responses. I don’t plan on having him take the math SAT II until June after he is done with Calc AB. I am just frustrated he won’t study for the SAT I. </p>

<p>Drmom, I already went through that with my daughter. She was really a challenge, she got in with the wrong crowd in high school and I figured she wouldn’t even graduate. She struggles in college but part of that is laziness. She has a decent job as an EMT at a hospital so I am still hopeful for her.</p>

<p>Wishing everyone and their families a very Happy New Year!!!</p>

<p>Same to you semiLucky and to everyone else on this board</p>

<p>highbury - I agree. I am only saying a specific target on PSAT may not translate into much on SAT II Math II because of the type of tests they are and the difference in degrees of difficulty. </p>

<p>I have seen people score low on SAT I Math but do extremely well on Math II. One of the reasons is the curve where you are allowed more mistakes on Math II and still get an 800 while SAT I gets you to 700 with as few as 4 mistakes.</p>

<p>OTOH, SAT II Math I is supposed to be much closer to SAT I Math in content as well as grading.</p>

<p>Btw, those who are still waiting on your scores - collegeboard just sent out the access code that unlocks your PSAT score so you can figure out how to improve on it.</p>

<p>In the past they released it in early February and I am quite glad they sent out the key since D won’t get the report from school until Tuesday.</p>

<p>S did send email that he finally did get his score yesterday. Significant improvement from the freshman year score…but lots of room for further improvement next year :)</p>

<p>We did have a very good conversation about testing/college searches when he was home. He’s taking two APs this year and has decided he wants to do the SAT subject tests in both these at the end of the year. Was impressed by how once the topic came up, he researched it, found the dates and decided on a plan. Independence does pay off, I guess.</p>

<p>I am going to sound like a jerk here, but I am asking for advice. My son goes to a school that is one of the top 700 in the country, he is the first student at the school to ever get all A+'s on his report card with the hardest schedule. Like I mentioned before, he skipped Trig and went straight into Calculus and is getting an A+. My problem is, most of this has come without much effort. He has always wanted to go to an Ivy League school or top 20 on the East Coast. Recently I posted about his struggle with the SAT II Math (because he skipped precalc) and he took the PSAT and got a 180. He also has the opportunity to be very good in a sport. My problem is, now that he realizes he needs to study for the SAT and SAT II’s and practice the sport, he is basically just given up an resigning himself to lower ranked colleges that are easier to get into just so he doesn’t have to try. I know the college does not matter (especially within the top 30) but if you have the potential why not use it? He has so much potential but is just unmotivated. This is causing a lot of friction between us. As a teacher, I have seen students with slightly less potential and talent than him go to top 20 colleges, and I have seen so many seniors in their senior year tell me they wished they had done better in high school. What do I do? Do I try to push him to do better and continue to argue with him? Every thing I say to motivate him he takes as an insult. He has told me in the past that he needs me to stay on him. Do I just let him be and hope he comes to his senses before it is too late? This is so frustrating because school and sports were always difficult to me and I had to work so hard to be good, yet he has the potential to be very good (or great) at both and doesn’t care. For what it is worth, he is a sophomore. I know I sound like a spoiled child but ugh it is so frustrating.</p>

<p>I’m just going to add to the above vent—I too have a sophomore son highly intelligent, he to has lost the motivation for a top school. My take on it is that the effort they put in or not
depending on the class results in the same results so why care. I have to keep reminding my
self what my junior said sophomore year just “sucked” your not the youngest in the school and not upper class man; no more hand holding but also no upper class privileges. So maybe it’s just the sophomore slump. My guy is very independent quirky thinking kid so what I view has odd my kid thinks its fine. I will let him follow a path he choose has long as it safe and productive.</p>