@tutumom2001 sorry for the 2 disappointment! I’m not sure if it helps or not to know that S20’s AP Stats teacher said this was the highest percentage of 1s (23%) for the school he’s ever seen & was concerned. Since national is 21.1% for 1s I’m less surprised and very thankful he got a 4 since that’s the minimum his top choice college required. It’s too bad we can’t see how they scored on different sections to know how to strengthen areas of knowledge.
@Keryth I really only cared about the stat so that she would be done with math. It’s not her best subject. She plans to major in interior design, and the program is very rigid about what classes to take when, so graduating early isn’t even an option no matter how many credits she earns. It would, however, be nice to lessen the load for a couple of semesters.
My son got his SAT scores back today. Went from 1280 to 1270. So disappointing. English stayed the same and math went down by 10. He was really hoping to crack 1300. I did sign him up for the August test but I’m wondering if this is just where he’s going to test. It’s so strange that he’s consistently scoring better on English. He’s a much stronger math student. He’s very bummed. He wanted to be done and wanted his top choice reach school to become a little less reachy.
@Marcie123 has he tried the ACT? Both of my kids did much much better on that test than the SAT.
tutumom2001…has your daughter considered taking a math course at a CC during the summer?..Some (not all, but some) courses are easier at a CC vs large uni if nothing else due to smaller class size. I have already told my (creative) DD20 that is the plan if she doesn’t score high enough on her AP stats exam…shes taking it this upcoming senior year. That way they don’t have the stress of a math class with a project oriented major like design can be…just a thought!
Feeling bad for my S20 today 
He is taking a Kaplan SAT prep class through his school currently. He started last week and will finish on Friday. Today he took another full length practice test to see where he is at. His first one last week was a 1010 and today was a 1030 (both were worse than his actual SAT test in May which was a 1090). He came home today very down, with tears in his eyes, saying he doesn’t feel like he’s going to go to college at all.
He is targeting 3 Cal state schools relatively near us (Sonoma, San Francisco and East Bay) and none are super competitive. His UW GPA is good at 3.66 and so I showed him how, even with his 1090 May SAT score, his Cal state eligibility index is still over 4000 which is very good for these schools. I’m pretty sure he’ll get into all 3 with no problem, but he’s not convinced.
He did also want to look at UN Reno, but that would only really be affordable with the WUE tuition rate and that requires a 1240 SAT (not likely to see that score coming in August I don’t think).
I told him that he just needs to keep practicing until the 8/24 SAT and that is all he can do. He has relied a lot in the past on just doing the bare minimum and still doing relatively well in school, but that doesn’t work with the standardized tests. He is really going to have to put in the time to improve significantly. I just gave him a big hug while quietly wiping my own eyes. It’s tough when they feel defeated
@Marcie123 sorry for the disappointment!
@Marcie123 Your son should focus on only one of the sections (either math or English) where he thinks he can make the most improvement. And hammer it at home. Do a practice section every day (Say- 1 day math, no calculator, next day math - calculator, and so on). Learn why he got each answer wrong. Does he not know the formula? Study the formulas. etc… Taking the entire test over and over is frustrating, but doing a 30-40 minute section every day, then spending 20m in review of the wrong answers, is not bad. He can do this - he only needs a few more questions right to improve his score.
His English is a 650 which I think is a great score for him. He was scoring around 700 on practice tests in math which makes his actual 630 and 620 scores disappointing. He had a tutor and does qualify for more sessions because he didn’t meet the guaranteed improvement amount.
What are some resources he can use to self-study math?
He does not want to try the ACT. He hated the science section on a practice test. I think he really just wants to be finished with testing even though he knows his reach schools became reachier.
He just told me that the English sections take a lot out of him and he’s tired for the math sections. On practice tests and assignments, he would miss questions here and there but nothing in particular. He said he wishes he could take the math sections first. He’s just mentally tired by the time math is starting. I get that but there’s nothing he can do about it. I think he’ll take it again but he’s also fine with the schools he has a good chance to get into. I think Oregon and Boulder should be matches if not safeties.
@thedreamydaisy My post was also for your son. He can do this!
@thedreamydaisy and @Marcie123 Tell your sons not to give up. Great advice from @suzyQ7. I agree that taking as many practice tests as you can is the key, especially taking the time to go through and understand all the questions that you missed.
I tried to tell my S20 this but we ended up signing him up for a prep course because he is the kind of kid that will definitely do whatever homework is assigned as he is very conscientious. However, being motivated to do the studying on his own when there is no outside instructor to be accountable to, not so much. He did end up doing some extra practice tests a few days before the June ACT but probably only because I guilted him into it.
I think a lot of it is the luck of the draw in terms of what kinds of questions happen to be on that specific test. For our group of kids, I also think many of them may be late bloomers so just a few extra months between now and the next test could make a big difference.
I know with my S20, he cares so much about the testing, and he wants a good score so bad, that it almost paralyzes him. He’ll put off studying for SAT and do less important work. It doesn’t make any sense, but I think everyone reacts to stress differently.
@thedreamydaisy, one more thing for your son to consider is that there is a financial incentive for the prep tests to be harder than the real tests. When your son gets his real score, he’ll thank the prep company.
Whether you choose to share this with your son, well, you know best.
@Dave_N somebody else in the SAT forums mentioned the same thing (specifically about Kaplan). I did share with my son and it certainly relieved a little of the stress. Thanks for your comment!
@thedreamydaisy I went to Sonoma State way back in the dark ages as a solidly mediocre high school student and really loved it. Still connected with most of my friends from there & often apply what I learned there to my career more than my graduate degrees. Sending lots of encouragement & positive thoughts (with less Sonoma Aroma) his way!
@Keryth nice to hear! My son loved Sonoma when we toured there, and luckily no “Sonoma aroma” that day…lol.
Thoughts on submitting college app summer before senior year?? D20 has opportunity to submit college app over the summer to several safety schools. These are rolling admission schools. Her GPA is 2.9, but she has 27 ACT and 1210 SAT. D20 has anxiety so our thought is to get these apps done and out of the way so she can focus on apps for her top choices.
@scoutmom2002 yes I think it’s a great idea to get some apps in this summer, especially to safety schools. That’s our plan as well! My son is currently working on his common app essay. He is going to apply to two safety schools with rolling admissions before he goes back to school in mid-August. Will be nice to have two acceptances early in the process!
@scoutmom2002 I agree that it is a great idea. I would be all over that for S20 except that he is only applying to a handful of schools (mostly Cal States) and their apps don’t open until 10/1. Plus he is retaking the SAT in August and we want those scores before he applies anyway.
If you can get some early acceptances in hand, that takes a huge amount of pressure off I think.