SAT - do/did you prep?

[Mommy22alyns]

If your kids take the SAT, do you do specific prep for it? If you took the SAT, did you prep for it, or just take it? Is the SAT about how well a student tests or what a student has learned in high school?

 

I didn't do any prep for the SAT when I took it many years ago. In my mind, the SAT was about what I'd learned, not how well I could prep for the test. I'd taken advanced classes and felt comfortable. I got pretty good scores on it. But I wonder - did my young mind have the wrong end of the stick? Should I have prepped? I know, moot question now.

 

Just pondering...

 

 

 

Ignore my kids' ages, this has nothing to do with them! ;)

[Pam Wilhelm]

I took the SAT's stinking drunk from partying all night long......... showed up late, etc. I didn't do half bad. :lol:

 

 

I won't tell the kids that, though. I'll have them do prep work when the time comes. :D

[AnitaMcC]

If your kids take the SAT, do you do specific prep for it? If you took the SAT, did you prep for it, or just take it? Is the SAT about how well a student tests or what a student has learned in high school?

 

I didn't do any prep for the SAT when I took it many years ago. In my mind, the SAT was about what I'd learned, not how well I could prep for the test. I'd taken advanced classes and felt comfortable. I got pretty good scores on it. But I wonder - did my young mind have the wrong end of the stick? Should I have prepped? I know, moot question now.

 

Just pondering...

 

Ignore my kids' ages, this has nothing to do with them! ;)

 

 

I never took the SAT or ACT. But my niece and nephew did the PSAT and ACT through their public school... they didn't prep for either tests.

 

My 14yr old son took the SAT in 6th grade and again he is taking it June 6th as a 8th grader though the talent program of Northwestern University in Chicago. We are not prepping him. For us... his taking the test is letting us know what he knows (and how he has progressed since 6th grade) and give us an idea of where to place him in his courses for high school and if he is ready for a college level curriculum.

 

Anita

[Gwen in VA]

Many moons ago I took the SAT and I did no prep. It was like a blood test -- you showed up, spat out your knowledge on some piece of paper via a #2 pencil, and the test was over.

 

Nowadays everybody preps. Not prepping puts your kids at a disadvantage, since the scores are inflated above what they would be if everyone took the SAT's using the blood-test method. So I would certainly prep.

 

I think the question these days is merely how much to prep. I know someone who sent her kid to a 2-week SAT prep camp!!!!! So there are ALL kinds of options, and you decide what works best for your kid and your family given time, budget, and sanity limits.

[FloridaLisa]

It was like a blood test -- you showed up, spat out your knowledge on some piece of paper via a #2 pencil, and the test was over.

 

 

;) I resemble that remark! Never prepped for the SAT, though I did prep quite a bit for the LSAT. Interestingly, I did okay on the SAT but received a terrific score on the LSAT.

 

Lisa

[Laurie4b]

Many moons ago I took the SAT and I did no prep. It was like a blood test -- you showed up, spat out your knowledge on some piece of paper via a #2 pencil, and the test was over.

 

Nowadays everybody preps. Not prepping puts your kids at a disadvantage, since the scores are inflated above what they would be if everyone took the SAT's using the blood-test method. So I would certainly prep.

 

I think the question these days is merely how much to prep. I know someone who sent her kid to a 2-week SAT prep camp!!!!! So there are ALL kinds of options, and you decide what works best for your kid and your family given time, budget, and sanity limits.

 

:iagree: Same experience myself. Am prepping dc as much as possible.

[AnitaMcC]

Many moons ago I took the SAT and I did no prep. It was like a blood test -- you showed up, spat out your knowledge on some piece of paper via a #2 pencil, and the test was over.

 

Nowadays everybody preps. Not prepping puts your kids at a disadvantage, since the scores are inflated above what they would be if everyone took the SAT's using the blood-test method. So I would certainly prep.

 

I think the question these days is merely how much to prep. I know someone who sent her kid to a 2-week SAT prep camp!!!!! So there are ALL kinds of options, and you decide what works best for your kid and your family given time, budget, and sanity limits.

 

 

My kids will probably prep for the ACT when time comes. Just right now Ds is taking the SAT more to let us know where he is currently at in his knowledge. Twins are still in 8th grade so figure some of what is on the SAT they haven't even covered yet....

 

But then again, they will be going on to university as transfer students so they won't "need" the SAT/ACT I think. Or did the requirements change in the last 7 years or so? I never took SAT or ACT as I started out at a community college and then transferred to a university. I do remember taking placement exams for math/English for the community college and a math placement exam at the university (as I was going into calculus and did all my pre-reqs at community college).

 

Anita

[Michelle in AL]

I would definitely prep for the math portion. Take a look at the math sample questions on the college board web site. If they're no problem for your student then I wouldn't worry about prep. They were very hard for myself, dh and dd, so we are prepping. You have to think in a different way. Prep books tell you how to process the SAT questions.

[readwithem]

I took the ACT cold. Agreeing that our students live in a different world.

 

My dd compared prepping to practicing piano or dance - it gives her the best odds of doing her best on the actual test day. She took the PSAT as a sophomore "cold" and did very well, which convinced us with a little studying she could be within range of Natl Merit when she took it as a junior.

 

She's discovered other little things as she's done practice tests - last week she discovered she wanted her hair totally pulled back (she generally wears a headband). So sometimes it's the little things.... ;)

[Janet in WA]

I didn't prep for either the SAT or ACT and scored very well. I've always wondered how well I might have scored if I'd prepped (but that wasn't something I'd even heard of in the mid 70's).

 

Our oldest son was a ps graduate, and didn't prep for the SAT or ACT. Our two younger, homeschooled sons did prep for both tests.

[kate in seattle]

I did not prep for the PSAT (and was a semi-finalist) or the SAT (scored a 1430 in 1974) or the GRE (can't remember my score) but got into grad school at Chicago and Berkeley and University of Oregon.

 

But I think it is a different place now. My son did not want to prep and my oldest dd does not want/need the test. My next dd will take the PSAT starting this year (9th). It will be a good practice for her and will also qualify as the standardized test we WA homeschoolers are required to to have our students take (our other option is evaluation by a certificated teacher currently active in education). We will prep for PSAT, SAT, and hopefully an AP or two.

[Christine]

I'm not planning to prep my kids. I guess, I figure, this whole school career thing should have them prepped already. My oldest will be taking his exam this coming year, so I guess we'll find out.

 

I do know that my kids are amazed at all the public school kids, as all they ever hear about from them is SAT prep. How many hours they study every week prepping for the exam.

[AnitaMcC]

I'm not planning to prep my kids. I guess, I figure, this whole school career thing should have them prepped already. My oldest will be taking his exam this coming year, so I guess we'll find out.

 

I do know that my kids are amazed at all the public school kids, as all they ever hear about from them is SAT prep. How many hours they study every week prepping for the exam.

 

 

I am with you there. If they get the solid education then they should be ready for the exam. I figure they will need to review material that they may be weak on or learned in early years of high school... just get it refreshed sort of. And I think doing a few practice exams would give us the information needed of how ready they are for the SAT/ACT and give the experience of they type of exam they will be taking. But no... I don't think they will need to spend a lot of hours for weeks prepping for the exams.

 

Anita

[Gwen in VA]

I don't mean to start a war here....

 

If you're happy with your approach, that's great.....

 

But I don't understand why a parent wouldn't encourage their kid to at least work through one SAT prep book and take one practice test before the kid took the SAT.

 

1) Working through a prep book doesn't take that long;

2) The benefits of a higher SAT score in college admissions can be huge;

3) The SAT is expensive and time-consuming and nerve-wracking so I at least don't want my kids to take it more than once.

 

The SAT is a "different" kind of test with "different" kinds of questions, and not encouraging your child to do at least a minimal level of preparation for it is, in my mind, handicapping your child.

 

Please don't throw any tomatoes! We all have different approaches, and that's okay.

 

I'll step down from my podium now.

[readwithem]

I am with you there. If they get the solid education then they should be ready for the exam. I figure they will need to review material that they may be weak on or learned in early years of high school... just get it refreshed sort of. And I think doing a few practice exams would give us the information needed of how ready they are for the SAT/ACT and give the experience of they type of exam they will be taking. But no... I don't think they will need to spend a lot of hours for weeks prepping for the exams.

 

Anita

 

Actually my dd found her prep work helped to solidify what she had learned, particularly for science and math - maybe the prep book summarized it differently than her textbook or clarified it better.

[Michelle in AL]

I would REALLY encourage everyone to look at the College Board web site's sample math problems before you decide to prep or not. This is not straightforward math unless you are an expert in critical thinking word problems.

[AnitaMcC]

I would REALLY encourage everyone to look at the College Board web site's sample math problems before you decide to prep or not. This is not straightforward math unless you are an expert in critical thinking word problems.

 

 

Good idea... I figured my twins taking a few practice exams. Then we go from there.

 

Anita

[MomsintheGarden]

We use prep books for the PSAT and SAT - which I recommend. If your child does well on these tests (especially the PSAT), he or she can probably win a lot of scholarship money.

 

Here's a really easy, free way to prep. Just have your dc do the SAT question of the day every day:

 

http://apps.collegeboard.com/qotd/question.do

 

This is a very powerful tool. If you can, do the questions yourself, so you can discuss them and help if they have trouble, and multiply the learning.

 

If your children have been classically educated they should have the skills to do well on these tests. However, I feel it is best to practice for them specifically. Students need to get used to the format, question types, and especially the timing of these tests.

 

HTH,

GardenMom

[Ida]

Standardized tests are their own beasts that bear only minor resemblance to anything in the real world. Being able to get inside the mind of the test can definitely give you an advantage. There are little strategies test takers should know. They should know how the test is scored. Some tests give credit for correct answers and don't penalize for incorrect answers, which means you should always guess if you're not sure. Other tests give a full credit for a correct answer and deduct a portion of a credit for an incorrect answer (I think the SAT does this, but am not positive) meaning that there is a built in penalty for random guessing, although you should guess if you can eliminate or more choices. There are some predictable tricks that certain tests throw in that test prep books can alert you to. To a certain extent, the test is a reflection of what you know and that knowlege is best acquired through consistent diligent study over time and is not accomplished by cramming for a test. Another element of standardized testing, however, is knowing how to take that particular test, and that can be accomplished by going through a test prep book. The prep books use the same language and format as the actual tests, so being familiar with those things before going in for the exam can cut down the time it takes to figure out what you're supposed to do on a section and give you more time to actually do it. At the very least, I think students should take the time to familiarize themselves with these aspects of the particular test they are taking and spend some time reviewing material and formats specific to that test. This can easily be accomplished at home with books readily available from the library. Spending loads of money for a test prep course is ridiculous however. There is definitely such a thing as overprepping. Lots of test prep books encourage you to do this work well in advance of the test and say to kick back and relax the night before. Watch a movie or play games, but don't do anything stressful. At that point it's too late to acquire anything new and useful, so do whatever you can to show up at the test relaxed and well rested, then do the best you can and don't worry about it.

[Chris in VA]

I taught for Princeton Review for a short while about 15 years ago. I learned how the test is designed, and I have to say I would definitely prep (and did). It isn't a descriptive test, which measures what students have learned. It is a prescriptive test, which is supposed to measure thinking skills that can predict how well a child will acquire and use knowledge in the future. Hmmm. Not sure I buy a test's ability to do THAT.

 

Anyway, I'd prep. PP said it well.

[Guest Tiner]

My 2nd daughter took the SAT in April of her Sophmore year. She had taken the PSAT the previous October. We did NO prep at all for either and she scored better than her older sister did on her best tests.

 

She wanted to raise her score 120 points so we did a bunch of prep - free and purchased CD's.

 

When we got her new scores we were SHOCKED that her scores went down in Verbal and Math. Not an insignificant amount - something like down 120 pts in math and 100 in verbal. Her writing went up from a 6 (she said she realized she had written off topic) to a 9.

 

So, I am not an advocate of the prep programs. You would think that a year later with more knowledge in her head AND a prep program she would go up and not down.

 

I have talked to several moms with similar stories - so as for me and my house we won't be doing more prep.

[coopers5]

Most average kids and even some superior ones will be at a serious disadvantage in today's world if they do not prep for these tests.

So, the way I see it, you either dangle your kids out there and hope for the best or you give them every opportunity to succeed and compete in today's real world.

Princeton, Barron's, College Board Real SATs, try the different ones and take several practice tests - do some in sections, but do at least one full sitting of a test, with essay, before taking the real test.

 

That said, if money (as in, college tuition) is no object, nor college acceptance, then, well, disregard the above. ;)

[Danestress]

and I saw how frequently children who scored below what they wanted were able to bring their scores up with lots of practice and test taking strategy. It really helped - particularly with kids who were not already high scorers.

 

So I will probably do a lot of review and practice with my own children because every point counts.

[MamaT]

We prep with the Princeton Review. Testing is a whole different animal than regular academics, and I want my dc to be prepared for the kinds of questions they will encounter.

 

I know my dc are well educated, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will do well on the SAT unless they are prepared for the kinds of questions that are on it. Prepping doesn't take that much time, so I can't imagine why you wouldn't.

[Kathie in VA]

I didn't prep. I know some kids who did back then though (mid 80's). I should have prepped, it would have helped me... that's how I am. Prepping or even cramming helps me with tests. I'm not good with tests though. BTW, I did lousy on the SATs/ACT but got into a good university anyway... good grades and early admision got me accepted, but I won't bank on that with my kids! (especially since I'm homeschooling them ;))

 

With my kids, I even prep them for yearly standardized tests like CAT or the Iowa one.... so of course I'll have them prep for the SAT. "I" get nervous about tests but they don't. :lol:

[Tullia]

IMO, it depends on the student. My son is not a natural test taker; test prep helped him, especially with SAT math. One thing that I've recently discovered is that while I don't remember having any formal test prep during my high school years ('70's), my teachers say that they did a lot of test prep, but since it was folded into daily work we probably didn't realize what was going on.

[readwithem]

I asked my dd about this (she's the queen of test prep) - her response was, test prep isn't going to get you beyond your natural ability, what it did for her (in her opinion) was help her reach her natural ability and give her the best odds of doing well.

[Janet in WA]

I'm not planning to prep my kids. I guess, I figure, this whole school career thing should have them prepped already. My oldest will be taking his exam this coming year, so I guess we'll find out.

 

I do know that my kids are amazed at all the public school kids, as all they ever hear about from them is SAT prep. How many hours they study every week prepping for the exam.

I assume you are familiar enough with the SAT to make this choice for your children. But because I was familiar with the peculiar nature of the SAT, I made a different choice for my otherwise well-educated children. We prepped for the test because I knew it was like no other they had ever experienced. And I also knew that success on the test was as much about understanding the oddities of the test problems as it was about academic knowldege. Good luck to you.