With my older kid, the school administers the PSAT in 10th and 11th. That worked well for her – she took it in 10th, was concerned about her score. Did a tiny amount of prep for the PSAT in 11th and did somewhat better, but lower than you might expect for her grades. That really kicked her motivation up. She did a couple of weeks of serious prep for the SAT in winter of her junior year. She did about as well on that test as her best practice exam, so we called it done.
Taking these tests is expensive, time-consuming, and stressful, so I’m glad we were able to keep it to a minimum. With my next kid, I don’t plan to mention testing at all until she does the 10th grade PDF.
Our school gives the ACT Plan to all 10th graders and the PSAT to all 11th graders. I don’t think S21 is likely to be close to NMSF. So, those tests might give us a better idea of whether he should focus on the ACT or SAT.
S17 never prepped for tests other than to take a practice test to understand the timing. I expect S21 will need to prep.
The one thing that I will do differently with D21, than I did with D18, is pay more attention to D21’s junior year schedule. Taking AP Bio, AP Chem and/or AP Lit junior year, for example, will line up with their respective subject tests at the end of junior year. Having those AP classes in the rear view mirror is great prep for those subject tests. At this point, it’s too early to tell which classes she will want to take as AP courses.
For my kids, I like starting the testing junior year and having it done before senior year starts, if at all possible. D18 is still in the midst of completing college apps by 1/1-ish. First semester senior year is CRAZY. 8-}
I also have D18 and D21. D21 is currently taking Algebra II so I am going to have her take Math 1 SAT subject test in June or September 2018.
I am also going to have her take PSAT in 10th grade instead of waiting until 11th like D18 did. If for nothing more than the practice. PSAT again in October of 11th grade SAT in January, ACT in May and then if need be SAT or ACT repeat in September of 12th. And like @sushiritto going to do more AP’s in 11th grade and less in 12th. Really by 12th grade the die is pretty much cast so taking a bunch of AP’s in 12th doesn’t do you a ton of good.
Colleges do look at senior year course rigor, so there’s a fine line between stress reduction during college app season first semester senior year, via less AP’s classes, and too little course rigor and hurting your kid’s application. D18 took a reasonable course rigor approach this year with 3 AP’s and MV Calc, which is like an AP, but not a 5-point class. She dropped a 4th AP class prior to classes beginning in August and I thank my lucky stars for it everyday.
D18 took Math Level 2 after Precalc and didn’t take Math Level 1 at all. That’s the route advanced math students (skip Math level 1) take at her high school. The GC’s believe most of the target and reach schools discount the Math Level 1 test.
@sushiritto@homerdog Thanks for the advise. My D18 is not a STEM type so she didn’t take any Math SAT. D21 is a much stronger math student as evidenced by honors Algebra 2 in 9th grade so I will heed your advise and wait until after she takes Pre-Calc in 10th.
@burghdad Definitely have her take the Math Level 2 test either in May or June of her Sophomore year. There’s no Calc AB/BC on the Math Level 2 test. The further away you get from PreCalc, the less the student remembers about the subject matter on the test.
@mominaz, nope it will not change where we have to worry about schools requiring all scores…We West TX, next to Texas Tech.
If D gets NMF she will attend NMF school, if not she will live at home at attend Texas tech (which give 100% COA) for NMF… At D’s title one high school, there is not peer pressure for reach schools. Most kids don’t go to college. Hardly anyone goes out of state.
D has known the financial limitations for a long time. No surprises what so ever. Thankfully she is a very practical girl who is a good test taker.
@BingeWatcher - I am not saying YOU will change necessarily. I am saying you never know what college changes may happen. Rice, for example, used to require subject tests, now they don’t; just suggested. Probably wouldn’t make a difference one way or another, but my point is things can change. Best laid plans, and all that.
@amominaz as you know that lots of top tier schools like rice and many ivies have gone to recommended subject tests although I have to think good score on those have to help
Right @burghdad - My point is that nothing is set in stone as far as what schools may or may not require in the future. They may not require all test scores now, but they may change. Who knows?
Like @sushiritto, I also think planning to have testing done by the end of junior year is ideal. It’s not always possible, of course, but since we are sitting around on the list when our kids are ninth graders, many of our kids will be able to manage this.
I wouldn’t worry too much about sending all tests. My D16 sent all her scores to the UC schools, and there was a much lower ACT among her other strong scores (which included AP, SAT and SAT2s). Evidently, she had a very bad day when she took that ACT, since her other ACT was 6 points higher. She still got into all three to which she applied (Cal, UCLA, and UCSD). She was not asked for recommendations by Cal, either.
This is my fourth parents’ thread. I hope we can be very supportive and kind while sharing our opinions and information. IME, the threads that were the most rewarding reflect those values.
@EastGrad - My daughter (D18) also had all her testing done by end of junior year. It was definitely a huge help to not have to be worrying about testing concurrently with college applications! We will see if I can push for the same with S21. He is a different animal for sure so no guarantees
@amominaz , I sincerely apologize. I reread what I wrote and I came off defensive. I hope all are 21ers get to veg a lot this Holiday Break…mine sure is.
@BingeWatcher - I didn’t mean to come across sanctimonious, either! It is frustrating when the rules are changed mid-game and that seems to be what happens sometimes with colleges so we just have to do the best we can with the information we have today
@EastGrad Your words are so very important during this time. Thank you! And thanks to everyone who is here giving great advice that is so greatly needed. I have only 1 so I get no do overs nor do I have any neices nephews or younger relatives I can seek advice/experiences from. So I do need this thread. Now I’m worried my D21 may not be ready to complete all test by end of Jr year due to her only being in Honors Geometry now. Oh my… that was my goal for her. Just lovely.
@EGHopeful - I am sure your D will be fine. Not sure how your schools does it, but if she is in Geo now, she will probably have covered most everything on the test by the end of next year (assuming she is taking Algebra I/II?). You can always have her take some of the practice tests and see. It isn’t the end of the world if she has to wait till senior year to finish up her standardized testing. Kids do it all the time and are successful!!
Yes, if it doesn’t work for your child to finish testing by the end of junior year, you shouldn’t worry about it too much, @EGHopeful! It helps because it allows her to focus on apps at the beginning of senior year (instead of both tests and apps) and because it allows you to narrow your list more precisely. Everyone has her own path, and I know lots of kids who tested in November of senior year and still did well during the admission process. I can’t wait to start rooting for all the kids on this thread!
Hi All -I’m new to CC so still navigating all of the different discussion topics. I have a D21 and S21 and they are night and day in every aspect. My D enjoys school for the social aspect. She dreads homework,
studying and would be very happy to just coast through high school with B’s and occasional C’s. With the exception of Algebra she is very capable of straight A’s. Her UW GPA right now is a 2. 89. Her classes are not high rigor. She has no idea what she wants to study in college and that’s ok I know. Her EC’s are fair but not great. She has danced for 12 years and even done a few summer ballet intensives. She does the Nutcracker every year and loves it. She was in the fall play and is now doing the Spring musical. She will do Spring track. She’s in the Italian club and Art club. Earned her bronze award in Girl Scouts . I feel like she will not really be motivated to put her full effort into school until she has a better idea of what she might want to major in. She has said several times that she does not want to major in dance.
My S21 loves school. He has a genuine passion for learning. His strongest subjects are Science/Math/Spanish. School has always come easy to him. His UW GPA right now is a 3.39 (with not much effort ) although he is definitely capable of having a much higher GPA. He’s taking 4 Honors classes and will most likely take 3 Honors/ AP’s next year. He plans to major in Bio or BioChem on a pre-med track. EC’s are pretty good. Winter and Spring Track, Scouts (2 ranks away from Eagle) , Concert Choir Club, Science Olympiad , Fall play , Lead in Spring Musical right now, All County Chorus , summer theatre camps , NYLT ( Scouts) . He doesn’t know yet if he would rather a suburban or urban campus or large or small school. Their high school is small, suburban and they both like it very much . Hoping that he does well on SAT and boosts his GPA over the next couple of years to be a contender for some solid merit scholarships. Not sure what colleges I should be looking at for him but thinking a good research university /college. We live in a suburb of NYC.
