QueenCat Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 Just checked, and the scores are up. At least for my ds..... Increased composite by 5 points to above 30! Yea! No need to ever re-take again! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 Congratulations! I just looked up my sophomore's scores and he got a 30 composite - mainly due to the science section that he got distracted on as he told me. He came across a science section he hadn't had before in science and then, forgetting he was in a timed test, decided to do an in depth study on that topic out of pure curiosity. :tongue_smilie: Once he got back into testing mode he ended up not being able to finish the test and had to blind guess on the entire last 7 question section - giving him just a 25 on that one... I guess we need to do more practice on blind guessing! :lol: He'll be testing again in Oct. We can't have higher scores on everything else and a low score on science - he wants to be a science major! Does anyone know if we can keep his other scores and just "change" the science? I'm guessing not... but it sure would be nice. I know he OUGHT to get the same scores next time around, but due to testing variation, etc, I'd really like the option of keeping the 34 in math. The kid only missed two questions... he only missed two in English too, but that gave him a 33. I guess many folks did well there. My fear is that he'll possibly miss more on those with the retest. Maybe not. Who knows? I guess we'll find out. There's room to improve on Reading and, especially, Science! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatInIL Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 Many colleges do what is called "Super Scoring". If you submit multiple tests to them they will pick the highest subscore from each and recalculate the composite score. The FAQ at admission sites usually will tell you if the college does this. So maybe you son can just "replace" his science! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in IL Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 At the colleges ds1 applied to, they did indeed say they super scored the ACT when we were there for the open houses/visit days. But, it was for admissions only, not for scholarship consideration. Scholarships were based on the highest composite score from one sitting. At the time, none of websites mentioned superscoring. At a college visit a couple weeks ago for ds2, no mention was made about superscoring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 It's nice to know it might be possible, but I guess I'm just going to hope for equal (or better) scores on his good ones next time around. If that doesn't happen, we'll hope for superscoring as a backup. I'm really hesitant to send in a low science score to admissions when he wants to major in science - and go to a school where top scores matter (esp for merit aid). I looked a little further at the math questions (subtopic) he missed. Both were in the course he's taking now, so maybe they were topics he hasn't gotten to yet. I wish we could see the actual questions. (Can we and I just don't see where?) IF he doesn't make any "dumb" errors on Oct's test, perhaps he could get zero or one wrong and up his score. I'm not sure I'd bet on it though! If he can keep his math and English scores AND bring science up to where it should be putting his composite around 33, I'd be happy. Actually, I'm happy now. I think for a sophomore he did pretty darn well. In reality, his only issue was losing track of being in a timed test and letting his curiosity get the best of him (rabbit trails!) It goes to show... we parents have to prepare them FOR the timed portion and tell them what to do if they end up with something they don't know (NOW is not the time to be curious... save it till last and read for the answers first, THEN get curious if there's time). Live and learn. I'll remember to repeat that in Oct when he does the PSAT and retakes the ACT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in IL Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 If you take the test in June or Dec. then you can pay to get the test and his answers. The first time both of mine took the test was June of sophomore year and I did get the test and answers. Made a huge difference to find out where they were making errors - like silly math mistakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 If you take the test in June or Dec. then you can pay to get the test and his answers. The first time both of mine took the test was June of sophomore year and I did get the test and answers. Made a huge difference to find out where they were making errors - like silly math mistakes. Only June or Dec? We're in heavily favored SAT land and to even FIND the ACT I have to go a city over to a private Catholic school + even there it's only offered in April and Oct. We'd have to drive over an hour - maybe closer to 2 - to find it offered at other times. I looked on the entire state list - and the next state. At the high school where I work, VERY few people (and no students) even know the ACT exists - other than they've seen in on college sites, but know nothing about it. It floors me, but that's the way it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 Increased composite by 5 points to above 30! Well done! May I ask what in particular you did to help him achieve that higher score? Was there a certain test prep curriculum/aid that he found especially helpful? DS got a good score on what we count as his diagnostic/test run, but wants to qualify for premed at Duke with a scholarship (yes, he dreams big!). Anyway, he needs to up it a bit to make a mark on that admissions office. Your input appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maura in NY Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 DS (junior) got a great score, so the pressure is off a bit for this Saturday's SAT. And the best part was dh congratulating me, along with ds. Sometimes it seems he doesn't see this as my "life's work," so it was nice to get that acknowledgment of my role. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 I checked to see my ds's scores. He was disappointed b/c he only scored a 28 on the math section and had made 30s on the practice tests. He is only in 8th grade. I went on the ACT website and it showed that 28 is in the 91%ile. But, does anyone know how that would translate to an 8th grader? I'm not sure what it is indicative of for the younger age. He only needed a 24 to qualify for CTY which is why he took the test, but he is an unhappy camper right now and I am not sure what to tell him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 DS (junior) got a great score, so the pressure is off a bit for this Saturday's SAT. And the best part was dh congratulating me, along with ds. Sometimes it seems he doesn't see this as my "life's work," so it was nice to get that acknowledgment of my role. Congratulations!!! And yes, it is awfully nice when one gets acknowledged for their role, both with good scores and in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted April 26, 2010 Share Posted April 26, 2010 I checked to see my ds's scores. He was disappointed b/c he only scored a 28 on the math section and had made 30s on the practice tests. He is only in 8th grade. I went on the ACT website and it showed that 28 is in the 91%ile. But, does anyone know how that would translate to an 8th grader? I'm not sure what it is indicative of for the younger age. He only needed a 24 to qualify for CTY which is why he took the test, but he is an unhappy camper right now and I am not sure what to tell him. As a parent, I wouldn't be unhappy with an 8th grader getting a 28, but I can sure understand his feelings when he did better in practice tests. It has to be a letdown. I think the main thing I would tell him is that this one really won't count. It won't even stay on his "record" since he took it in 8th grade. Therefore, when he takes it again he'll have a blank slate going for those mid 30's. If nothing else, you can always share the story of my sophomore getting a 25 in his best subject because he got distracted by an article and forgot he was taking a timed test until it was too late to catch up... Looking at general comparisons, the chances are good that he didn't miss many questions except those he blindly filled in. So yes, mid 30's down to 25! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted April 27, 2010 Author Share Posted April 27, 2010 Well done! May I ask what in particular you did to help him achieve that higher score? Was there a certain test prep curriculum/aid that he found especially helpful? DS got a good score on what we count as his diagnostic/test run, but wants to qualify for premed at Duke with a scholarship (yes, he dreams big!). Anyway, he needs to up it a bit to make a mark on that admissions office. Your input appreciated! Amsco's Math and Science ACT book. It has diagnostics for math that tell you exactly what sections to complete for review along with a decent science section. It also includes 3 practice math and science tests. We used the Real ACT book for full test practice but it doesn't have much in the way of real review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shastanarnia Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 while we're discussing act scores....my sophomore dd scored a 30 composite her first time as well...this april...but her math was only 25....she's an A student in advanced algebra using quite a rigorous program (chicago math online with the potters school)...however, she usually has more difficulty with multiple choice....so...any suggestions on how to better prepare her for the next go around of the act??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendafromtenn Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 We did a few things to up the math score on the ACT. DS just got a 31 on the Math subtest. 1)Complete his course in Pre Calc 2)Review the lessons on the CD SAT math review videos. 3) Practice, practice, practice....We spent the 4 weeks prior to the ACT taking ONE full practice test on our Friday morning(That was 4 practice tests in all). The WHOLE test, now, not just the subtests that he needed to improve. DS says that this was key for him. GETTING USED TO THE INTENSITY and TIMING OF THE TEST. KEEPING FOCUSED FOR THE WHOLE TEST and NOT LOSING FOCUS ON THE READING AND SCIENCE REASONING. We even talked about that this was like training for a race. 4)Relaxed the week of the test-No practice tests 5)Ate a good breakfast the morning of the test. (No sugar cereal here!) 6)PRAY! At some point you have to let this go and just give it God. Do the best job that you and your child can do to prepare, but then let God do the rest and give HIM the glory for the outcome. Think that is about it. HTH, Brenda:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shastanarnia Posted April 29, 2010 Share Posted April 29, 2010 Brenda...thanks for the good suggestions!! she will be starting pre-calc this fall...so i'm sure that will help...though interestingly enough, her lowest marks were on pre-algebra/elem. algebra!! We did practice a little too close to the test itself...which didn't allow her to practice as much as she should have. So...those are all improvements we can make!! thanks again! darlene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.