What do you guys think about practicing right up until the Sat of the test? On one hand, I feel like they should do a little something each night that week. On the other hand, if those practice sections don’t go well for one reason or another then I think it could be discouraging and make them even more nervous going into the test.
@BingeWatcher how does using real tests keep fatigue in check?
@homerdog She describes it as a scrimmage test versus the actual game. She says the actual SAT forces her consciousness to really be dialed in and she really actively tries to keep her mind focused at all times (very exhausting) especially for her. She uses a rubber band on her wrist to snap if she feels her mind starts to wonder. But I do think Academic Decathlon has helped her too, she must memorize minute details for the exams.
@homerdog I don’t know how hard/easy/close to the real thing Princeton Review Tests, etc are. My D used the Princeton Review drills, but not the practice tests. I’m sure they are fine, but since the official ones are pretty easily available (reddit), I’d probably go with those until I ran out out before going with unofficial tests.
@homerdog Our math ACT tutor from last year (for D19) told us not to use any exams except actual old ACTs if you are working on math. On the real ACT the math questions go in order of difficulty, they don’t always do that on the practice tests. She said even the tests in the official ACT book are a little off - they use actual old questions but they mix a bunch of old test questions together and they may not be in the normal order. We still use the official book tests because we have them, but we tried to mostly use the official tests we found on Prep Scholar. The tutor had tons of old tests that we used with her but I am no t ready to shell out that amount of money for D21 until we see how she does on her own first.
I just wanted to say that I totally commiserate with people who come on CC and feel their heart rate skyrocket as they read about students taking 10+ AP classes, or Calculus as a sophomore, or reporting a 1400 as “weak”. No one is trying to stress us out––it’s just the nature of the process and Internet forums. For me, it’s gotten easier, as I’ve seen lots of students with all kinds of strengths and weaknesses find the right place and thrive there.
We do have a thread for Parents of 2021’s 3.0-3.4, which I see as code for kids who are not as intense/driven about academics, or kids who deal with learning disabilities, test anxiety or just prioritize other passions.
Here is the link: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/class-20xx-community/2138515-parents-of-the-hs-class-of-2021-3-0-3-4-p1.html
Something I read on CC is also helpful when the anxiety creeps up, “Love the kid on the couch.”
I also wanted to chime in about SAT/ACT prep. I do think it’s very difficult to fit in during junior year. My D19 is a good test taker (her brain works like a test writer’s brain). She still wanted to feel prepared, so she did Kahn Academy over winter break and Method Test Prep over spring break. She took the test for the first time in May and it worked out fine.
D21 has to study more/longer than her sister for her classes, and she has a bigger time commitment with her EC’s. She also already uses her breaks to study for school, write papers and work on research projects. We are thinking of possibly having her take the June test cold, and then prepping over the summer if she wants to try again in August and/or October. Could we even forgo the June one?
I know people say you need scores earlier so you know which schools to target, but I think we can make a good guess what range she’ll be in, and she has test-optional schools on her list. Trying to prep while she’s juggling everything else could be counterproductive. But maybe I’m overlooking an important reason to start earlier?
@3SailAway My D17 had a very time-intensive EC, so the first time she took the SAT was in May of her junior year. She did full practice tests at home, which fell within a pretty narrow score range. Her actual test was at the lower end of that range. She then took the ACT in August, with the same kind of preparation, which worked out better for her.
This schedule ended up being stressful for her as she didn’t have test scores in hand as she compiled her college list. Had the August test not gone well, she would have been scrambling to take it again while applying to schools. She was doing ACT prep during her last summer at home. So D21 will take her first SAT this fall so there’s a bit more wiggle room in the schedule.
Based on our family’s experience, I recommend that she try a timed practice test at home, cold, and see how she does. Maybe do this during a down period, like the winter break. It may be that she’s already at her target and, gasp, she doesn’t need to prep, or not very much. Or maybe not. Or she tries the alternative and discovers that she does much better in that format. Regardless, gaining some basic familiarity with the test content and the timing will be beneficial, even if that’s all the prep that happens. Good luck!
@mamaedefamilia , I see your point about the possibility of an August test not going well. Also, D21 is assuming she would do better on the SAT because her processing speed is slow and she struggles to finish math tests on time. Still, maybe we should leave the door open and enough time to switch to ACT if warranted . . .
I will float the idea of doing method test prep over winter break and taking a practice under test conditions. Fingers crossed that she won’t have a big paper/project due after break that takes all her extra energy/attention!
@3SailAway I would be careful with prioritizing the SAT just because it allows more time. Yes, that is a big bonus. But those reading passages are way harder and are one half of the test, not one fourth. I would definitely have her try both tests at home just to see what she thinks. They aren’t the same animal and the timing is just part of it.
Thanks for the advice, @homerdog . You’re likely right that she should try both tests because the differences are more complicated than just the time pressure. I was hoping to spare her the stress of finding the time/focus to take both tests, but in the long run it’s probably important that she figure out which is the right one. (She also needs to find time to address the anxiety she’s feeling about going through this in a very academically competitive and college obsessed town.)
Can you all tell that I’m not ready to ride the junior/senior year roller coaster again already (we have a D19)? Something I never thought about when we had them close together was two searches, application seasons, launches and losses back-to-back!
@3SailAway We didn’t make a big deal out of taking baseline ACT and SATs. I just told her one weekend at the beginning of the summer that she would try both and see what she thinks. So she took an ACT at our kitchen table one day and an SAT the next and we looked at the scores and I also asked her if she liked one better than the other. In her case, it was clear that she liked the ACT better and she did better on it for this first time around. The exact opposite happened with S19. He hated the ACT. Said he was not going to learn to go faster because he thought it was ridiculous that colleges thought that was important. Given a little more time, he was able to get almost a perfect score but he just couldn’t go that fast. He’s a good reader and a strong math student so he was more than ok with the SAT.
So, D21 is focusing on the ACT and we will see how this goes. Honestly, I have a number I’m thinking of that might be high enough if she goes ED to one of the three/four schools I think may be her favorite. I’m hoping she hits that number or above on a couple of sections at least and then she can take it a few more times if needed to get her superscore to the number I’m hoping for. It’s not a sky high number but would be on the upper end of what she’s scored on each section separately while practicing.
@3SailAway and the stress in our town in real as well. D21 is going to try to not tell anyone her scores or her schools. I’m sure her peers will be all over it and want to know and everyone shares here but we know one boy who pulled it off this year and I think it’s a brilliant idea. I knows she will have to do this from the very beginning. When kids start asking just say right away that she will let them all know when she’s been accepted and decided where she’s going. I actually cannot wait to see if she’ll do it.
@homerdog and you can help facilitate that by not asking her friends about their school choices, tours, etc. One thing we learned with D19 was that a lot of the stress the seniors felt came from parents of friends always asking so many questions… what schools are you looking at? do you know what you want to major in? are you doing any tours during the upcoming break? etc. While these seem to be harmless questions and “small talk”, they frequently just lead to more stress for the kids. As such, we no longer ask ANY school related questions of any friends. We’ll find out soon enough where they’re headed.
@eb23282 Thanks for the reminder - I am totally guilty of doing that. Even when I try to remember not to talk about grades and scores I do feel like the conversations with the friend always turns back to college stuff. One of D19’s friends asked lots of questions because her parents knew nothing and she did her search all on her own, but I know I still probed too much with others. It looks like a friend of D21’s might also be asking some questions, she did ask a few this weekend but I will try to just wait and only answer what she asks. It’s hard not to ask questions when that is what everyone is thinking about but you are right, my D didn’t love talking about it with the people because it stressed her out.
I found that, last year with S19, that I just avoided people in general. Lol. I didn’t want to answer any questions about his search. If pushed, I would just say that he’s applying to a long list of schools. If really pushed, I would say he liked small liberal arts schools and I would name one or two matches and then I would try to get out of the conversation. Really, it was just easier to hunker down and not socialize except for my closest friends between Sept-March of senior year! It was more difficult for him at school every day with everyone discussing the process.
Question about admission rep visits to high schools - do kids go to a lot of these?
Are they basically presentations (like at the beginning of a campus tour) or are they interactive? I don’t remember any school ever coming to my high school back in the stone ages. I went to college fairs (super quick, grab a brochure, maybe ask one question) and also one or two informational nights at hotels (longer, slide shows, alumni presence, meet and mingle after). This looks like something in between, I think.
I just got the counseling dept newsletter and 4 of the 5 schools we plan on visiting over Spring Break are coming to her high school in the next 60 days.
@Johnny523 Your daughter’s logic isn’t bad. S19 had a high SAT, a very high GPA, and very good ECs. By his choice, he applied to some pretty selective school, certain he would love them - we weren’t so sure because he gets stressed out easily. He got into 2 of these, but also got into the Honors program at our state flagship. With some nudging from us, he chose flagship. Just one month in, he is so happy. He has a range of friends, not just “the smart, intense kids,” but his honors classes have some top-notch kids who inspire him.
The work load is REAL. D got home at 8pm after her EC. She was doing homework on her bed late, fell asleep in her clothes with light on. Work up at 3AM realized she had not showered. Showered at 3AM and back to bed. She is dragging this morning.
@BingeWatcher here too! She wound up in AP Chem anyways despite trying to change her schedule (Spanish and Orchestra are in the same period so she had to choose one and take AP Chem). That class is kicking her butt, she says it moves so quickly. I’m hoping some of it is just getting back in the groove of school too. Yesterday she was falling asleep mid-chew at breakfast! I’m doing my best to just support her and avoid the I told you sos as she’s stuck with this schedule now.
@3kids2dogs I’m wondering about those too. S17 never did them, but D21 is missing her school’s college fair for work so would like to go to meet some reps when they are in school. Of course most of them come during her AP classes, so she doesn’t want to miss too much class for them. I think she’s going to pick 1 or 2 of her favorites and see what they’re like before signing up for more.