<p>Well, D's May SAT results are in. All of her scores were within 10 points of her March SAT. I'm thinking that this is a sign that it probably isn't worth it for her to take it a third time but maybe give the ACT a try instead. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Carolyn,
Unless your D has strong feelings to the contrary, I'd certainly agree that it would not be worth her effort to take it a third time. The ACT should offer her a different opportunity/challenge.</p>
<p>I would say that if there no reason to expect/hope for a drastic change in SAT scores (if the March and May SAT scores are in line with practice scores etc), then taking the SAT another time will only cause more stress. You should suggest that she take some practice ACT tests and see how those work out. If her scores on those are better than her SAT scores, which they are for many people because of the different areas tested, then she should take the ACT sometime next semester.</p>
<p>Thanks. I think that's what we will do. Her current scores are well within range of the schools on her list (although her math is a little low) and I honestly don't think there will be a huge jump in her scores because she has been fairly consistent on practice tests as well. As you suggest, I'll have her do a practice ACT or two and see how it compares.</p>
<p>I would agree. My daughter's scores drifted up from PSAT to PSAT to SAT to SAT. Taking a prep course changed only the math score significantly. What she did was make a list of the mistakes she made on the math practice tests and review those the night before the last SAT. Verbal and Writing drifted up over three years but not in any way that I would attribute to anything but being older.</p>
<p>Well, I feel like the contrary opinion here.</p>
<p>My d took two SAT's, the second was within 10 points of the first so we said okay, that's the score. Until we found out that the school she really thought she would be attending would increase her scholarship by 4,000 dollars if she raised her score by 30 more points. For that reason alone we thought it would be worth one more try. She studied for about an hour a day after school for a little over a week, took some practice tests (10 Real SAT's) and her score...... went up 70 points (80 points higher than the first test) So it can be done if there is a good reason to do it and if your d feels motivated to try. </p>
<p>Ironic that my d will now NOT be attending that school for which she was raising her score. </p>
<p>But she did get into a selective honors program at a state school that probably wouldn't have taken her with the lower score.</p>
<p>Carolyn-</p>
<p>I agree with taking the ACT next. Unless she is really going to put a significant amount of work into prepping for another SAT (doesn't sound like she needs to stress herself in this manner), her score probably won't move much. The ACT score will give her another option.</p>
<p>I agree about taking the ACT next. Some kids do much better on that test particularly those who are good in science, which is tested on the ACT, but not on the SAT.</p>
<p>Carolyn, my answer is "It depends." </p>
<p>Can you figure out (or your D figure out...less likely in some ways, they're too close to it) what stands between your D getting her scores to the next level?</p>
<p>Fwiw, I know that everyone says its easier to raise Math than Verbal but my D raised each by 80-100 points from #1 to #3.</p>
<p>I think you really have to examine the problems that she's getting wrong, both the type of problem and the level of difficulty, before you can make a firm determination. Imo. Is she "guessing" well? Does she get Level 4 and 5 problems right but not finish the sections? Does she consistently fall for certain "test traps"? Do the test results by sections & type of problem align with your intuitive estimation of your D's strengths and weaknesses? </p>
<p>For us, it took some dissecting of both the first SAT plus the results of practice tests before and after before we could conclude that a second (and ultimately a third) shot were valid for her.</p>
<p>Carolyn, my D took both the ACT and the SAT and the results were surprisingly close.</p>
<p>carolyn - on another thread, xiggi advised against re-taking too soon. I believe he was referring to June after May. Could it be that May after March is also too soon? He said there just can't be much change in that short a time.</p>
<p>Hope I am not misquoting him, but it was just in the last day or so. I joined cc a little late to see xiggi's renowned SAT prep strategy, but he did give some pointers in the recent post re the new SATs.</p>
<p>Hi Carolyn,</p>
<p>I think it makes sense for students to try the ACT at least once, though it seems that students who need to take their time on tests tend to prefer the SAT. Is your daughter one of those? Also, I am not sure why it sometimes works this way, but I have seen a number of kids get higher scores on the SAT after a summer and a couple of months of senior year. Could it be confidence, or maturing, or whatever? </p>
<p>I don't think colleges would be bugged by a third try, (in case you are concerned about that impression) since this test still seems a little experimental. Anyway, I don't think you have to decide right now but play it by ear as the time gets closer.</p>
<p>I can't get S2 to pull up his scores, so we don't have a clue what he made. All you can do with him is make veiled suggestions, he won't respond to prodding. Wonder if he is scared to look, though he thought it went okay when he took it.</p>
<p>As for timing, I agree about spacing them out. D took Fall/Junior, Fall/Senior, Winter/Senior. The last January date would have been December if not for the flu.</p>
<p>Carolyn, I agree with the others who suggested she take the ACT, which I see you are thinking of doing. Since it has a science section, perhaps that will add the further factor to the ACT score, and her consolidated score may reflect the broader range of subjects being tested. Good luck. </p>
<p>The good news is that she is within the range of her choices, which must be a great comfort at this point in the application process.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. Daughter came home, looked at her scores, and announced they were "good enough." She's probably right, especially if she decides to apply ED to her first choice school. </p>
<p>As I said, I don't see real potential for huge change. She's been studying fairly consistently (and yes, she did use the "xiggi method") and working with a tutor since last October to get the 80 point increase she saw from the PSAT to the SATs. She had an almost perfect score yet again on the writing multiple choice, but didn't have time to finish the essay, so she might do a bit better on the essay if she takes it again. But, then again, the essay isn't that huge a chunk of the total score. So, we shall see how she feels as the summer progresses. I do think spreading them out would have been better but too late now. :)</p>
<p>I agree that given the limited time in any student's schedule, giving the ACT a try is an investment of time that's more likely to bring helpful results than a third swing at the SAT.</p>
<p>carolyn, I'd think the ACT is the way to go. It certainly could give your D a big boost of confidence. At D's school the ACT and SAT are both taken ( but just once), and many times the score ranges differ dramatically. Our GC recommends the ACT strongly as more a knowledge based test than the SAT. So, in her opinion not mine (I don't have one) - really good students who are more bwrk (like my kid) than genius will do better on the ACT. (Please no flames, that is what the lady said. Y'all flame her not me.)</p>
<p>The only thing my D will add is that the SAT is actively trying to trick you in all sections, while the ACT is more straightforward.</p>
<p>Mine did better on the SAT. I guess she's not BWRK :p</p>
<p>We have a couple of threads that discuss similar concepts; so I'll repeat a few things I wrote in a different thread.</p>
<p>I think that there are a few misconceptions floating around these waters when it gets to the ACT versus SAY. While experts love to try to characterize the tests by adding labels such as aptitude or achievement to the existing tests, I really do not see that much difference in content. For instance, the consensus is that the SAT was an aptitude test but is now an achievement test. I do not really see how changing 10-15% of the math questions and dropping analogies accomplished such a magic trick. Do 5 to 6 Algebra II questions account for such a change? Your guess is a good as mine! Does the ACT really measures the achievement of high schoolers? Well, that must depend on which high school you use for comparison. </p>
<p>The biggest misconception in my book is that the ACT follows the HS curriculum. Except for espousing the worst of high school -approximate grammar concepts, dubious answers in the verbal sections- I see little difference between the two tests. Another myth is that the ACT is less tricky. Of course, you should know that I do not consider the SAT to be THAT tricky, once you know how to interpret the questions AND proposed answers to your advantage. I do not consider that being able to DEDUCE the correct answer by only reading the question and not calculating ANYTHING to be a trick but simple mathematical reasoning. Also, the SAT has a huge benefit: its bank of question has been thoroughly tested, and in 99.99% of the cases, the answer IS very straightforward. On the other hand, the ACT presents many questions that are subject to interpretation, and especially, subject to the dubious interpretations of the ACT writers. All in all, the test is NOT easier for most people who have learned their way around the SAT.</p>
<p>Another misconception is that the test has a SCIENCE component. What it is tested is the interpretation of scientific data. Biology and chemistry aces will be quite disappointed. </p>
<p>However, the above discussion does not really matter. Students OUGHT to ascertain the tests that suit them the best. Some people might prefer the absence of guessing penalties , the availability of full score choice, and the fact that the essay is optional. Also, some schools will accept the ACT instead of a SAT Subject test. Those are not meaningless advantages. </p>
<p>I am currently taking the ACT for a spin and hoping to eliminate most of my negative impressions. I admit that a lot has to do with being less comfortable with something different. While the SAT feels like a pair of old sneakers, the ACT feels like a pair of ballroom shoes ... they look good from a distance but a real torture to keep on.</p>
<p>xiggi, you are the undisputed SAT king but D's experience with the ACT math was one of those-"If I miss one of those , I'll have to ...". She didn't. She felt that she understood the questions more quickly and more fully. Now, she may just have been lucky, but ....on this May SAT, she said there were just two problems she flat didn't "get". She'll get the reports and try to find where she failed to understand. Now as to the so called science on the ACT, if you figure that out she'll be even more in your debt than she already is.</p>