<p>Currently I am sitting in the office to wait for my son to finish the test, I am so nervous. He is a junior and has always been a good student. He is so busy this semester, he is taking AP Lit and 3 dual enrollment courses, involving in band, tutoring, volunteering, and student government activities. He did prepare the test, but not as much as I wanted. How about your kids? are you nervous while they are in the test?</p>
<p>No, the test is so long that I am just relieved that I am not the one taking it.</p>
<p>IIT has computers available for visitors, so I’m browsing my e-mail and reading CC and watching the lovely snowfall.</p>
<p>Lot’s to be done with the other kids.</p>
<p>Went home. Got breakfast. Did not worry. Only time I ever stayed at a testing site was when one of the kids was taking just one SAT-II. Took a nap in the car.</p>
<p>Went home and did my own stuff, didn’t give it a thought. And it should not be necessary to study much, honestly, especially if a student is in school and using his brain every day.</p>
<p>S1 took it for the first time in 7th grade for the Duke TIP program. We were late in applying and ended up with him taking the test at a 20 mile away college instead of the local high school on the day it seems all the high school football players took the test. Imagine dropping off this shrimpy 12 year old kid in a room full of behemoths for 4 hours. We were apprehensive. He was not. After that, standardized testing was always a breeze: drop him off, go home and relax until he called. Ditto for S2.</p>
<p>We live too far from the testing sites for me to be able to go home. When my kids were taking them I went out for coffee, read the paper, took a nap in the car, strolled around the downtown area of the city we had to travel to, had some more coffee, took another nap, listened to the radio… you get the picture. Just killed time. I was a little nervous on their behalfs the first time each one took it, but then I was --like fendrock-- just relieved it wasn’t me. ;)</p>
<p>I would do the same thing I would do at any occasion where I need to kill time – bring a book, head to a coffeeshop, run personal errands, or take a nap in the car. Not sure why SAT’s would be any different from any of the other myriad occasions where parents need to take their non-driving kids someplace! (I actually don’t even remember if I drove my kids to their standardized tests or if they drove themselves.)</p>
<p>We’re in the same boat, ACTs are at the kids’ school but SAT are a schlep and a half away. Fortunately by the time my kids were juniors they were all driving so didn’t impact me at all and number 2 didn’t take the SAT. When one took the tests in middle school for a G&T program, I dropped him off and went shopping! I’ve been known, also, before they turned 16 and got licenses, to grab a book and find a spot to settle when I had to take them to and from sporting events or chess tournaments or whatever that I wasn’t particularly interested in.</p>
<p>My parents weren’t even awake when I left to take the SAT the first time! I was old enough to drive myself to my HS on Saturday morning. I did come home to waffles, though.</p>
<p>After his testing, we went out for lunch. I asked him how he did. He said it was OK. He said he figured out all math easily and writing was not difficult either, he did say the CR was difficult, but he did decent. </p>
<p>During lunch, he started asking me why I want him to go to a top school, I said you will have better opportunities to get a better job and make a better living. He said I must have some other reason, such as expect him to be famous or something like that, but I honestly never expect him to be famous, just expect him to be better than average.</p>
<p>URichmond…good for you for getting yourself up…moms appreciate that trait and good mom you’ve got for making you waffles after. All I know is the kids come home totally wasted form those multi-hour tests.</p>
<p>My DH always would always get up at 6:30 am to cook breakfast the morning of the exam. I usually took each guy out for lunch afterward, but the rule at our house was parents only got to ask “how’d it go?” once. From there, we encouraged them to let it go and move on – no point in worrying about a score one no longer had any control over. </p>
<p>We never did the SATs in middle school, but friends whose kids did said they usually had a dedicated room for younger testers. Guess there were enough kids to make sense to do so.</p>
<p>When I took it through my states explore program (the one where you can take it at 12-15) my mom dropped me off and went shopping because the SAT was a good 40 minutes away since I live in the midwest and it’s not very common.</p>
<p>The second time I took it I drove myself and my brother.</p>
<p>I never waited at the test site when my kids took the SATs…never. And I also never inquired about how they did when they were done. The one time I had to drive a kid myself (because they either couldn’t drive yet or couldn’t get a ride with a friend), i went out for breakfast and then did a little shopping. </p>
<p>Gotta be honest here…I can’t imagine sitting around a testing center for three hours. I suppose if I did have to do that, I would just bring a good book…or two.</p>
<p>Made him some “old fashioned” oatmeal, asked if he had the ticket, pencils, and calculator, and went back to sleep. I DID let him borrow my car for the occasion.</p>
<p>I too get up, just like CountingDown’s H, and make my son pancakes every time he is testing. It was a little extra sad this morning, since it was my son’s last test before he heads to college next fall. I’m sure there are many parents out there who thought the same thing this morning. There won’t be any more mornings like this-- ever again…</p>
<p>I don’t mind the last test! Last nights “last varsity soccer banquet” was another story…different thread…</p>
<p>I never waited at the test center, I just went home. I did log many hours waiting for other activities and in fact will be waiting at a Latin competition next week (too far to go home). I will bring a book as I always do.</p>
<p>If the test center is far from your home, I suggest bringing a book, a laptop or some sort of project. You can also run some nearby errands/get some shopping done, go for a walk, catch up on phone calls, find a nail salon and get a pedi…</p>
<p>S is one of those kids who took the SAT’s in middle school and he was placed in a testing room with the other MS kids.</p>