<p>Look for the threads on inspirational books
I know that it is hard when others compare your children, even when you do your best not to do that at home.
Many who were " late bloomers" are very accomplished in adult life.
The ACT is different than SAT, but still he should be going to a school that is a good fit for him and try to give him info about placing the pre-judgement of others in perspective.
They are behaving predictably, because humans look for ways we are the same- not different, no matter how we profess to appreciate individualism.
But soon TG, he will be out of high school and away from those that do the easy thing, which is to place the template of his sibs upon him.</p>
<p>If he hasn’t already, have your S sign up for the College Board’s SAT Question of the Day. It’s easy, takes virtually no effort, and S2 said it was actually useful. My niece, who has scores a little lower than your S’s said the QOTD helped her a lot on her retake.</p>
<p>My kids did targeted practice with the Blue Book before the junior year PSAT. Basically, they did a full test and we looked at where the errors were – found the patterns of their mistakes and then focused on those areas. Spent maybe an hour or two a week doing sections of the SAT specific to where they needed work. When they took the PSATs in 9th and 10th, it was without any review. It is very helpful to understand what kinds of questions the SAT and ACT folks ask. </p>
<p>Depending on what level math your S is taking now, just getting through pre-calc and some trig will help raise his math score. S2 had a 520 M on the PSAT as a freshman, 650 as a junior and a 760 on the SAT. Most of the increase we attribute to his IB math courses.</p>
<p>Only on CC are students bummed with 2100s! A 2100 would be 700-700-700, or two standard deviations above the mean (higher than 95th percentile) on ALL of three subscores. 2100 CCers sometimes act like athletes who feel they’ll just barely miss qualifying for the U.S. Olympic team. A bummer for them to be sure, but the vast majority of us would love to trade places with them talent-wise!</p>
<p>On improving the SAT score - at least targeting the 1210 mark - I’d suggest that your S first focus on elevating the math score. There’s an almost limitless range of material that might be covered on the CR and W portions, but M covers a fairly circumscribed group of concepts for which the SAT website and test booklet give you all the formulas. It’s quite reasonable to bring up a mid-500s Math score by 100 points in a matter of months. CR and W content is generally that which students accumulate over a long period of years of engagement with the written word.</p>
<p>Both my sons worked with a tutor and both improved their scores from where your son is scoring up into the range that he wants to score. I agree focus on the math portion, but working with a tutor to understand the test and how to interact will be key to improving scores.</p>
<p>And it’s clear from his grades and ambitions that this kid is bright and capable. He just needs to understand the tricky parts of the SAT and how to do better.</p>
<p>DS is currently taking honors pre-algebra. He took Algebra 2/trig last year but the teacher admitted they wouldn’t be covering any trig. Next year he is signing up to take AP calculus. I really thought he’d do better on the math portion since that has always been his strong subject. I will tell him what has been said on here. And he would be taking a SAT class- not a tutor. Do you think the class will help or do I need to find a tutor? I need to find out when last weekend’s ACT scores are released just so we see how he did on that test.</p>
<p>Do you mean honors pre-calc this year? If he does well in his math classes, taking a test book and going over the trig in that (get one that actually has lessons in the various topics covered on the test) may be enough, if he is motivated to do the self-study thing. Perhaps he can go in for help at lunch for anything that he’s having trouble understanding?</p>
<p>Has he taken an SAT-II math test yet? He should check his list of potential colleges to see if one is required (for pre-pharm and sciences, a math often is. Math Level II goes through pre-calc, but has a generous curve. Math Level I goes through Alg II, but has a harsh curve. Both, IIRC, require at some trig.) Ditto a science SAT-II. If he is taking a science this year, he should seriously consider taking the corresponding SAT-II this spring when the course material is fresh in his mind. A test book will help him review and fill in any gaps between what is taught in his class vs. what’s covered on the SAT-II. He should check with his science teacher to see how closely the class aligns with the exam.</p>
<p>If he is motivated he can prep on his own–lots of threads on that here. If not, a review course would be advisable; any of the majors is fine.</p>
<p>Yes, I meant honors pre-calc!</p>
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<p>I’ve been “active” on CC for about 6 months now. I’ve yet to see a post that talks about a substantial drop on the ACT after taking the SAT, and yet I’ve seen numerous examples of kids who, after getting less than satisfactory SAT results, went on to obtain excellent ACT scores. I don’t doubt there are kids who experienced the opposite, but I just haven’t seen any on CC. Could someone point me to examples of such on CC?</p>
<p>Just keep in mind, there is nothing tricky or difficul about SAT/ACT, they just need prep time that might take much less effort than all discussion about it. Prep is needed because most material is based on lower level class material (a lot from middle school) that has simply been forgotten. Kids are taking calc and think that they are OK with math (just as an example), and they appeared to forget simple math from grade 7-8. I have looked at SAT / ACT closely, there is nothing tricky/difficult about them, they are not Grad. School admission tests, and even some of those (like GMAT) are not difficult.</p>
<p>I will offer one specific insight on the Writing portion. Our S is a math/science student who does not like to read or write. His writing skills were very poor. I am the opposite, an English/History “student” and love to write. He scored a 52 on his sophomore PSAT Writing, a 65 on his junior year PSAT Writing, and a 750 with an 11/12 on the Jan. 2010 SAT. I printed Ziggi’s advice, bought a book on writing essays, and taught him to work with a set of “rules” for writing. It worked. The writing section CAN be tackled, and improvements in this section are easier than the other two sections (in my opinion).</p>
<p>PaperChasePop that is an interesting observation and I also do not believe I’ve read an anecdotal comments that someone scores worse on the ACT. In my case both my kids did about the same on both tests, prepped slightly for ACT, no prep for SAT with the exception of taking the PSAT. ACT is required in our state for all students.</p>
<p>My D. did not prep for English portion of ACT. It was part of her customized strategy, she prep. only for math. - her strongest subject. I heard that in a lot of cases English is the highest score. D. commented, that English just needed common sense, since every day usage of English is sufficient enough for this portion. Well, it was also her highest score. The same goes for Reading. How you can improve it in a week of even few weeks. We knew based on previous experience, that it would be waste of time and it would be inevitably D’s lowest score. Sure enough, the difference between Reading and English section was wooping 7 points (28 and 35 respectively). If you assess reasonably what could be improved and what cannot, and stay very focused during prep, it will not take much time and it will be very beneficial. D’s math score of 34 was a prove of her correct strategy. Again, science section has nothing to do with science, it is reading comprehension at slower pace, and if one is slow reader with very high comprehension rate, he is going to do very well (the case of my D.). Again, analysis of test reguiremnts in connection with your own strenghts and weaknesses will result in best approach to preparation and this part is taking only few minutes to sort out. Looking back at whole process (D. is college junior in senior standing), I have to admit that with positive attitude and not worrying about things out of our control, everything will work out for the best. Good luck!</p>
<p>I think you need to have a heart-to-heart with your son and his standardized testing prospects. Indeed, more colleges and universities are becoming more lenient on incorporating standardized tests in their admissions process, but the fact still remains, your son is going to have to take those tests and do decently if he wants to enter a good college/university and pursue his life-goals. </p>
<p>Certainly, standardized tests aren’t the be-all-and-end-all of college admissions - GPA, extracurriculars, honors, and student admissions essays all factor into the mix. But these tests are necessary hurdles that must be surmounted to push onto high education. </p>
<p>Things to consider with your son: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Maybe he doesn’t want to go to college: in this competitive job-climate where the “norm” for high school graduates is to go immediately to college, parents sometimes get wrapped up in that fad-frenzy and forget what their son or daughter want. </p></li>
<li><p>If hes currently studying for these tests, I’d suggest investing in a private tutor (a college student or, preferably, a graduate student) to give one-on-one guidance, structure, and motivation. I’ve known family friends who’ve gone this route, and they’ve seen lots of improvements in study scheduling and scores. </p></li>
<li><p>SATs and ACTs are different tests - SAT is more logically-based, dealing with critical-thinking while ACT is more about memorization and learning the predictable-strategies to tackle the questions. Your son might be stronger in one test than the other. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Although some kids do well on both, it has been my experience that the high schools on the coasts prepare kids to take the SAT while those in the middle prepare kids to take the ACT. I think this subtle preparation has a distinct effect on the student’s final scores.</p>
<p>It is what it is. And, while I know you want the honors diploma…and maybe he’ll do better on the ACT…know that most colleges do focus more on GPA than on SAT/ACT. It shows 4 years of hard work, versus 1 day of testing (DARN IT!..my D is the opposite!). Luck.</p>
<p>One of our kids prepped hard for the first sitting of the SAT, then did just a little more prep for the second sitting, one month later. The second total out of 2400 was 250 pts higher than the first–way beyond the improvement range predicted by CB. My kid’s explanation was simply a better night’s sleep before the second sitting! Something as simple as sleep can affect performance dramatically (and it is much cheaper than prep classes).</p>
<p>mominwestlake, Here are several responses to questions on this thread:
- The first February ACT results will be available online February 22; writing results will be available slightly later.
- One difference between the ACT and the SAT that you might want to note, given that your son has apparently not had trig yet, is that the ACT tests trig and the SAT does not.
- You can obtain your son’s actual SAT answers and test booklet (called Student Answer Verification Services by the College Board) by paying about $18 (check the College Board website for the exact information, and to make your request). If your son decides to retake the SAT next October, you might wish to go ahead and order that information now so he can see in detail what he missed. It takes about 6 - 8 weeks to arrive, I think.</p>
<p>I will have to find him some way to learn the trig on his own since it wasn’t covered in his Algebra 2/trig class. I think I might have ordered the answers when he signed up online for the test. I’ll have to check that out too. I know he is upset but I told him to take a break until ACT scores come out and we’ll go from there.</p>
<p>To mominwestlake</p>
<p>My son sounds like a mirror image of your son!
First, DON’T WORRY! He will do just fine! He is a hard worker, exemplified by his GPA…second SAT scores are just a part of his college application! Yes, they are important, however he has AMPLE time to raise them even a little. He also has the wonderful world of ACT’s as another avenue to “strut his stuff” ! Honestly, his scores are really not bad for a first time tester. He will most likely increase just by virtue of taking them again. As my son said, sometimes it is the luck of the draw. A critical reading passage that actually held his interest in hour three. Or, math problems he just covered in class. All can work to your advantage.</p>
<p>Most important, remember, people with perfect scores are turned down from top universities because they do not have a well-rounded resume. I believe it would be worse if his GPA did not match his Sat scores. Test scores are a snapshot in time, GPA reflects a four year period. </p>
<p>Take AP courses, work to master subject tests (esp math and chemistry for pharmacy major) Most important figure out what makes him unique, his “X Factor” and let him follow his passion to success.</p>
<p>Do study for SAT’s and ACT’s! My son took a review course, and endless tests months prior to the standardzed tests. My son’s SAT scores were slightly higher in Math than your son’s but his ACT was stronger. Look to get the critical reading and math to at least 1250-1300. (He is very close right now!) My son’s GPA in an extremely competitive HS was almost identical to your sons with many AP courses. He was a recruited athlete for a top D3 school. His “well roundedness” enabled him to gain admission. Yes, grades are important, but they are admitting a “person” not just a compilation of numbers.</p>
<p>Would your son be interested in continuing music in college? Perhaps a band? Couple the passion for pharmacy with his talent, and good grades…the possibilities are endless! </p>
<p>Most important…congratulate your son…he has a fine academic record! Also show him the facts of admission. Seeing a “scattergram” or mid 50% admittance rate of his dream school will provide amazing impetus to put in the time for the tests.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>