SAT Subject Tests - When is good enough, good enough?

[Janice in NJ]

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[readwithem]

quote=Janice in NJ;963894]

 

Does it make sense to try to improve his score by signing up today to take the test again in two weeks? For some reason the college board has extended the registration deadline - probably because of the whole swine flu thing. /QUOTE]

 

Nah, College Board just wants to get more of your money :lol:

 

I don't know how to multi-quote but I wanted to address your PSAT concern - the subject tests and PSAT/SAT address two very different areas. I wouldn't let your "concern" over his subject test score interfere with your excitement over his PSAT score.

 

Now as to whether a 700 is a good score - the answer, of course, is "it depends." What colleges is he looking at? Are you hoping to get scholarships? Is he interested in the sciences? If the answer to these two questions is yes, he might consider retaking it. Otherwise I would say it's a very good score Was this his first subject test? FWIW my dd has taken 4 subject tests and her first one was her lowest score, her most recent one was her highest. Sometimes just getting the rhythm and feel of how the tests are, can be helpful. She's been at the testing school 3x now (including her reasoning test) and the place has become happily predictable to her :)

 

I would look at the websites for some of the colleges he's considering and try to glean what their accepted scores are. Try to find their Common Data Set (it's sometimes called something else but the name escapes me). And the SATs - of which the subject tests are only a subset - are only a piece of the puzzle that admissions people use. It seems more colleges are going toward what they call a "holistic" approach (if I had a dime for every time I've read or heard that word, I could pay my dd's college education ) - anyway, they look at extracurriculars, recommendations, grades, etc. Some schools even place a high priority on "demonstrated interest" - i.e. did you visit the school Again the priority on each item is covered in the Common Data Set. Some schools don't even require SAT subject tests.

 

Is your son a junior? It sounds to me like he's a sophomore - in which case, he has all next year to take or re-take SAT subject tests (they're offered about 6x per year). I don't think I would pay a late fee and have him try to scramble to re-take it in 2 weeks. Enjoy the fiber optics kit, breathe, and think things through before you decide your next step.

Edited May 22, 2009 by readwithem
rookie response

[Janice in NJ]

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[Kathy in Richmond]

Hi Janice,

 

First let me say that I totally understand what you're saying. My dd underperformed from her near-perfect practice test level in Latin last winter. She's still deciding whether to try again in June & already has physics scheduled for that date. Sometimes it happens. And no one wants to spend more money and time on a College Board test, especially when summer beckons and more interesting projects and trips are available. My dd is counting down the days till June 6 and freedom!

 

Wasn't this the kiddo who was using Barron's books for physics test prep? And getting top scores on them? If so, I'm puzzled :confused:. We're using both the Barron's book and two real Sat subject test books to prep for dd's physics. If anything, the Barron's practice exams are a little tougher (they almost always are). Especially if he came out of the test feeling confident and wasn't nervous.

 

Could he possibly have had a mis-bubbling error on the test? Under the time pressure of a Sat subject test, it's so very easy to skip over a difficult question in the test book, but to forget to skip the corresponding line on the bubble sheet. Just a thought!

 

As for retaking in June, I can see arguments for both sides. If he's not planning to take another physics course before college, it might be best to do it now. Retaking in a later year would be painful (and my kids would rather study a couple more weeks than try to review a whole course a year or two later!). Also, score choice makes it low-stakes. Apart from the time and money, there is nothing to lose. Colleges (usually - as per my post in the other thread today) are only going to see his best result. On the other hand, it *is* time and money. I don't know whether dd is going to decide if Latin is worth it for her (but she will have AP scores and NLE scores there to back up her studies).

 

How do colleges use SAT subject tests? It is very difficult to find the real story, as you've found. The common data sets for various colleges are fun to look through, but all I've ever found in them re subject tests is whether or not they require any. Actual score data seems missing in action. But here's what I have discovered over the years. Some elite colleges use something called an Academic Index (AI) in ranking applicants, explained here:

 

academic index

 

The calculator on that site shows how SAT, Subject tests, and class ranks are used to compute a numerical value for applicants to some schools. Of course, we homeschoolers have no class ranks to speak of (if you try inputting 1 out of 1, it actually gives you a pretty crummy score). I've asked many adcoms about homeschool admissions when looking at schools with my own kids, and invariably they've told me that for homeschoolers, they put *more* weight on any test scores you submit (SAT, subject tests, or APs). Also, they want to see outsourced class grades for the homeschooled kids. It doesn't have to be a lot of outsourcing - my ds only had a few online classes and no brick & mortar classes, and he had outstanding admissions results.

 

One last note on PSAT prep. I'm betting he's going to do great on the real thing. I wouldn't sweat a lot of practice on that one unless you're targetting a specific area. Did you know that College Board sells copies of old PSAT (the real thing) for three dollars?

 

PSAT released exams

 

They'll give you more confidence than a prep book which may or may not be on target. If you do order them, they do not come with an answer key. You just need to call the college board store after you buy them, and they will email you the answer keys for free, though.

 

hth and try not to stress about all this stuff:001_smile:,

 

~Kathy

Edited May 21, 2009 by Kathy in Richmond