<p>mhmm - Do you have stats on the best time to take the SAT? It seems that for the math section sometimes 3 wrongs give you the same score as 1 wrong on another test date.</p>
<p>collegeboard is a great resource for finding testing requirements for the various schools.</p>
<p>cba, I’m new to this but I’d appreciate it if you could explain to me… How exactly do they do that? Aren’t students supposed to take the AP exam in May? And college application is in around November… Did you mean they looked at the AP scores taken in junior year? So what’s the point in taking the AP exam in senior year?</p>
<p>Colleges dont look at AP scores till after the student had been admitted since most students dont pay for reporting of these scores till after admission – they are only used for placement/merit scholarships.
Mater – I only know when not to take them!</p>
<p>bin - some colleges will look at the scores that students have from junior (and sophomore) year and consider these scores during the admissions process. Scores from senior year cannot be used for admissions and then those are strictly for possible placement/credit. Top colleges that do look at AP scores tend to want to see 4’s and 5’s.</p>
<p>Wow- does anyone else find it incredible/disturbing that just as news outlets are reporting that more colleges are considering dropping required testing for admissions our kids are being required to take more and more tests? It sounds like if S wants to do engineering he is looking at 3-6 tests? </p>
<p>When I was a teen we all took one test- the SAT. Noone in our school took a class, a couple bought a book to read on our own to study. That’s it. If only we could go back in time!</p>
<p>PA-C,</p>
<p>I do remember taking SAT II’s back in 1976-77. I did only take everything once and applied to only three schools (which was the norm back in the day!) I think we did have an informal English SAT prep with one of my teachers who just sort of did that on her own as part of her honors english class.</p>
<p>I find it incredibly disturbing that in May of Junior year kids have to take SAT, ACT, 3 subject tests and 2 AP exams plus class finals all within a month; in addition to three end-of-year required arts performances. Plus being knocked out of the race for summer internships by kids who started APs in Sophomore year and have been doing independent research on a publishing track since 8th grade.</p>
<p>And by the way, college counselors are screaming that kids need to write/polish their college application essays over Junior summer. Which means that you/they need to reseach colleges in early fall of JUNIOR year, so that you can visit as many as possible during Junior year, and thereby know which essays to write over the Junior summer.</p>
<p>This arms race is very disturbing; we are not going to change that - we can only be prepared and provide research and support so that our kids are not knocked out of the race before it even begins.</p>
<p>I have to start visiting schools in junior year??? OMG, we just finished choosing a prep school (our son is only entering as a junior)!</p>
<p>The presumption is that if you are coming for any long weekends in Junior year, the Saturday and weekdays will be spent visiting colleges. Same for first week of March break; most colleges will be taking their own March break at about the same time, usually the second week. Check individual colleges to be sure that they are in session the days when you are visiting.</p>
<p>CDN,
I spoke with someone at SMS and they actually have a few college fairs.
If you are not familiar with them they are when college reps make visits to various schools and and out info. Your S may be able to narrow his choices. SMS said they host one and they also have the kids go to another BS to see another one. Plus when my D was touring schools I saw a bunch of prep kids touring together with a chaparone. Not sure what school they were from.</p>
<p>toad – that is why your kid should take his/her first sat2 in June of their freshman year, their second in sophomore year and a possible third in Oct in Senior year. This opens up the Junior year for Sat/ACT. In terms of college fairs on BS property – if a college doesnt see an interest of a potential student in visiting the campus, especially a LAC, then the student is at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>If your son is going to ply hockey in college, you might wnt to strt looking freshmn/sophomore yr. (Lost letter on keybord due to coffee spill)</p>
<p>Exeter courses- can anyone who knows Exeter comment on the intro bio course for 9th graders that says it does not prepare the students for SAT but there is one only open to 10th , 11th and 12 th graders that does prepare them for SAT subject test. So it would seem it is better to wait for the soph level bio class but then what science would my freshman take this year?</p>
<p>physics? or else take the bio, chem,physics and higher bio</p>
<p>One can spread out the SAT subject tests pretty easily with a bit of thought. Math 2 can be taken by many in fresh/soph year. Freshman year - take whatever science is appropriate. Ditto soph. Similarly, history can be taken whenever the subject is covered.</p>
<p>PA-C’s comment is exactly why I raised the issue of parents role in course selection. Each school and each course is a little different. Exeter’s freshman Bio does NOT prepare one for the bio subject test. Neither does NMH’s. </p>
<p>Subject test prep may be:</p>
<p>a regular class (ex. DA Junior year English);
Higher level such as Honors or AP;
a second class, such as a Chem II or a bio II</p>
<p>It varies school by school, subject by subject. </p>
<p>To keep the door open to upper level colleges (visa vie subject tests) parents need to study up on the recommendations of their own respective schools.</p>
<p>I find this a bit puzzling. We’re talking about elite schools, and the average, middle of the road student at these schools would have been enrolled in AP/Honors level classes had they remained at their local public high school. Shouldn’t it be a given that we could expect the highest academic rigor across the board in the curriculum offered by 1st and 2nd tier prep boarding schools? Am I off base here? If my kids choose to go to one of these schools they’re going to have to worry about getting into the right classes? I guess I naively thought we would leave that behind in the public school system.</p>
<p>AP classes are for the most part allowed only in 11th and 12th grades in BS. They are very different from normal classes since the curriculum is designed by College Board. Private schools like to teach according to their ideas/methodology rather than as dictated to by College Board. Same with SAT2s. APs dont play much role in college admission. Most everyone that takes SAT2s get prepped, but its true what toadstool said, a parent has to be careful about course registration.</p>
<p>While it is true that most students probably take APs in the 11/12 grades, APs are allowed earlier, if student has met those requirements. For example, I’m aware of freshman and sophomores currently taking AP BC calc, as well as some of the AP sciences. It really depends upon where the individual student is in their coursework when they enter BS, and BSs are fairly open to allowing students to take these courses where the student has met prerequisites.</p>