<p>D is registered for November SAT. I am trying to decide if I should let her take this test or not. She performs much better on ACT. So far all practice SATs she took are not even close to her actual ACT score. But we put so much time and effort to prepare for PSAT so it seems strange not to take SAT now. But I do not want school to see her SAT score if it will be much lower than her ACT. Do not really know what to do.</p>
<p>If you think your D has a shot at National Merit she’ll need to take the SAT, if she spent time prepping for the PSAT I’d think it would be best to take the SAT sooner rather than later. You can do score choice and not send her score to any schools and just send her ACT. If you don’t think she’s close to the PSAT cut off for your state I’d pass on the SAT.</p>
<p>I do not really know at this point. Our state cut off in the past was 222-224. During her prep she scored over this threshold couple of times, but the rest of the time she was under. So it can be anything. Almost all schools on her list require all scores. We already have one strike against her with a mediocre SAT 2 that she will be retaking. One score can be explain, two are a pattern.</p>
<p>Well, the reason for the delay has become apparent. D16 just came home and said, “Oh yeah, I had to rewrite my name on a new form because I had written it wrong.” So that is causing the test to be flagged, no doubt. It sounds like the monitor handled the situation properly, so hopefully the test won’t be cancelled altogether.</p>
<p>S got his SAT scores this morning (no way we were checking at 5am!). He did pretty well, considering that he didn’t prep. This score is good - but I think he will give it a second try - perhaps in spring. Another 50-80 points would be wonderful.</p>
<p>Was a good weekend having both kids at home. S also got a couple of his grades in for the term and thankfully, they were good. He’s a little concerned about his APUSH grade - we’ll find out tomorrow.</p>
<p>@seal16 in your spot I would sign up for the January SAT you’ll have the PSAT score in Dec and can just cancel if she gets below 221, chances are that is if she can pull a 222-224 on her PSAT she can pull a respectable score on the SAT. Maybe it’s a plus at the schools she is looking at if she has an ok SAT <em>and</em> a good ACT instead of just a good ACT?</p>
<p>I’ve heard that the January SAT sitting has the more generous curve because so many younger kids take it for TIPS. I’m not sure if this is true or not. My original plan was to have d take the SAT in January but was talked into the Nov date to get it over with while she is</p>
<p>I know my D is getting frustrated by the scores on her practice tests because some are higher and then others are lower. The more she preps the more I think the higher scores are more based on luck.</p>
<p>@petrichor and @arisamp, I got so caught up in our mini-SAT drama that I did not congratulate your kids on their scores! Glad that they got reasonable scores this go-around!</p>
<p>@3scoutsmom, that is interesting intel on the January exam. I hope that D16 can be done after this one, but she may want to do it again, esp if she is under 2200. </p>
<p>@arisamp: Congratulations!
@AKFirefly: Thanks! We’ll probably have S16 retake in January as well. Next up: both kids take the ACT.</p>
<p>@3scoutsmom - my 12yo is taking the Jan test so you could be right 
OTOH so is my DS16. Why would any one date be more popular with the TIPS/CTY kids, though?</p>
<p>Congratulations on your kids SAT scores, @petrichor and @arisamp! </p>
<p>@seal16 – FWIW, I was once at an info session for a very selective school that requires all tests to be reported when one of the prospective applicants asked, “I got a very mediocre SAT score, but a very good ACT score. Do I really have to submit both?”
The response was, “I’ll give you two answers. The first is that our policy is that you have to submit both test scores. The second answer is that if you submit just the ACT score there’s no way we would know that you ever took the SAT.”. </p>
<p>Congrats to all who have this first SAT behind them, and an acceptable score in the bank.</p>
<p>Quick trip report. Just got back last night from a visit to two of the Claremont colleges. With the preface that I actually think that it’s very early to be touring schools, and ridiculously early to be making sorta-final lists, here goes:</p>
<p>Pomona College – toured Pomona first. As a preface, I’ve found that one’s experience on the tour (and subsequently one’s opinion of the school) is unduly influenced by the student tour guide that you get. Our guide here was a freshman, so he’s been at the school less about eight weeks. Virtually all of his comments were scripted. He talked non-stop, didn’t really allow time for questions. So, it was hard to get excited for the first hour there. On the other hand, the admissions rep who did the information session was fantastic, and really conveyed a good picture of the school and the students who’d fit in there.
Anyway, it’s a pretty unique place, in that it’s a New Englandish type small liberal arts college set in southern California. Clearly extraordinary academics, and with no graduate students the undergrads have all the opportunities in the world. Very intellectual. Big emphasis on diversity. Excellent dorms and food (as best we could tell). Overall, a large emphasis on the experience of the undergraduate student. Might be claustrophobic for some kids, but very warm and welcoming. </p>
<p>Harvey Mudd – Our guide was great. Smart as anything, a bit nerdy, but he was funny, had a lot of personality, was quick-witted and was very honest in his answers to questions. Also a unique place. Remarkable opportunities for STEM kids – unlike anything I’d seen on any of the tours/visits with S14. Amazing facilities and access to faculty and all sorts of opportunities. Truly a world-class institution. Still thinks of itself as a liberal arts college – kids need to have a non-science ‘minor’, and come out of there knowing how to write. Heavy work load. Nice campus, but dorms were not as nice as Pomona.</p>
<p>Both schools are part of the Claremont consortium, allowing them to take classes at any of the five schools.</p>
<p>I would be thrilled if S16 ended up at either of these schools, but they are both lottery schools, so they’re both ‘reach’ schools by definition. Also, S16 plays it very close to the vest, so it was impossible to know his thoughts about these schools. I don’t think he had an “I can see myself here” type of epiphany, but again, it’s really early in the process and furthermore he’s such a good poker player that he might have loved either school or both and I’d never know it.</p>
<p>Thanks for the wishes. Another 50-80 points and S would have been one and done on both the ACT and the SAT. His ACT score is good to go as-is I think. He’ll probably try the SAT one more time to get those extra points. Interesting to hear the the curve on the Jan SAT is supposedly generous - we’ve still to figure out when he should take the SAT again - Jan might actually be a good time. Spring is crazy busy for him - with the musical, the AP exams etc.</p>
<p>@fretfulmother I don’t know why but it seems that’s when all the 7th graders around here are taking it. My kids never did TIPS so I don’t know if there is a specific reason.</p>
<p>Here’s were I read about the January SAT testing being best. I don’t know how valid any of it is so take it for what it’s worth. <a href=“http://www.kwellerprep.com/sat-test-prep/”>http://www.kwellerprep.com/sat-test-prep/</a></p>
<p>@asleepatthewheel, thanks for the rundown! I do agree, it seems early for tours. In our case, we are doing them, if we happen to be in a place with a college because of our geographical challenges! Both of those sound like promising schools. I had checked into both a while back; Harvey Mudd sounds great, but I’d have to figure out the Chinese situation at the consortium campuses.</p>
<p>@arisamp, there may be a few of us sending kids to that Jan test!</p>
<p>Still no results for D16’s SAT, and after hearing more of the specifics from her, I have a feeling this is going to be a long process with a real possibility of score cancellation at the end. I really wish I could speak to someone who can do more than read a script to me (as was the case when I called yesterday), and suggest that they look at her PSAT that was taken the following week. Perhaps it would help in confirming her score.</p>
<p>As it turns out, she had bubbled the answers for section 2 onto the section 3 portion of the answer sheet. Apparently there was an official procedure for transferring the answers to a correct sheet during a break, and that was done, but naturally the incident will lead to a flag on the test. It’s likely her score is quite high (perhaps that is optimistic, but she does tend to test well) which I am sure makes everything more suspicious. A bit of Googling tells me that there can be quite the process with a proctor interview, cross checking her answers with those sitting near her, and an interview for her as well. That is why I wish I could ask them to look at her PSAT. I think that could be reassuring.</p>
<p>In the end, she may just have to take it again. Not a tragedy, but for her sake I wish she could be done.</p>
<p>Here is what I found about SAT curves. It is not based on a current test takers population, but rather on some historical data.
<a href=“http://■■■■■■■■■■■■■/wp/2011/02/is-the-sat-graded-on-a-curve/#.VFE-4PnF-VM”>Is the SAT graded on a curve? – PWN Test Prep;
<p>Eh, well, so much for my theory about the PSAT. Decided to call again; was told that looking at the PSAT is not a possibility. She has had her case assigned to an investigator, and I do have a reference number. So much intrigue. :-/</p>
<p>Our SAT prep teacher told D14 to take the test January then march then if we wanted to in June. Each time she went up 100 points and she felt the June test was the easiest. For D16 she is already signed up for January and we will do the same thing… take it in March then June. she is starting her test prep in a few weeks and will continue until January test. Neither kids wanted/want to take the SATs in senior year so they could focus on enjoying that year of “lasts” and college applications.</p>
<p>Fall HS sport just ended. This is his first “now we are the seniors” moment. It is a good thing that we all get to work up to this gradually! </p>
<p>We just got our access to Family Connection- Naviance. I have a question. Who can see personal information we enter? Could colleges see if they are on our list or not? Is this a shared connection between a student and a HS GC?</p>