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Does anyone have experience with a test called PLAN? Our school is billing it as a pre-ACT and I'm wondering if it will be useful in the same way as the PSAT is as a predictor for the SAT.
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<p>If you have the choice, and unless it can be taken in 9th grade, avoid the PLAN at all cost. The predictions of the PLAN are highly questionable. Do not let your school bully you into taking it in 10th grade, when it is important to take the first PSAT. </p>
<p>Of course, I admit freely that my pinion is biased as I think that all tests that originate in Iowa are pretty dismal, including the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills.</p>
<p>Taking the PLAN is worth the time, but don't bend over backwards to have your child do it. If nothing else, it is good practice taking standarized tests.</p>
<p>Thanks for those quick replies! While our school has just started offering the PLAN, it's certainly not being promoted vigorously. It's offered as optional and replaces the ERBs that used to be required. The college counselor says that ACT and SAT scores correlate closely so if a student's done OK on one, s/he will probably do much the same on the other - which goes against a lot of the anecdotal info here on CC. 10th grade son did fine on the reading and writing portions of PSAT but just average on the math and his geometry teacher has recommended taking the ACT - but this PLAN thing is new to her. Thanks again for the feedback.</p>
<p>I'd say do the PLAN. It helped me determine that the ACT was a better test for my daughter and in her case it was quite predictive of how she did on the ones that count. And it is just a good practice at getting up and to a test center at an hour that is as bad as possible for giving teens a test and getting through it....</p>
<p>xiggi? we have the real act prep guide. and we got one practice from the school counselor. do you know where we can get more ACT practice tests??</p>
<p>my D is signed up for the SAT in march and the ACT in april. we will decide where to go from there.</p>
<p>and also, xiggi, i have seen your prep tips here. do you have them compiled in a file somewhere? or do i need to go thru and search the posts??</p>
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I think that bubbling errors are more common than most suspect and could account for some of large score swings and occasional surprising lower scores.
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<p>Doesn't the ACT do as the EXPLORE (eighth grade test by same company) does and use more letters of the alphabet for answer choices, so that it's harder to misbubble? If misbubbling is the issue, the ACT is the test to prefer, I suppose. I never took the ACT when I was a kid, only the PSAT once and SAT once. My son has taken each as part of the Midwest Academic Talent Search, and scores about the same on each. He calls the ACT "The American Reading Test," because all sections are straightforward if you can read well, in his opinion. </p>
<p>AFTER EDIT: Here's an unofficial example that shows what I mean about different lines on the answer sheet having different letters for answer choices. That makes it harder to skip just one line. </p>