<p>Hi Everyone,
I am worried that my junior D who tests poorly based on her PLAN and PSAT is overscheduled.SAT for the first time this weekend, then final exams with blue books and all, two subject tests in June and then ACT also for the first time late in June. She will NOT be applying to any school in the most selective category. Nonetheless the guidance counselor said she should take the subject tests. I am thinking maybe she should just retake the SAT for the practice and skip the subject tests on that date.Also since she did terribly on the science section of the PLAN should she bother with the ACT? She hasn't even opened the subject test or ACT books and hasn't been very organized about studying for the SAT. On the plus side she's successfully working on bringing up her GPA and has great grades this year at a highly competitive high school where everyone goes to college. I'm sorry if I sound discouraged I am.I don't want to steer her wrong and would appreciate any advice!
Thanks!</p>
<p>If the subject tests are in current subjects, take them since some schools require subject tests and her preparation will come from the classes. Kids often do quite a bit better with just time and development and practice, so don’t torture yourself or her. She may get motivated by not doing as well as she needs to for desired schools and prep over the summer. Or she may get realistic and look hard at test optional schools. Also, the ACT science is notoriously tough and if her other scores are good many schools will see those strengths even if the overall score is dropped by science. (And you don’t have to send them in any case.)</p>
<p>The subject tests are much easier if you take them right after the class. She is a Junior, so has she expressed interest in any particular schools? Have you checked with them? Check your state schools to see if they require them. It is much harder to manage the subject tests if you find out in the fall you need them. If none of the schools require them then you can be pretty safe skipping them.</p>
<p>I third taking the subject test in June while the material is fresh in her mind. Studying for her finals will help her prep for the subject tests. Make sure she understands the strategy needed to succeed on the tests, ie- easy problems, one she can answer quickly first, then go back and tackle the rest, how to eliminate wrong answers, etc.</p>
<p>Neither of my D’s studied for SAT’s or subject tests and did very well. They took subject tests that they had had classes for during JR year. It is a busy spring but she should do fine. Her classes will have prepared her. She can always retake them…</p>
<p>New England - IMHO the GC is doing your D a considerable disservice. Taking the l-o-n-g SAT before the considerably shorter ACT can discourage a marginal test taker. Plus subject tests in between? Good grief. </p>
<p>We went a different route with our D (who was an excellent student, but didn’t score at the same level on standardized tests). We had her take the ACT first, and a couple months later the SAT. She REFUSED to take the SAT a second time, but was willing to retake the ACT.</p>
<p>negirl, does your daughter have a possible list of schools? I know you said she is not interested in “the most selective schools”, but what do you mean by that? No on Harvard but yes on Rice? If she’s looking at more normal schools, look carefully at which schools require Sat II and which will be fine with the ACT instead.<br>
Sounds like a huge amount of testing to me for a kid who doesn’t test well and is likely to really freeze if it gets to be overwhelming… If the June ACT doesn’t go well she can re-take in the fall.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I may have misunderstood what you meant by “that date,” but just in case I didn’t: She can’t take the regular SAT and SAT IIs on the same date.</p>
<p>Do you have a list of schools she’ll be applying to yet? If none of them require the SATIIs she shouldn’t bother with them. She sounds like a good candidate for SAT optional schools.</p>
<p>This sounds like a lot of testing in a short period of time. My suggestion would be not to automatically throw out the ACT over the science. It may be notoriously tough but it is also very teachable – and I don’t mean teaching the kid the science, but teaching them techniques for approaching the science section. Unless it’s changed a lot in the past couple of years, if the kid sees the graphs and understands how to interpret them and learns how to quickly eliminate some of the possible responses, it goes a long way to succeeding in that section. My kid knew the science but didn’t understand how to approach the test the first time, got tutored for a few hours, and aced the section with a huge improvement the second time. (SAT prep did not have the same quick and obvious impact.) The reason I’m bringing this up is that a lot of kids really prefer the ACT and many schools that require SAT I and SAT II tests allow kids to submit just the ACT as an alternative. (You have to check your list of schools for info on this.) If your D agreed to this, you might get her to take a sample ACT and see how it comes out. If there is one particular section that is problematic, tutor briefly. Take the ACT first and if she does OK, she wouldn’t have to take the SAT I at all and, depending on the requirements of her potential colleges, she might not have to take SAT II’s either. You could also have her take a sample SAT and if the score there is better than the ACT score, you could go in that direction. </p>
<p>I second the suggestion that you check out SAT optional schools. The list is growing and if there are a number of colleges she likes well on that list, it would certainly reduce her level of tension around testing.</p>
<p>For a current list of test optional colleges and universities visit [The</a> National Center for Fair & Open Testing | FairTest](<a href=“http://www.fairtest.org%5DThe”>http://www.fairtest.org)</p>
<p>I can’t for the life of me understand why your daughter’s guidance counselor is encouraging a student who is a bad tester to take both the SAT and the ACT, and then a whole batch of SAT II exams. I’d have her work her way through both a mock SAT and a mock ACT at home without a time limit. She could even take a day or two between sections. Then discuss which exam felt more comfortable for her, and whether or not one or the other produced a significantly better test score. This would also allow her to see which kinds of math problems and reading questions trip her up.</p>
<p>I’d also have her take a model SAT II exam or two. Your public library should have review books for this material. The language exam books eve come with CDs of the listening sections.</p>
<p>Then with all of this information in hand, you and your daughter can evaluate which exams (if any) she’s ready to take. Just remember that the ACT/SAT score is not the be-all and end-all of college admissions. If she’d really prefer, she can take one of those one time and live with the results. If she decides she hates the whole process, go back to the list of test optional schools and find some that would work for her.</p>
<p>negirl27, here is a list of colleges and universities which require or recommend SAT 2 subject tests. [Compass:</a> Admissions Requirements](<a href=“SAT Subject Test Requirements and Recommendations”>SAT Subject Test Requirements and Recommendations) </p>
<p>If you think it is extremely unlikely that your D will be applying to these schools, there is no reason to pack her schedule. Additionally, she can retake the “regular” SAT exam in October if need be. This is what is recommended by our school and several professional college counselors I know. They base this recommendation on the fact that statistics have shown that students achieve their largest score increase between the spring of June year and the fall of Senior year.</p>
<p>I would strongly advise for ACT, a lot of kids do better on ACT than SAT (my D did). Science section is not really science, it is reading, she just needs to pay attention, focus. D prep only for math section - 1 hour / day for a week. Tell her to practice and go over material / questions that she missed, do not take SAT or ACT without prep., but it does not mean that they have to take prep classes. They should identify area where they can improve thru taking practice tests and reviewing material. For example, D commented that English section fro her was just using common sense. She did not waste any time preparing for English section, … and got 35 on it.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Really? I’d heard the opposite from a lot of people, who say that it actually requires little science knowledge/background, but mostly the ability to read graphs. </p>
<p>I think it is a good idea to take SATIIs because it expands the student’s college options. If she did particularly poorly on the PLAN, then the SAT may be “her” test, especially since it doesn’t include the aforementioned science section. So taking the SATI in May, the SATIIs in June and leaving the ACT for last seems to make sense. The advantage of getting through it all this spring is that it leaves her time for retakes, if necessary, in the fall.</p>
<p>I can’t recall: is there any way she can get her SATI score before she takes the ACT? If so, she might be able to just skip that one if she’s satisfied with her SAT.</p>
<p>If she isn’t pleased with any of her test scores, she can always throw a few SAT-optional schools into the mix.</p>
<p>I agree with Consolation. ACT science is not tough at all. They do not need to know science for this portion. It is just another reading section that does not reguire speed that gives chance to kids who are not very fast readers to improve their total score. They need to pay attention and focus. No prep is needed. D. got 34 which was even higher than her math score (her easy subject).</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your kind and well-thought out responses to my testing questions. I am so impressed by the level of parental expertise on this board. Wow!Good luck to all of your children as the school year comes to its conclusion!!
negirl27</p>