Taking ACT Spring of Sophomore Year?

Applying to College
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<p>Looking for some feedback on my D taking the ACT June of her Sophomore year. We have a book with practice tests, and she is starting to look at that, and then the plan was for her to take the actual test. I have started to wonder if that score could hurt her. We wanted to have her take the real test and use the results to help her study during the summer for the next time she takes it in the fall of her junior year.</p>

<p>Would her taking the real test and not getting a great score hurt her at some colleges? It looks as if some colleges want all test scores. Wouldn't they understand that she took it her sophomore year?</p>

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<p>Isn’t there anyone who would have some advice on this?</p>

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<p>you can always choose not to send your ACT score in. That’s what I did as a sophomore, too, this year. I didn’t know how well i was going to do, so i chose not to send the score in. I ended up getting a 32, so I’m glad because i know i can do better.</p>

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<p>How is she doing with practice tests at home? D2 got 31 or 32(out of 32) at the PLAN at the beginning of sophomore year but didn’t take any standardized test until Jan(SAT) of her Junior year. Is your daughter doing anything in the summer? Why June?</p>

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<p>I don’t know your daughter; I only know my own kids.</p>

<p>For my kids, I wouldn’t have them take the ACT that early. I just wouldn’t want to give ACT (or College Board, if we were talking about SAT) any more money than I had to. I’m kind of a cheapskate, and I kind of dislike the whole standardized-testing industry, to boot.</p>

<p>My daughter did practice at home, under test conditions that were as lifelike as we could make them. We made her practice at the dining room table, in a quiet house, on a Saturday morning. (I admit, I know a lot of families where the house cannot be made quiet on a Saturday morning. That would be a problem.) We used actual ACTs from ACT’s “red book” and actual SATs from College Board’s “blue book.” We set a timer and timed the sections. We didn’t let her move ahead before the timer went off.</p>

<p>That was lifelike enough in her case. YMMV.</p>

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<p>My kid timed herself but I made sure she took the practice tests about 9-12 A.M, very similar to the testing time in real SAT. She may have performed better at night but in real life the test is in the morning.</p>

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<p>where is she in Math? What score is she targeting? </p>

<p>There are 4 Trig problems on the Math section, so if she is not familiar with trig, she’ll likely miss all 4. in addtion, ACT-M includes precalc and Alg II problems. Is she taking Precalc?</p>

<p>Do NOT take it just for practice. It’s a waste of money and time. Just take a practice test at home. Or call Princeton Review or Kaplan or other test prep company. They’ll be more than happy to give her a free test.</p>

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<p>bluebayou makes a good point - there is trig on the math section. Even in the most advanced math track (at most schools) you don’t complete trig until the end of soph year. Last year, as a soph, I took a practice ACT that had a conics question on it. Conics aren’t covered, at least at my school, until the end of the year, so I got the question wrong. I’m a junior and I’ve now taken the ACT three times (done forever!) and I’m glad I waited until now to take it.</p>

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<p>@soccer67-That is what I thought too. She could choose to send in that score if she wanted or not.
@Dr.Google-I chose June because it is the last test before next year. I wanted to pinpoint where her weaknesses were and work on them in the summer. She is taking a history class during the summer and working volunteer hours at a hospital. She hasn’t taken the practice tests in the act book yet. When we do the practice tests, I will definitely use your idea.
@Sikorsky-I like your idea a lot, and I might try it, but I do also have a 5 year old at home, and my D would probably focus better at the test location than here. I am also using the June test date as a way to get her to practice the act.<br>
@bluebayou and dfree124 -I know she will not get the trig or physics questions, and I may be wrong, but from remembering when my S took these tests, you can get your answers and the test questions, which would allow her to see and focus on her weak areas. She has taken algebra, geometry and advanced algebra.</p>

<p>I appreciate everyone’s feedback. I certainly do not want to throw my money at something that wouldn’t benefit her; I also know that she needs her junior year to learn all the material she would need to do well. My thought was simply to get her to practice the act by giving her a June test date and then using those results to get her to focus on the things that she did already learn, but did not test well. My sense was that if her scores scared her into studying more over the summer, she would do better than she would have otherwise when she takes it her junior year. </p>

<p>I see some benefits in her taking it, and just wondering about any negatives in her taking it. Besides *soccer67 Is there anyone who took it their sophomore year and glad they did or wish they didn’t? Or, any other thoughts? </p>

<p>I know I sometimes go overboard on some things, and wonder if I am making a smart decision or if this is one of those things that I simply am convincing myself of.</p>

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<p>My D took the ACT three times. Once at end of sophomore year, once in winter of junior year and once at end of junior year. </p>

<p>She took Algebra 2 Trig in sophomore year. </p>

<p>Her scores were better on the first and the last test, and did worse on the second one, midyear. </p>

<p>She actually sent the scores for the first and last one, since the subscores were worth sending.</p>

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<p>Samurai-Thanks for your post. It helps to see other parents who have made this type of decision and the results.</p>

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<p>I know that many kids take test prep or self-study between tests. With her schedule of sports/school projects, it was simply tough to even find a time when she would be able to take the test 2-3 times. She didn’t do test prep or much self study/practice tests with the ACT. </p>

<p>For her, the ACT turned out to be a better exam than the SAT, although she did very well on the SAT Subject tests. </p>

<p>I hate that the kids have to take multiple tests - but often, with merit scholarships at stake, taking an ACT or SAT 2 or 3 times may be worth it! </p>

<p>In terms of taking the ACT in sequential testing - taking it in June/September/December, I don’t know if the gains would have been the same. </p>

<p>The most critical piece of advice she took to heart was to slow down, read the passage as written and don’t skim it. The ACT is very much a test focused on testing on what students may already know, instead of tricking them. The key is for students to answer the questions without over analyzing them. Students who are good at reading comprehension often do very well on this test.</p>

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<p>Yeah, I get all that. She will find out that she missed every precalc problem and every trig problem. (Is that a “weak area”? Obviously not.) But IMO, it a foolish waste of time and money to take a real test for practice. There is no rational reason to do it, except to make the 'rents happy.</p>

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<p>Exactly.</p>

<p>One should only take a test when one is ready. Now I’m not saying don’t take ~3 times. But that is IFF one is ready. Otherwise, sleep in. </p>

<p>Taking it for “practice” only enriches the testing companies. You can find her “weak areas” by purchasing the Red Book on Amazon and taking a practice test at home. OTOH, I believe that ACT even offers a free test that you can download.</p>

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<p>I also thought the original question is whether it’s bad to take the test multiple times and not whether you increase your score after multiple tests so that was how I answer you question. This thread is about the SAT but I think it’s similar to ACT.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/1291201-clarification-taking-sat-multiple-times-please-help.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/1291201-clarification-taking-sat-multiple-times-please-help.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Keep in mind - depending on what math track your student is on you may need or want to take a subject test in June. My S is in an accelerated math sequence, so he would be ready to take Math subject test 2 at end of sophomore year.</p>

<p>Math II - is generally the one requested if the school wants subject tests - for some reason, it is more often listed than #1. He will also take Sat subject test in American History - since he is taking that AP class this year. So that will take up his June test date for the SAT. </p>

<p>It can be hard to get everything in Junior year - if the kids are involved. So you really have to plan it out. And - if they want to take one or both of the tests more than once - that takes time too. </p>

<p>My older son was done testing by June - before his senior year. Made for a very nice senior year for him!</p>

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<p>@Dr.Google-you are right. That was my original question, but then I got the feedback about my D not taking it for different reasons. Which, led me to respond that way. So far, no one has answered my original question with a response of needing to send all scores to a college. I will look at the link you mentioned as well. Thanks!</p>

<p>@bluebayou-If my D was inclined to practice the act now and take the practice tests on her own, that would be one thing. Perhaps things will change, but signing her up for the real test, gives her more motivation to study now, and I hope, will motivate her to study and with the results, take practice tests over the summer. </p>

<p>As we progress through the practice tests now, perhaps those results will be enough to motivate her without taking the real test. Hence, saving money and getting more sleep that morning! I see the point of taking the practice tests and not the real test-I will have to see how her motivation and progress is going after taking a practice test. Thanks for your advice!</p>

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<p>As far as schools realizing it’s a sophomore test - I’m not sure anyone knows how schools look at them. When you submit on common app - etc - it asks for test date - so they would see that. But as to how it would be weighted or not - I don’t know. </p>

<p>I do know - that most discount lower scores, as there is no penalty for having three sittings, and one of them being lower. That does not “count against you” based on what I have read. They just look at the highest signle sitting, or the super score. </p>

<p>Some of said or implied that if you take it five times - this would count against you - but I have never read anything from a school saying that definitively.</p>

<p>Hope that answers your question.</p>

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<p>Some colleges will ask for all scores, but most will ask for one or the other. If you apply on the Common App, they will ask for your scores, but unless the school REQUIRES you to submit them all, you can choose to only send your highest ones from an individual test date. </p>

<p>For example, Stanford wants to see all scores. Harvard says either/or - but has asked students to send them all in, which confuses students. </p>

<p>Schools like Univ of California schools will take the highest scores from an individual sitting, whereas other schools will take a superscore. </p>

<p>Most students tend to max out their performance after about three test sittings. </p>

<p>I have found that practice tests or mock SAT/ACT don’t completely replicate the real world experience of sitting in the testing centers. Perhaps it is how the administrators handle it, but my older kids never felt like the practice tests were as scary as the real test, which tends to affect performance.</p>

<p>You should definitely take cues from your kid about if she is ready to take it. If she is, then go for it. If not, then it might be good to wait. </p>

<p>I don’t want to give ACT or College Board any more money, either. I do recommend that students are finished before entering senior year. There is too much else going on - and waiting on scores when some deadlines occur before you even get tests back can be stressful. (In California, UC apps are due between November 1-30. Early action schools can be October 15th and later. Cal States are between Oct 1-Nov 30). </p>

<p>To echo another poster, plotting out a testing timeline based on your student’s extracurriculars, family vacations and personal situation is really important, in my opinion.
My kid was a competitive athlete and we struggled with cancelling test sessions or re-registering at a later date all through junior year. The best laid plans, well… you know. ;)</p>

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<p>Thank you for all of your input! </p>

<p>@matermia-you mentioned the SAT subject tests-wouldn’t the AP tests be more useful? How would the SAT test help more than the AP test?</p>

<p>@Samurai-Good things to think about. I agree about taking the last test end of Junior year. Many colleges (especially ones she is interested in so far) start accepting applications early September. She would want to be done with the tests so that she can apply as early as possible. I think as long as she wants to go in to take the test, than perhaps your comment about taking the real test in a real setting and how that may affect the score makes sense to me.</p>

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<p>jessmom3 - SAT subject tests and AP tests are totally different things. Most students looking at top schools take both, not one or the other. When you apply to colleges you self report your AP scores, meaning you could like about your own scores. This causes colleges to look at them with a grain of salt, because for all they know you could be lying. Many colleges require SAT subject tests as well, as they are another factor that is standardized so they help put applicants on a level playing field. </p>

<p>Regarding when to take what tests, I recommend that your daughter take math II, if she is in pre-calc/trig or whatever it’s called at her school, at the end of her sophomore year. I took math II and I’m so grateful to have one less test to worry about this year (I’m a junior). I recommend that she takes the other two (or one, but most likely two) subject tests near the end of her junior year, around the time of her AP tests. If she takes corresponding subject test and AP tests then she will essentially only have to study once for each subject. </p>

<p>Back to the original question, it occurred to me that some colleges suggest that their applicants don’t take any test more than three times. This might be the college trying to not make their applicants go crazy by studying for and taking tests, but (don’t quote me on this) some colleges may look at taking any test more than three times negatively. Under this logic it would not be a good idea to throw away a test and only have two chances remaining. I can’t tell you for sure whether or not admissions officers would look at taking a test more than three times as a negative, but I have heard from multiple sources that anything more three is too many.</p>