Hi Experts,
Thanks
ksaheta
Middle school is WAY too early. The PSAT literally counts for nothing until junior year. Your middle schooler is going to get totally burned out by the time she is a junior. Plus, the test may be different by then. Your child shouldn’t even think about the test until she is a sophomore, at the earliest.
My daughter and son started taking the PSAT in 8th grade and I believe those tests have helped them immensely when it comes to standardized testing. We put no pressure and did no preparation for the tests in 8th or 9th grade, but wanted our children to see the format and what they were needing. My daughter isn’t a great test taker so seeing the PSAT format and how she wanted to attack the test and under real conditions helped when it was time to take the SAT. She was never close to getting National Merit, but she only had to take the SAT twice to get the score she wanted (1470). My son’s score as a 10th grader this year (1390) was built on the back of the previous 2 years of having no pressure and just doing the best he could do. He now believes that he “knows the test” and nerves will not be an issue. But each child is different and you are the best judge about your daughter taking the PSAT. National Merit for my son would be nice, but the end game is level of comfort he feels on the SAT.
No reason to take it all at that age. If your kid is interested in TIP or CTY or some other programs where a SAT score might help, have them take the real test instead. But the PSAT seems like a waste of time. 10th grade is fine for the first PSAT, then they’ve done it once before the 11th grade PSAT, which counts toward NMF.
Your kids can burn out in these tests. I had an NMF kid – trust me, don’t start pressuring them with unnecessary testing in middle school or 9th grade.
@ChangeTheGame , my eldest took the PSAT as a junior, then the SAT once. Other than a single practice test at the library, she never did any other practice tests and scored the equivalent of 1540. In contrast, her good friend practiced the SAT relentlessly, didn’t get what she hoped for, and did much better with the ACT. I am not a fan of over-prepping for standardized tests and I am glad my kids haven’t had to deal with that pressure. Yes, all kids are different and you know what is best for your kid, but it is safe to say that no kid benefits from unneeded stress and pressure.
OP, your child only learns more as she matures and becomes more educated and experienced. Sometimes the best thing to do is just let your kid get older and take things in their own time. There have been studies done that show that spring of junior year is often when students get their best test results. That’s worth considering.
Agree – early testing accomplishes little when they haven’t had much HS coursework, and likely are still developing their reading & analysis skills.
@Lindagaf and @intparent I agree completely that the aggressive preparation for standardized testing can wear a student out. And 8th grade is early (my kids probably saw only about 70 percent of the math) that was on that 1st test. I think the only place where I tend to think differently from most parents is as it relates to test pressure. I see the world through the prism of my own inner city upbringing in which not having enough food to eat is pressure or seeing my friend get shot in front of me is pressure and I have always worked hard to put lots of perspective on the stresses of life to my kids. We go to my old neighborhood 2 times a year and as my kids have gotten older have noticed people with the weight of the world on their shoulders. The only reason I made it was of a mother who fought for me and a father (he is upper-middle class and I saw him every summer) who told me that school (and SAT prep) was my way out. Taking the PSAT as a 8th grader may be a waste of time, but I believe we have a problem as a society if there is pressure attached to what is truly a meaningless test (unless you are in the top 1-3% of 11th graders). Even though my own thoughts are different from you on this, I want both of you (Lindagaf and intparent) to know that I am probably your biggest fan and you have helped so many parents and students (including me), with your wisdom.
Point is… you aren’t “changing the game” by doing this. Three years of SAT prep is a waste. Doing very well in their HS classes is as good as specifically doing test prep (it also gets them ready for testing), and encourage them to focus on ECs they really like. Start SAT prep no earlier than 10th grade. You are actually spending time on the wrong stuff for them to succeed if they are working on it before that. No matter what your background is, it doesn’t help them to spend time on this now.
@intparent I bow down to your wisdom. I always tell my kids that one thing they will have to overcome for sure is the mistakes I have made raising them (my wife is perfect).
You might ask your kids to read, “How to be a High School Superstar” by Cal Newport. That can help put some of this in context, and help you think about what colleges are looking for. The highest SAT score isn’t necessarily it. They need to be above a certain level in GPA, course difficulty, and test scores. But putting all focus on that is a mistake. Once they clear that basic bar, colleges want to know, “What else have you got?”. Interested and interesting is more useful than perfect test scores, IMHO.