@AsleepAtTheWheel - we are expats living abroad.
In US, often students take the prelim tests (PSAT, PLAN - preACT) in 10th grade. I don’t think there is any downside to taking them “cold” (no practice). Not sure what is available abroad.
I also had a kids that had score jumps due test exposure (no practice) plus a year extra of IB courses (no extra test prep). My advise is to wait until junior year to take SAT/ACT the first time. Oh, also official PSAT junior year Oct for National Merit qualification.
There is no upside to take any such test … cold. GC are known to dole out poor advice.
I’ll wait unless she gets close to 36, because actual test could vary.
Don’t rush it. She will only learn more Junior year. Also, make sure to take the PSAT junior year so she will be eligible for National Merit Scholarships.
Some are simply great test takers, most, however, need preparation and the advanced kids need much more preparation in math than they think as the math material in these test is primarily from the middle school. Then, how much prep you need in other sections is really subjective and personal. How much you can improve your Reading, is it even possible? How much you can improve your writing? Science section is not a science at all, it is simply slower reading where high comprehension is required. Practice tests will make you familiar with the format and show you if you can prepare for the specific section or preparation is futile there.
The math section is NOT entirely made up of middle school math skills. This has been stated over and over by one poster…and it just isn’t true.
But becoming familiar with the tests and formats is one really important form of prep that should not be ignored. Ditto the timed factor.
“There is no upside to take any such test … cold.” - I agree for SAT/ACT.
It seems fine to take PSAT/PLAN in sophomore year. (Yes, it costs a Saturday morning or two and a little money. But no biggie). It won’t count, but it will give an idea of areas that need study.
“There is no upside to take any such test … cold.”
Sorry I don’t buy this for all kids. Our oldest took the ACT cold in start of junior year got a 32. He took it again with no prep Senior year and got 34. Not all kids need to spend a bunch of time studying for this test. If I were OP I would have her DD take the test now.
@cvalle,
How well the practice act tests track with the actual might vary by kid. My ds experience was that it tracked pretty closely for act. 33-35 in 5 red book and 4 act booklets that are the practice test that act puts out. And 35 on actual test. Dd was 35-36 on practice and 35 on actual.
DS sat scores didn’t track well to the sat practice tests in bb and dd sat scores tracked well.
If ur kid is a high scorer, than best time to take the tests r in the fall of jr yr, after a summer of study. I don’t like the idea of dragging out the studying, there are other things to do, so prep and take test within a prescribed time period.
If ur kid is a high scorer on sat practice tests, then should study and take the PSAT and sat in fall of jr yr. PSAT in oct and sat in sept or nov. PSAT in jr yr is what determines NMSF.
Depending on the selectivity of the college that kid wants to apply to or the desire to collect merit scholarships at less selective colleges, you can decide if a 33-34 is good enough now or wait until fall of jr yr to try to get it to a 35-36.
Post #28, my kid did well on the practice ACT too, no prep and that was sophomore year. She got either 32 or 34, but that doesn’t mean one should NOT prep nor throw away prepping. She had a higher chance of hitting 36 than not prepping.
But since I’ve got all the prep books from her older sister, she prepped for SAT and not ACT.
I go with the wait until the end of junior year crowd. My gifted son had taken the ACT in middle school for gifted programs. I made him do a practice test before he got a 35 spring of junior year so he was familiar once again with the format. For top students all sorts of prep and extra practice is NOT needed. I had never heard of doing the PSAT until junior year for NMS until I was on CC (perhaps because we were an ACT state). If there is that much pressure for IB she just won’t waste time prepping for the ACT and do well based on her extra year of learning. btw- son would not prep extra for the math SAT subject test because they were reviewing precalc material that fall of senior year so he didn’t do as well and was to retake it at the December testing. This gifted just turned 16 year old signed up for the regular SAT- got a 2400 (worth bragging rights only).
Relax a bit regarding your D’s future, let her enjoy learning without the pursuit of perfection. My strong willed son did his own thing, leading his own intellectually satisfying life.
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"There is no upside to take any such test ... cold."
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Sorry I don’t buy this for all kids. Our oldest took the ACT cold in start of junior year got a 32. He took it again with no prep Senior year and got 34. Not all kids need to spend a bunch of time studying for this test. If I were OP I would have her DD take the test now.<<<
It might help if you were to understand the meaning of the post better. Cold means without any preparation. There is NO need to use official tests as … practice and it is a waste of time and money.
End of junior year = start of senior year! That leaves only the a Fall of the senior year. Delaying until then is simply awful advice!
A lot depends on the student’s aptitude and “test taker” skills. A timed practice test or two at home will give you an idea of individual situation.
In junior year of hs DS was really busy with IB classes (and admittedly too many EC, but he was having fun). I begged him to just spend 2 hours taking practice SAT2 (Physics, Math) so he could plan further study, if needed. (There was a scholarship at one of his top choices, needing 700+ on both). Eventually he relented. He got 800 on both practice tests. He also aced the real tests.
^^ Fall of senior year is also extremely busy. Last semester of grades, various last dates of testing, start of application process, scholarships deadlines … name it.
The ideal focus should the SUMMER before the Junior year with an apex around the official PSAT date. The rest can be used for Subject Tests and AP prep, or … retakes if needed.
This is especially true for students who do NOT need extensive prep and are potential NMF and SAT acers. And again there is NO need to waste a Saturday to “see” where one stands. That is where the released tests come in.
The tippy top students likely need the least prep because they have been prepping for years by learning the skills and material tested by doing well and having native intelligence. I can relate to the parent trying to get the child to prep.
Often prep is helpful, even for kids that do have high native intelligence. That’s why it’ can help to take practice exams at home (or a cold test, when it counts for naught)… Some students will show steady improvement each pass as they get accustomed to the test format and pacing.
One of my kid got perfect score in the analogy test when she was 13. But unfortunately that part was eliminated.
But I think when the competition preps, at least one should prep. But I’m not advising people to spend lots of money to prep either. It’s a waste of time.
OP, I suggest you do what feels right for you and your daughter. It’s not like she’s only allowed to take them once! If your daughter has prepped a bit and likes her scores, why not sign her up for the next ACT administration and see how it goes? If she gets the score she wants, she’s done, which would take away all the stress of planning for subject tests. If her practice test scores don’t quite bear out for the actual test, she has plenty of time to do some targeted prep.
Anecdotal evidence is interesting to read but doesn’t necessarily apply to your child and her situation. A few years from now, you could be the one saying you’re so glad she took them early or conversely, how taking them early resulted in a score she wasn’t happy with and increased her stress level or some other result. My only advice is: Should she take them now and not get a big score, just let it be for now.