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ACT test prep recommendation


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What do you recommend for ACT test prep? We have the official book and ds looked over that breifly before the test. I think he did better on the ACT than the SAT, but I think he might be able to improve his score. We'd actually been concentrating on the SAT, so I don't know as much about the ACT--except that it's more of a brute knowledge test.

 

DS got a 31 composite. 33 english, 32 reading, 30 science, 27 mathematics.

 

Although he finished precalc with TT, he will be taking it at UTC this fall. And Precalc II in the spring session.

 

When do you think he should take the ACT again for applying to colleges and financial aid stuff. And what do you think would be the best test prep for us? Should I expect his score to go up this next time?

 

Lisa

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Yippeee!!! DS did really well on the test!! I didn't realize how well. So, do you think he should make another attempt to try to get his math score up? Or should we just concentrated on the college admission stuff like essays and finding scholarships?

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About half do better. For the half whose scores do not improve, approximately half do the same and the other half get lower scores.

 

The Princeton Review posts general comments about past ACT tests. It seems that the English tests sometimes have a larger than usual number of questions which require application of one particular grammar/usage rule. If it turns out that it's one the student has forgotten or not learned that rule well, the score for that test may turn out to be lower than expected.

 

On the science test, the material is generally divided among the usual high school science subjects. However, there is typically one topic which appears more often. My son's test in June had a preponderance of biology questions, and bio was his least favorite science and it had also been several years since he'd seen the material in any great detail.

 

The College Board website has a section that you can plug in both SAT and ACT scores for your student and compare them to the scores of freshmen at various colleges. (At least I think that's the case...I looked at a lot of different places and may be confused about where I saw what...) Looking there might tell you whether or not your dc should repeat. For example, my son's ACT scores would qualify him for a scholarship at one of the schools he's considering, but if he were to re-take and better his score by two points, it could be worth an extra $1,000 per year. OTOH, based on what I've seen by looking at the scores reported from other schools he would be out of his depth at places like Rice, Cornell, or the Ivy League.

 

Disclaimer: comparing your child's scores with average scores at a particular schools applies best if there is a valid correlation between your dc's test scores and ability to work in the classroom. Test scores aren't always a good measure of classroom performance. However, I can say from my long ago experience of being a TA that entering freshmen who don't share the same level of basic knowledge as their classmates may have to work harder in order to be competitive in situations where grades are assigned on a curve.

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