<p>My son has some special issues. ANyway, we just got his SAT scores back. He got 610, 670, and 430. I think he could have done better. He wants to re-take them. But we had given him a study guide and he never studied out of it as far as I can tell. I guess a class might be the better way to go? But we need to hurry on this. Suggestions? </p>
<p>I should add..he is not going for a top top school like many here at CC. His top school is Austin College.</p>
<p>Have you looked at the Common Data Set for Austin College and his other schools to see how his scores compare?</p>
<p>The 430 looks really low, especially compared to the other 2 scores. However, it will be worse for him if it’s in Math or Critical Reading than if it’s in Writing, as some schools still don’t count the writing for much.</p>
<p>It can be hard to get started on going through a book. You/he have several options and you may want to discuss them with him:
<p>You have several months before the next SAT, right? This isn’t a decision you have to make overnight. However, if he’s motivated now after seeing his scores, then it may be worth it to strike while the iron is hot.</p>
<p>One thing that my son does (he also has some issues) is he answers question of day on SAT college board website. </p>
<p>He never remembers to do that and I always have to remind him the minute I see him when I come from work. Since he always has his phone with him, he just uses the phone to answer the question. He then reads explanation of the answer regardless of how he answered the question. This is low effort activity, but he thinks it is going to be helpful when he retakes the test.</p>
<p>P.S. Question of the day also available on ACT web-site. My son does both, since we are not sure which test will eventually be better for him.</p>
<p>He should study those areas he did the most poorly in. Look at the subsets and work on those subjects. I asked my son to do 15 minutes a day. He would do some practice problems in those areas he did the worse in, I would correct and then we would review. I might ask him to spend a few more minutes reviewing the study guide in areas he repeatly did poorly in. The next day he did similar problems and if he got them correct we moved onto another area that needed work. S agreed to this plan because 15 minutes isn’t a big deal. He would normally do the problems while I cooked dinner and we would review at end of dinner. Many days we spent more than 15 minutes, but never more than a half hour.</p>
<p>You could also consider paying your kid some portion of what a class would cost you, if you think he’d actually be productive. Targeted review of problem areas can help a lot. Did he take the SAT where question and answer service is available?</p>
<p>It sounds like a tutor might be the way to go. An experienced tutor would have your son take a practice test, and then look at the areas of weakness and work on those, as well as help your son focus.<br>
A class might not zero in on the specific areas your son needs to work on, as they will be more general.
There are a lot of companies out there who hire experienced graduates and pay them by the hour, and they will tailor their lessons to your individual needs. My daughter works for one, and she says the students almost always improve a great deal. Sometimes they just need to focus.</p>
<p>I can order it. I think I saw that as an option. …the question and answer part.</p>
<p>I just feel he did not study. He got upper 60’s on his PSAT in 10th grade. Then when he re-took in 11th when it was for real…he got 69, 69, and 49. No clue why the 49 in writing. we thought it was a fluke. But now looking at his SAT score…and his final admission that he never really studied, I am just so frustrated. I know he has some special needs, but how far should I go to “solve” his problems?</p>
<p>As it stands, he will be an automatic admit at all the state schools except UT Austin and Texas A&M. But he really wants to go to Austin College and his current SAT scores will not help him get in any sort of scholarships. </p>
<p>I did tell him it is fine for him to re-take, but he has to pay for the re-take. if I really felt he made an effort and this was a fluke, then I would not make him pay. But this was definitely a lack of effort. He also had his AP English test in May and I am guessing already that he will not get a passing score on it. He used to be in the gifted program in our public schools. (our district dropped the GT program, it was not much of a program anyway).</p>
<p>How do I look at the common data set?</p>
<p>You can look at the Big Future part of the College Board site to get a score comparison.</p>
<p>You should motivate him with gifts or something for studying. Also, make him study in a place where you’re around so you can make sure he’s not screwing around. </p>
<p>Sent from my Desire HD using CC</p>
<p>IMO, the Writing section is the easiest to prep for. There are a limited number of grammatical structures that are covered on the test. Just go through a good prep book (like The Official Guide/Blue Book or Kaplan) and do the grammar review/grammar questions on the practice tests. He should thoroughly review any missed questions so he won’t miss the same types of questions again. (Sometimes I’ve had students write their own sentences with the same structure/type of mistake as the missed question, but different words–then correct them.)<br>
Also, sign up for the SAT question of the day on the College Board website. If your son gets very familiar with the types of grammar questions asked and practices them, he CAN improve his score. If a very poor essay score brought him down, he’ll need to practice that, too.</p>
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<p>The CDS for the past several years for Austin College is here:
[Institutional</a> Research | Austin College](<a href=“http://www.austincollege.edu/academics/academic-support/institutional-research/]Institutional”>http://www.austincollege.edu/academics/academic-support/institutional-research/)</p>
<p>I normally just Google “common-data-set <school name=”“>”.</school></p>