My D (a rising junior) took two practice exams this weekend through a test prep company and we need to decide which exam she should prep for. Her scores were 29 on the ACT and 1820 on the SAT. The test prep company thinks she should take the summer SAT prep course and take the exam in the fall. They believe there is greater upside potential for her SAT score. They said if she isn’t happy with her October SAT score she could switch to the ACT, but I know junior year is crazy and she might not want to do more test prep with everything else going on.
I’m torn because I think a 29 ACT is a good starting place and maybe she doesn’t even need to bother with the SAT.
Any advice?
Oh and by the way they say their average SAT test score increase is 300 points.
The ACT score is a good bit better.
How did your daughter feel about the exams? Did she get ‘lucky’ on the ACT and guessed a bunch right?
Did she feel that the SAT was alright but just got unlucky with some of her choices?
SAT does have a higher potential as in my personal opinion, it is easier to prep for.
Could she finish the ACT in time? Did she feel comfortable with the way SAT questions were worded?
Ultimately, I would just ask your daughter and see which test she liked better.
There are pros and cons to taking the prep classes. The big advantage of a class is dedicated time and assignments , which works better for some people. My son, who is pretty self-motivated, went the route of self-study books and the on-line ACT tests and got a 25 (7), then 33 (10) then 36 (11). He only studied for the last one - for the remainder he relied on his school books. The SAT is changing in the fall so I doubt any class would be worthwhile.
I would also take an ‘official’ ACT or SAT (when available) test instead of a diagnostic produced by a coaching company. They are available online or from Amazon. That will give you a much better idea of where she stands.
Some of the prep companies are much better than others. (I was not too impressed with Kaplan!) Ask what their typical improvement in score is with an ACT of 29, and what their typical student scores. You don’t want the company specializing in 23->26 improvement. You want the one designed for 30->33.
Since you have quite a bit of time you may want to try the self-study route first, take the September ACT before things get too crazy, see how she does, then retake later in the junior year and concentrate on the areas that need the greatest improvement.
I would also try to prep for the PSAT, which could net out $ if she scores well enough.
Thank you @TooOld4School and @rdeng2614 these are definitely good points to consider. I really appreciate your insights.
@TooOld4School Do you think if she preps for the SAT over the summer that would be sufficient for the PSAT? Or does that involve a different type of study? I would love to get some $!
I think the PSAT is using the new format and the SAT (at least for the October, November, December and January tests) are still using the old format which means that you would have to study for the PSAT as a brand new thing.
You could just study for the new SAT which preps you for the PSAT as well, but the new SAT is very hard to prep for since it is so new.
Oh that’s good to know, thank you @rdeng2614 . The prep course she is going to take is geared toward the old SAT, so maybe that won’t help so much with the PSAT.
There is supposed to be some prep video on Khan academy. The official new SAT books are supposed to be out in July, you can pre-order on Amazon. I would use that material for preparation for the PSAT.