<p>Take a couple of timed Official ACT practice tests. Or do like my D and read the booklet and take just the science section parts. Take the ACT. Don’t have it sent anywhere including the high school. If it’s consistent or higher , use it to your advantage. If it’s not…what ACT?</p>
<p>Now the only reason I say this is Chicago, W+M, UVA and Davidson have merit scholarships (is the Belk nomination only? Check on that. ) and Merit World at this level is a strange mysterious holistically weird place where somehow points do seem to matter more than you might think. A place where they want all things from one kid. A foolishly small number of points matter more in Merit World than in uber-school admissions. </p>
<p>Based upon advice received here, my D retook a top (1%) Overall ACT, even though she had a top (1% of Females) SAT to back it up. I fought the suggestion %^$%^7% all the way. Were these folks crazy? But I suggested it to D. She didn’t mind and it worked for her. Based at least in some part on advice received here, the Stats Eval done by Mr. Dave Barry of this site (A very good deal BTW), and then later on her new and improved ACT D had great success in acceptances and scholarships at schools she added at the last minute. Perfect? Far from it. But really nice. ;)</p>
<p>There are other strategies to employ with the SAT1 if all the Subject Tests have been taken. Send the first test results to every school your kid has ever mentioned. Then retake the SAT. If it sucks, it never sees the light of day. If it’s better - then send it. Remember do NOT send it to the high school till you see what it is. (But if it’s better, be sure to remember to send it. It is really awful to “forget” to do that and cost your kid some chances that only come through the schools. I’d know. :()</p>
<p>(Florida state schools are having the student execute a somewhat cleverly concealed waiver which makes this strategy unavailable to students applying there.- they get ALL scores. Some schools require you to list all scores on the app whenever taken, without asking for the waiver. *<em>I’d send that app early myself. It will be accurate when written. I don’t think they require test updates. *</em>. Heck, at least you know what is happening to you. Watch all app forms , this could be a coming thing.)</p>
<p>(And if anyone feels this level of scheming is unsavory…we’ll stop when they do. See above.)</p>
<p>DS took the SAT once, pronounced himself done (we agreed) and went off to do other things. I can say with a fair bit of confidence that most of the things that will get him where he wants to be all happened AFTER the SAT.</p>
<p>We are hoping DS2 can get through his SAT-IIs this spring, be done with them, then get ready for the SAT in March of junior year. The sooner, the better.</p>
<p>I think the decision about whether to retake a standardized test should be the student’s.</p>
<p>For both of my kids, a time came when they looked at a set of scores and said “That’s good enough for me. I’m done.” (Or as one of my kids put it with regard to the SAT Subject Tests, “Well, I don’t have to worry about THAT anymore.”)</p>
<p>I didn’t object.</p>
<p>On the other hand, when one kid got a 2220 on the SAT and wanted to retake it (largely because one of the component scores began with an evil 6), I didn’t object to that either (and the kid scored 100 points higher the next time around). </p>
<p>The point here is that in all cases, the decision was the student’s. I think that’s the way it should be, except in extreme cases.</p>
<p>are you out of your mind? he can more than get into those schools with those scores. parents like you are gross give your kid a break. those scores are fantastic he’ll be fine. take him on a vacation if you wanna be a good parent.with those scores your kid deserves it</p>
<p>ac32, it’s not about parents giving kids a break. I don’t see anyone here berating their kids that they should have done better. My daughter with a 2230 is retaking, her choice, for two reasons. She got one wrong on the math and would like to give it a try for a perfect score. I think that’s rather silly, but she thinks when she’s forty and people reminisce about their SAT scores of yore she’d like to be able to say she got an 800 on math. Before you think she’s an uptight perfectionist, please know she’s never prepped for the SAT and isn’t about to start now. She approaches it with a what the hell, why not try it again attitude. The second reason for a retake is a just under 700 CR score. There are schools with 700 cutoffs for each section for merit aid. She’s also planning to apply to LACs where a 690CR would not be above the 75%ile. She’s unhooked, a middle-class white girl from an over-represented state, yeah I had no problem forking over another registration fee.</p>
<p>LOL. We talked about our SAT scores when my oldest got stellar scores. Of course we had to recenter ours to make them look as good. </p>
<p>My son retook a 2250 in the hopes of getting a 690 writing score up. He wrote a much better essay, but still got a 690! It had been his best section once on the PSAT. He did work on the essays for the second shot.</p>
Remember do NOT send it to the high school till you see what it is. (But if it’s better, be sure to remember to send it. It is really awful to “forget” to do that and cost your kid some chances that only come through the schools. I’d know. :()</p>
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