<p>"never list your high school."</p>
<p>Holy Cannoli. I did not know that. Makes sense, though. One more thing to worry about the Geezer Counselor.</p>
<p>Zoosermom:</p>
<p>If he is really a Geezer Counselor, he won't bother transferring the scores onto the transcript. But seriously, colleges DO take the best scores and ignore the rest. Please don't take it to heart; your D needs to see that you are not concerned, otherwise she WILL worry and continue feeling like she failed. Just tell her that she can use her ACT scores and there are many good colleges that do not look at board scores.</p>
<p>I'm curious about why there could be a correlation between better test scores on the ACT and athletic kids. As the mom of an athletic daughter who is decent but not great at standardized testing, I need to help her decide if she should focus on one or the other.</p>
<p>EDIT: Well, it would have helped if I'd read page 3, where the correlation is explained more. Thanks. Anyone know of real research to support these ideas?</p>
<p>Nope, no research to report but several months ( maybe years?LOL) ago I commented on these boards that our GC had an uncanny knack of predicting who would score better on which test. Claimed 80% accuracy (as I remember). She was correct on our high school's #1 and #2. My D, #1 and an athlete - ACT, number #2 non athlete and SAT. Maybe that's her trick. Could be. LOL.</p>
<p>Zoosermom, </p>
<p>Maybe I missed it, but did you send her SATs to all the schools on her list, or just four (the freebies)? If it's the latter, I would think all will be well.</p>
<p>I, too, have heard that schools look at the top scores, but I've heard that from PARENTS. Have those who passed that along in this thread heard it from adcom people? Even if you have, is it anecdotal or is it admissions policy, and how would it apply to kids on the bubble?</p>
<p>If it were me (a belt & suspenders type, I admit), I would work with D to add a few schools that fit D's goals and would be delighted with her 28. Then send them the ACTs. That way you are covered, even if we're not entirely correct as to how adcoms look at test score disparities.</p>
<p>Good luck. I feel for both you and DD, but it sounds like it will have a happy ending.</p>
<p>Curmudgeon,
How much better did your D do on ACT versus SAT and did she prep for ACT?</p>
<p>From Collegeboard's website:
"You will get a short break at the end of each hour of testing time."</p>
<p>Report the test center to Collegeboard. They should have given breaks.
At my high school, we got 3 five-minute breaks and 2 one-minute "stretch breaks" in 4.5 hours of testing. If I hadn't had these, I know my scores would have been significantly lower.</p>
<p>Already suggested...but if your D will consider an all women's college, Mount Holyoke does not require SAT, and is a spectacular place for a science student. Her research and high school record are very strong.</p>
<p>amdgmom:</p>
<p>At every info sessions we've attended (2 kids, 2 different sets of colleges) the question was raised. Every time, the adrep claimed they took the best scores. In the case of the SAT, they took the best combination of individual scores. I know of some colleges whose policy is to take the best scores at a single sitting, but none were on my Ss' lists. So for Zoosermom's D, I would assume that if both set of scores are sent, they would take the ACT. Perhaps, however, Zoosermom's D will apply to colleges others than those to which the freebies were sent, so in that case, just send the ACT. But whichever way, the colleges will, for the most part, take the best scores. The colleges are pretty upfront about this.</p>
<p>From Collegeboard's website:
"You will get a short break at the end of each hour of testing time."</p>
<p>Report the test center to Collegeboard. They should have given breaks. </p>
<p>I should have looked that up. The school didn't give a single second for break.</p>
<p>FWIW, a 28 ACT is great-- my d. got into top colleges (Barnard, U. of Chicago, NYU) with that, and also withheld/did not send her SAT scores to those schools. So I also agree with the advice to use the ACT for all apps. And for the future: unless PSAT's are very high, I would recommend taking the ACT first, and skipping the SAT entirely if the ACT's come in high. Much more flexibiity with the ACT - you can retake, but opt only to send in one score; and most colleges that require SAT II's will waive that requirement if there is an ACT w/writing score. So basically, you can save a lot of time & money if you start with the ACT. </p>
<p>Also, I concur with the advice to refrain from using the free score reporting options on the ACT as well as the SAT, unless you want to use them for the absolute safeties on the list, where even a below-expected score is unlikely to hurt. </p>
<p>The exception would be for a student with a PSAT that is NM qualifying, as National Merit semifinalist status really does give a significant college admissions boost and also can bring in $$.</p>
<p>My d. hasn't taken the ACT yet, but likes the format much better than the SAT. No penalty for guesses - and she is a terrific guesser. Much better practice scores.</p>
<p>Science isn't her strong suit (I'm overstating the case.) When she did practice tests, I had her make believe that all the questions were about fashion design or gymnastics moves rather than chemistry or biology, and instantly her scores went up 4 points! (to 30). You don't need to know ANY chemistry, biology, or physics to do well on the ACT Science (good thing - 'cause she virtually doesn't) - you just need to know how they like to ask questions. The math seemed to have greater breadth, and less depth than the SAT.</p>
<p>But I think the idea that the ACT more closely resembles a high school curricula is ridiculous, (other than the fact that most high school curricula are very, very shallow.)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>SAT 1470 (ACT 33)</p>
<p>ACT 35 (SAT 1580) </p>
<p>No difference in prep. (Followed Xig's advice , just didn't follow it very long.;) Maybe 3-4 practice tests. Reviewed everything she got wrong AND everything she got right. Debunked the tests. (I also think if you will drain the blood from a live chicken into a circle of your enemy's fire it will work just as well.)</p>
<p>Thanks, Cur. Just one more question and then I'll stop highjacking the thread. Did your D take the PSAT and PLAN (and if so, were they reasonably accurate predictors of the SAT and ACT scores?)</p>
<p>I'll P.M. you, ;) Momof2inca.</p>
<p>zoosermom,
Are you saying the kids at the test didn't get a break for 4.5 hours? If so, that is ridiculous. I wonder if that is grounds for canceling the scores or invalidating them?</p>
<p>"I wonder if that is grounds for canceling the scores or invalidating them?"</p>
<p>I don't know about this, but you've got to get some karma points for preventing this from happening to another batch of students.</p>
<p>I meant that literally. No breaks at all. As a woman, I can only imagine that I wouldn't have been able to concentrate under those circumstances.</p>
<p>Just wanted to add that the score choice of ACT only applies to the composite scores. You cannot mix and match your scores. </p>
<p>*What scores are reported if I test more than once? *
You control which scores are sent to colleges or scholarship programs. We will release only the scores from the test date you tell us.</p>
<p>Can I combine scores from different test dates to create a new Composite score?
Sorry, you can't combine scores from different test dates for a new Composite score.</p>
<p>PS Cur, it is still early right now. :)</p>
<p>The College Board has much invested in students taking their test, so there is pressure on the colleges to request it especially now that the SAT IIs are offered. I would suggest anyone who doesn't test well take the ACT over the SAT. The ACT relies heavily on reading skills, especially comprehension, in all three areas. The science portion is really a reading test more than a test of scientific knowledge. The math portion contains word problems. The benefit of the ACT is the ability to guess on questions without being penalized.</p>