pjssully Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 I am thinking about having my 9th grader take the psat soon. I was thinking about not having her study and just take the test to see where she is at and get the feel for taking the test. Has anyone done this? Or do most people have their students study? It would mess up her schedule for the semester if she takes time off to study-another concern. thanks for any feedback. pjean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 I think it would be great to get a baseline idea of what she can do. I would, however, make sure she understands that the PSAT is meant to be taken by juniors, and it assumes, for instance, that a student has had a Geometry course. That way she won't become anxious when there is material she doesn't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Last year, my 9th grader took the PLAN, which is along the same lines (pre-ACT). I didn't technically have him "study" but I am in favor of talking about what to expect on the test. I think it's good to not have the kids wasting time on test day just trying to understand directions or the point of a question, since I've always felt that standardized test questions are in their own little world. The PSAT provides a little booklet you could run thru in an hour or so (reading the instructions rather than doing all the practices). Or I even think it's useful if *I* do the practices in the booklet, check the answers, and figure out why they wanted a different answer than I expected (which does happen!), then give my child a heads-up. Not sure if that's called "test prep." I definitely don't believe in over-prep in the early years. But a little heads-up might prevent a child from figuring that all will be perfect next year just because now he knows what he's getting into. Instead, if he knows what he's getting into the first time, he might be more aware of specific areas within the test that he needs to be ready for next year? Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josie Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 I would make sure she understood the directions for the test, how the test is scored, and test-taking strategies. The PSAT is as much, or more, a logic test as it is a content test. Also, if you want her to take it this year you really need to get her registered at a school now. The test is next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachnut Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 I'm doing the exact same thing with my 9th grade DS this year. He is taking the test just to get comfortable in a timed test-taking environment. He is doing very little prep work other than reading the booklet that students get when they register for the test. (He just got the booklet today, the test is next week.) Also, he has sporadically answered the SAT Question of the Day from the College Board website. But I've already told him that this will be a no-pressure approach to taking the PSAT -- the results do not count toward college entrance or scholarships or even annual homeschool evaluation. I just want him to get comfortable with the test, and I want to get a feel for where he stands with math & language arts. FYI - He has already taken Algebra I & Geometry, so he should do OK in the math part. However, if he hadn't already taken these math courses, I would have told him not to get stressed out about what he doesn't know, simply because he hasn't learned it yet. This should alleviate any fears. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 It would mess up her schedule for the semester if she takes time off to study-another concern.thanks for any feedback. I would definitely not mess up her regular school schedule for a test that won't count for anything right now. If you are having her practice to do well on it in 11th, that could defeat the purpose. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Dd has taken the PSAT since 9th grade and we use it as a way to see where she is strong and weak. No studying specifically for the test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 I am thinking about having my 9th grader take the psat soon. I was thinking about not having her study and just take the test to see where she is at and get the feel for taking the test. Has anyone done this? Yes. Last year I had my son (9th grade at the time) take both the PSAT and the ACT. He did not prep for either test. We also used the ACT to satisfy our state's homeschooling testing requirements for the year. He will be taking both the PSAT and the ACT again this year as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Well, when my children took the ACT or SAT in 7th as part of the Duke program, I just had them take a practice exam. Just 1 and no real "studying." I wanted them to realize that they wouldn't know it all and that was ok and also to get an idea of the timing. Christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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