Parents of the HS Class of 2025

Yeah, and time zones are weird. My kid will probably be starting the PSAT after the east-coast kids taking it the same day have finished it and are having lunch.

I saw on a blog that schools can give the psat on any school day in October, and the 14th is also available for a non school day.

I listened to several podcasts where they explained that they had done a lot of testing and found that the digital and paper were comparable in scores. My understanding is they’ve found a way to make it more efficient but have the same outcome.

CB has said they will eventually go to digital AP as well. International sat has been digital for a while and the lsats/gres are digital. They have a goal to get the score report times down to days instead of weeks. I’m all for that.

2 Likes

Yes they can administer the test any day in October. So I’m wondering if that means no results until November. I thought the whole point of this was so they would get the scores sooner. Last year I read that the kids were supposed to get the scores as early as that night!

This is the first digital PSAT but for international the SAT has been digital since the beginning of this year. I heard that a lot of the questions were the same over multiple tests because the test bank of questions is so small at the moment. I wonder if any of the SAT questions will be/are on the PSAT.

D25 is taking a practice PSAT right now but it’s the same one she already took. I’m pretty sure they only have one practice PSAT at the moment.

1 Like

The website says if the test is the first 1/2 of Oct. it will come out 6/11, if its in the second half it will be 11/16. That is earlier. In previous years it did not come out until sometime in December.

Only 1, and 4 SAT. She could have done one of those but it sounds like she is well prepared. I have no idea what kind of selection index to expect under this format.

I did hear about the reuse of questions. Kids reported seeing some of the questions that were in the 4 practice tests. It seems a bit absurd.

ok so my D25’s result should be on November 6 then since she’s taking it today? She ended up with a 1520 on yesterday’s practice. She got 1 wrong. It was one of the fill in the blank math questions. I’m hoping she does around the same today.

I’m a bit worried that colleges will start increasing their SAT cut off for scholarships. Hoping they don’t change it for D25 but thinking it might change by the time S28 gets to applying to schools.

It had not even occurred to me that the selection index would be calculated differently, since the highest (228) was the same.

But they are now doubling the reading/writing score, adding the math, then dividing by 10. So max score would be 760 on each section, 3x760=2280, divided by 10 = 228

That is effectively the the same as before, which was (R+W+M)x2 or (R+W)x2 + Mx2

So R=35 W=35 M=35, was EBRW 700 (R+W)x10; 700 Math (Mx2)x10

Because they are not reporting the RW breakdown and calculating off the big number, they have to divide /10 to bring the number back down.

2 Likes

I’m just wondering if there will be a jump in need score to get NMSF. It’s already pretty high here in IL …

Well D25 was able to finish the PSAT even though the power went out during the test. I don’t think the power has gone out any time in the last 3 years that she’s been there but went out today. It wasn’t even storming that bad. It was odd. I haven’t talked to her yet but I know that the test continued on.

1 Like

I believe they adjust the “needed score” each year to be “the number above which we only have X number of students in this state”. So, it is recalculated each year for each state. Sometimes it stays the same. But even the charts I’ve seen say “this is what was needed last year”, not “we project this is the score for this year”.

2 Likes

Compass Prep will project, but I think they are holding off in doing so this year at least until some scores come out. They usually have a pretty good sense once the commended cutoff comes out in the Spring. If that stays the same, we can probably expect the NM cutoff to stay in the same ballpark.

2 Likes

It shouldn’t really matter. The score is relative to the pool. Most 95%+ kids in one format will still be 95%+ in the other. The actual number is irrelevant.

The tests are definitely not the same and the entire thing has been dumbed down IMO. For the most part, schools are saying they will super score across formats but that is equating apples and oranges. Notably, Princeton has said “Applicants are welcome to submit scores from multiple SAT test dates, and across multiple testing formats, if they would like them considered within our holistic review of their application. However, given their distinct differences in format, we will not SuperScore sections of the digital SAT with sections of the (paper/traditional) SAT.” At this point, I’d want to submit a paper score - AOs know what to make out of the numbers.

1 Like

yeah. I’m glad I had her take the paper one in August, even though I wish it were at least 10 points higher. I expect her digital SAT to be at least 100 points higher easily.

After talking to D25 last night I’m slightly worried about the English section. She said the first English section was harder than she expected but the 2nd was really easy. Alarms were going off in my brain. She thinks she got all of the math right though.

I talked to our principal today and he said he got an email from college board saying all AP tests are now digital?!? Anyone else hear this?

Really?!?

Our school purposely has the kids to do DBQs on paper to practice…. hmmm….

We had to say goodbye to our German exchange student. They were only here 2 weeks and it just flew by. We’re all missing her and everything seems boring now. It’s crazy that having a stranger stay only 2 weeks can make such a big impact. My D is really excited to go stay with her for 2 weeks next summer. My D language skills are remedial at best but is now better at conversation just by being around the students. Of course all the students are fluent in English and rarely needed a translation or explanation. Now my D gets to catch up on all the school work she missed playing hostess.

3 Likes

That’s what he said but D25 looked it up and it looks like it’s still just select AP’s and still optional. I’m guessing he didn’t read the email that well.

I was on the AP website just this week and saw that it’s says there is a digital option but the school can choose paper or digital this year. I know my kids school chose paper for this year.

From AP Central:

For the 2024 AP Exam administration, schools in the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C. can choose to give either paper or in-school digital exams (or a combination of paper and in-school digital). Review digital exam details.

We plan to work with schools in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, as well as schools outside the United States, to gauge interest in a potential pilot of 2024 digital AP Exams. Those schools will receive further information later this fall

1 Like

My kid will undoubtedly love to go digital. But some tests never will be… like music theory. That test was so long and really tested his endurance!

1 Like

It feels like foreign exchange doesn’t happen as often as it used to. I’m glad she had such a great experience!

2 Likes