You didn’t specify when he took the practice ACT - was the 25 a baseline score before tutoring? Can he squeeze in another timed practice test and then decide? A 26 in math is above average and won’t necessarily result in a low overall score.
My stronger test taker took one ACT and one SAT in the first half of junior year and never got around to doing prep. My weaker test take crammed in two sittings of both tests between March and June of junior year (light prep) and was happy enough with her second ACT. I don’t think any amount of prep would have gotten her to a really high score. (She got a 30 with … a 26 in math!)
I do think later is better, especially if you have a goal in mind. If you know 25 will work for a particular school he has in mind, that’s fine too. I can say my kid scored a 31 end of sophomore year (and to be clear, we did this test because he homeschools and had to do a standardized test anyway) and a 34 end of junior year (and was expecting a 35 based on practice test - he hit on a test with an unusual math section) without excessive prep. A years academics at this stage in the game can still make a big difference.
I’d do the April test with June as a back up test date.
I just saw that you’re already signed up. I’d maybe throw it in his court and say “hey, maybe with some more math under your belt you will do better on this later in the year, but if you want to try now that’s cool”. I will say having a math ACT prep book and just working 3-5 problems 4-5 times a week over a year made a HUGE difference in my kid’s ability to well on that section. So if you were looking at doing a little prep, that would be my recommendation.
I would also say my kid always scored within 1 point of practice tests taken within a couple weeks of his test date, even on subtests, so my guess is he would get a 24-26. That is 75% or higher which is a perfectly respectable score.
His score of 25 was on a recent practice ACT, after almost 2 months of tutoring. His tutor introduced some strategies for the English/Reading sections which my son tried on the practice test. He recognizes that he didn’t fully understand these new strategies and still needs to determine which strategy is best for him.
We talked it over this evening and he thinks he’d like to delay the test a bit. He doesn’t want to wait too long, maybe a couple of months. He’s planning to continue with his tutor and figure out which strategies work best for him. His tutor told him its easier to predict how well you’ll do on the ACT vs the SAT. I’d still like him to take a practice SAT and see how he does. Mwfan1921 mentioned taking a practice test at a test prep place - great idea which I am looking into.
Thanks again for all the advice. We’re still somewhat undecided but this feedback has been incredibly helpful.
I think you should figure out when the best test dates are in relation to his extracurriculars. To do his best on a test, he really should have at least two weekends in a row free of obligations. That can be tough if he’s involved in a sport or plays or orchestra or band. So look at the calendar, figure out when his heavy times are, look at the year’s ACT dates, and cross off the ones that conflict with ECs. If that leaves you with just a few reasonable test dates and September is one of them, then go ahead and get it out of the way.
And remember, if you live in ice/snow zone, that the winter test dates are often subject to cancellation for weather. Don’t rely on being able to take the ACT in December or February. I found this out the hard way.
Just an FYI, unlike the SAT, ACT tests can be requested to be deleted after the results are published. If your S takes the test, does not like his score AND has taken another future ACT with a much better outcome, then you can request that the first score be deleted. Please allow at least a month for the score to be deleted once you make the request. You will want to check with his school as well because some schools capture all ACT test scores on the transcript and you will want them to delete from there as well.
@ggghfdgggggf I think it’s a great decision to postpone taking the test. If he must take the test before he completes Algebra 2 (I would wait until at least second semester), you have to have a clear plan to make sure he learns the algebra II concepts on the test that he has not yet been exposed to in class. There are also pre-calc questions on the ACT (though relatively fewer than algebra II), so he will need to learn that as well. I hope you are able to find a local practice test administrator. It would be great if he took both a practice ACT and SAT, so he can see which test best suits his abilities and test taking style.
My S19 (NOT an athlete…) took the ACT in February and then again in June as there were a few topics on trig they had yet to cover in pre-calc. He got the same composite both times but went up in the math section by 1 point.
Definitely postpone the test. No advantage to taking it now, especially if he is scoring 25. There is a lot of room for improvement.
See the threads posted by winelover on the ACT sub. Plenty of parents there are fuming over the ACT’s policy of cancelling scores when students improve by > 5 points. If your son scores a 25 now, and then at the end of the year scores a 30, his later score may end up getting cancelled. You’ll then have to deal with a long drawn out battle with the ACT. He will be presumed to be guilty, and it will be up to you to show that his improvement was not a fluke. There are dozens of examples of parents on the ACT subforum who were not able to get the score re-instated. Also this cancellation will typically come at the worst possible time (after college acceptances come out). This will have to be disclosed to colleges that his score is in dispute, and may even result in rescinding of acceptance.
Why not just order another sample ACTs to take under real-time test conditions? See if you can get a classroom at school to do this over the weekend. Then see how he performs. This will give you an idea of how he performs under real life conditions without having the worry of the ACT challenging the scores later.
This may sound harsh, but this student is scoring a 25 after a summer spent doing test prep with a tutor. Thus, it’s not like he is going into the test blind with absolutely no prep whatsoever. Kids who show great improvement are kids who generally take their first test without prep to see where their deficiencies are and who then take the time to work on them. This kid has been taking tests and working on his problem areas all summer. There is a good possibility that his score is not going to improve much if at all.
@tutumom2001 I do think your take is somewhat harsh, I would expect this student’s math scores to improve, perhaps significantly, after taking a year of Algebra 2. Timing of these tests is important regardless of prep, if the student hasn’t taken the classes that underpin the material tested, the scores will reflect that.
Assuming one does not plan to go to a college that demands all scores one should take the ACT as many times as possible, starting in the sophomore year. My nephew has a slow processing speed and had trouble finishing the test. The first time he took it he made a 24; the eighth and final time he made a 34. When taking the ACT, be sure to pay to have the test booklet and answer grid returned so you can see what questions your student missed.
A “practice” test does not have the same level of tension that helps one to put forth one’s best effort. When taking practice tests I think it’s best to just take one section at a time and then review the types of questions missed. But everyone has their own strategy.
My testing tips: Wear or take a watch to take the test because some testing sites don’t have clocks. Take a bottle of water and apple or granola bar to eat during the break between sessions.
I don’t think it’s a very good idea for your son to take the September 15th exam if he’s only scoring a 25. With adequate time and preparation, I’m sure he can increase his score. There are so many practice tests on the market that I don’t think it’s worth it to pay for what is essentially a mock exam. I believe the ACT provides a free practice exam on their website. The ACT also publishes older exams in their official study guide. I want you son to do well and I think it would be a much better idea to wait.
For test planning for my four kids whether ACT or SAT (dif kids did better on each of them), we planned by working backwards. They all wanted to be done in the spring of junior year - no one wanted to be taking a test in the fall of senior year. Each planned for a maximum of three tests, a couple only took two, or switched from SAT to ACT, etc. Given plan to take three of one type of test, the last test would be end of junior year - either right after school ended in June or in late April/early May (depending on final/AP schedule to work around). The test prior to that was first test of new year - I think that is in early February or late January (don’t remember exactly), that gave almost 3 months to improve for spring test (if needed). And the first was taken in the fall of junior year - I think it was usually October. September is too close to start of school year, their brain needed more time to pick up speed and get back in academic mode. So while Sept may be early for OP, I would suggest getting one under his belt before the end of the this year - one of the later Oct/Nov test dates, then plan spring accordingly.
I would wait until the spring. He’ll have most or all of his Algebra II course under his belt, and will be much better prepared for both the SAT and the ACT, whichever he chooses. And I think he should pick the ACT.
I know this is a controversial opinion, but I think kids who aren’t natural test takers should always opt for the ACT, because it’s easier to prep for than the SAT.
Taking the test too early can result in a low score, which is demoralizing. It’s best to minimize suffering by taking the test as few times as possible to get a decent score, and your best hope for doing this is to test in the spring of junior year, and then once again in the fall of senior year, if necessary.
“There is a good possibility that his score is not going to improve much if at all.”
Generally not true, not only is the OP’s son taking algebra 2 which will help as others have pointed out, but will have taken a year of literature so will gain vocabulary, reading comprehension and grammar knowledge. Another year of science should help as well.
In the good ole days when I was applying everyone took it in the spring of jr year and fall of senior if they didn’t like their score. Now though with students studying for the psat during their summer before junior year, many students are taking SAT/ACT alongside the PSAT in Sept/Oct.