ACT questions

[regentrude]

I know the student can, at the time of the test, select several schools and agencies to which the score is sent free of charge.

What do you do if you test early in high school and do not yet know where to apply? Do you select a few schools you are most likely going to apply to, or do you put the safety, or is there an agency that keeps the scores for you?

I tried to find this out on the ACT website, but did not succeed.

ETA: And what do schools do if they get sent test scores from students who have not yet applied? Store them for future use?

 

Another question about the scoring:

for the ACT with writing, the essay score is folded into the writing score, right? So if you mess up the essay, your composite is lower than it would be if you had chosen to do it without writing, yes?

So, if you take the ACT with writing, will they give you both a score with writing and a score without? Or only the one with?

Edited October 14, 2011 by regentrude

[creekland]

I know the student can, at the time of the test, select several schools and agencies to which the score is sent free of charge.

What do you do if you test early in high school and do not yet know where to apply? Do you select a few schools you are most likely going to apply to, or do you put the safety, or is there an agency that keeps the scores for you?

I tried to find this out on the ACT website, but did not succeed.

ETA: And what do schools do if they get sent test scores from students who have not yet applied? Store them for future use?

 

Another question about the scoring:

for the ACT with writing, the essay score is folded into the writing score, right? So if you mess up the essay, your composite is lower than it would be if you had chosen to do it without writing, yes?

So, if you take the ACT with writing, will they give you both a score with writing and a score without? Or only the one with?

 

I don't bother sending scores anywhere for students below junior year as the schools we have asked told us they don't keep them before then. This doesn't mean that all schools don't keep them before then, it's just our experience with schools I checked with prior to junior year. I did have both fall and spring of junior year scores sent to places I thought middle son would want to apply to. Those he eventually did apply to (so far) have had his scores. The scores actually triggered them into sending him more info that just the ordinary fliers sent out.

 

The essay score is sort of folded into the writing score - they offer it as a combined writing w/essay. It does NOT affect the composite score. The composite is solely made up from the 4 main sections (English, Math, Reading & Writing). Some schools have told us they only look at English and Math, so ideally you want those two to be the highest scores. Other schools have told us they only look at the composite. Those who want the essay have often told us they use it for placement. Those who don't want it have told us they don't feel it's a good sample of a student's writing.

[memphispeg]

If the tester wants to send out scores, I would have them sent to their local "safety schools" and may be the "dream schools" of the moment. Dd did not want to send her's out until after the test. This costs $$$. You also have to pay for each test date's scores you send out. More $$$.

[regentrude]

So would you say there is no point in taking it as a sophomore? How does that work with the archiving, do you have to pay extra to have scores retrieved that are older than two years?

Maybe we'll have to rethink the decision to have DD take it this December. Our reasoning was that it would be nice to have one no-pressure shot at it and plenty of time to re-take for a better score. She took a practice test this morning and did quite well, considering that it was totally unprepared and she had not reviewed at all.

THIS is much more stressful than the actual homeschooling.

[Elizabeth in WA]

We use the ACT to fulfill our annual testing requirement beginning when my students are 13 - old enough to register online - precisely because no one has to see the scores and there is no penalty associated with that unlike using score choice for the SAT which some schools do not accept. It also gives me apples to apples year on year comparisons and the kids experience with a more formal testing environment than even the big home school test sites near us have for the SAT10s that my younger children take. I have not had them write the essay yet, but plan to have them do that this year. In general, how old I will have them write the essay is individual to each kid.

 

Eventually (junior year?), we will start sending the scores, but by then I will already have a very good idea how they will score based on past experience with the actual test, which for us has not exactly mirrored practice tests.

[creekland]

So would you say there is no point in taking it as a sophomore? How does that work with the archiving, do you have to pay extra to have scores retrieved that are older than two years?

Maybe we'll have to rethink the decision to have DD take it this December. Our reasoning was that it would be nice to have one no-pressure shot at it and plenty of time to re-take for a better score. She took a practice test this morning and did quite well, considering that it was totally unprepared and she had not reviewed at all.

THIS is much more stressful than the actual homeschooling.

 

It's the school that doesn't keep the older scores (scores from students who are in less than their junior year), not the ACT folks. They keep all high school scores I believe. And remember, I can't answer for all schools.

 

I had my middle son take the ACT in the spring of his sophomore year just to get a feel for a real test. We didn't send his score anywhere and never intended to. He scored quite well, but still improved for his junior year tests which we did send. Both fall and spring of junior year scores were sent to 4 schools each (all different). He is applying to some of those schools, so it saved us $$. If, for whatever reason, he had felt he did poorly on the tests we could cancel sending the scores up until the Thursday after the test (I'm pretty sure it was Thursday). However, he knew he'd done well, so we sent the scores on and hoped he didn't make too many idiot errors. He didn't.

 

IF he had wanted to apply to certain tippy top schools, they ask to see ALL scores. In that case we would have to send his sophomore year score or lie about taking it (we'd send the score - it wasn't bad at all).

[Teachin'Mine]

So would you say there is no point in taking it as a sophomore? How does that work with the archiving, do you have to pay extra to have scores retrieved that are older than two years?

Maybe we'll have to rethink the decision to have DD take it this December. Our reasoning was that it would be nice to have one no-pressure shot at it and plenty of time to re-take for a better score. She took a practice test this morning and did quite well, considering that it was totally unprepared and she had not reviewed at all.

THIS is much more stressful than the actual homeschooling.

 

I think it's great to take in the sophomore year for practice. You can see what areas need work and then the whole testing situation is more familiar the next time. Don't stress! Your daughter will probably have fun taking the test and do extremely well. :)

[regentrude]

I think it's great to take in the sophomore year for practice. You can see what areas need work and then the whole testing situation is more familiar the next time. Don't stress! Your daughter will probably have fun taking the test and do extremely well. :)

 

Thanks for reassuring me. I never had to take any standardized test in my home country, so this whole operation gets me nervous.

[Starr]

Many public schools and prep school start their students taking SATs and ACTS early. My nephew took his first before high school. They also often take classes or work prep teaching time into their english classes. You can wait and see (and pay) for the best test to be sent to colleges or have the test scores of her testing in her junior or senior year sent to the colleges. Once she tests many colleges will email you and send you mail saying she is the student they are looking for. This is mostly a marketing tool.

[choirfarm]

It's the school that doesn't keep the older scores (scores from students who are in less than their junior year), not the ACT folks. They keep all high school scores I believe. ).

 

Actually they keep all scores. I was really surprised when I registered my son for the ACT in December. I found our old sheet from the Duke Tip when I made an account and tada. His 7th grade score was there!!! I figured it would be gone, but it wasn't.

 

Christine

[creekland]

Actually they keep all scores. I was really surprised when I registered my son for the ACT in December. I found our old sheet from the Duke Tip when I made an account and tada. His 7th grade score was there!!! I figured it would be gone, but it wasn't.

 

Christine

 

It's the colleges who told us they don't keep the older scores - not the testing company. I agree that the testing company keeps all scores. They have to for those students who need to send all scores (though generally you don't have to send any score from a test prior to high school).

 

Did you have his 7th grade test score sent to a college and the college kept it until he applied senior year? If so, then not all colleges are the same in what they keep. ;) That's entirely possible.

[creekland]

Thanks for reassuring me. I never had to take any standardized test in my home country, so this whole operation gets me nervous.

 

I suspect your daughter will do fine. For those who test well and are at or near the top, having good test scores is incredibly reassuring compared to just wondering if you've done enough of the "other stuff" (esp as a homeschooler). It'll still be chancy for admission to the top of the top schools as pretty much all who apply there have top scores and they have very low admission rates, but for other seriously good schools, many of which have nice merit aid, it's a bit of a relief.

 

I'm far more "concerned" with my youngest who has his strengths in the natural world. He's "good" at math/English and will test above average, but his niche is naturalistic as per the multiple intelligences theory. We're going to have to show that in other ways. His best section on the standardized tests is likely to be the writing section - the one colleges are least concerned about. :tongue_smilie: He's good at getting the details to figure out inaccuracies in the sentences (a trait of the naturalist). I'm pretty sure he'll score high enough to get into the college he really wants, but paying for it might be another story. Time will tell. I'm having him do his first ACT in October of next year I think (junior year), but we probably won't send the scores anywhere. Around here we only have options of taking the test in April and Oct. In April he won't have finished enough math to ensure he does well since we're on block scheduling and he's taking Alg 2 in the spring. Then we'll have to fill in gaps over the summer.

[choirfarm]

It's the colleges who told us they don't keep the older scores - not the testing company. I agree that the testing company keeps all scores. They have to for those students who need to send all scores (though generally you don't have to send any score from a test prior to high school).

 

Did you have his 7th grade test score sent to a college and the college kept it until he applied senior year? If so, then not all colleges are the same in what they keep. ;) That's entirely possible.

 

Grin.. sorry. I thought you meant the testing company. And that is true for the SAT. I had my middle son take the SAT for the Duke program instead of the ACT. ( He's my more creative thinker.. oldest is more facts ACT oriented). They purged his SAT score, so it is no longer anywhere. I was going to have them send it to the cc to show for dual enrollment, but couldn't do it.

 

Christine

[creekland]

Grin.. sorry. I thought you meant the testing company. And that is true for the SAT. I had my middle son take the SAT for the Duke program instead of the ACT. ( He's my more creative thinker.. oldest is more facts ACT oriented). They purged his SAT score, so it is no longer anywhere. I was going to have them send it to the cc to show for dual enrollment, but couldn't do it.

 

Christine

 

I was wondering if a school would keep a 7th grade score. If so, that had to have been a really good score!

 

I only talked with a couple of schools prior to my guy's 10th grade test and they told us they'll start a file for junior/senior students, but not generally younger since so many retake the test later and do better as well as change their minds and never apply. They didn't definitively say they never keep an earlier test, so perhaps a really good score would catch their eye. I don't know. Some other schools who have to work more to recruit students might start a file since someone has shown interest. I checked with competitive schools who don't have a problem getting applicants... they still recruit, but are mainly concerned with juniors and seniors (though both had sent middle son info from his sophomore PSAT).

Edited October 15, 2011 by creekland

[MBM]

If you're just looking for a practice assessment test, sophomores can take a pre-ACT test called the PLAN. It's designed to help kids figure out where they're weak. It's mostly an assessment test, but it also does a little bit of career exploration.

 

http://www.act.org/plan/

 

The actual test is about three hours long including breaks. Sophomores at my son's high school took it last week. I had never heard of it until this year, so I don't know much about it except that it exists.

[choirfarm]

I was wondering if a school would keep a 7th grade score. If so, that had to have been a really good score!

 

QUOTE]

It wasn't that good of a score.

My middle one made a 520 on the SAT critical reading, but that would have been good enough for entrance to the cc so he wouldn't have had to take the THEA... Oh well. They will keep the Duke scores IF you request it. I wouldn't have requested it anyway. Now his math was only 450, but to be honest I was thrilled with that in 7th grade. He isn't my math kid. HOWEVER, he aced the math THEA last spring and can be placed in Alg II if he wants, so despite the fact that I thought he didn't get Alg I, he must have gotten something.. I just don't get it.

[Teachin'Mine]

Thanks for reassuring me. I never had to take any standardized test in my home country, so this whole operation gets me nervous.

 

You're welcome. :)

[regentrude]

If you're just looking for a practice assessment test, sophomores can take a pre-ACT test called the PLAN. It's designed to help kids figure out where they're weak. It's mostly an assessment test, but it also does a little bit of career exploration.

 

 

No, we're not looking for practice; DD is trying to get a good no-pressure shot at something that actually counts. She has already taken the SAT in 7th.

I do not understand the "pre"- tests anyway - is it just a money making scheme? I mean, they could simply take the actual ACT or SAT for practice, so why have all these other things (PLAN, EXPLORE and whatever else)?

And if somebody just wants to identify weak areas, he could simply take a practice test at home for free.

So, what is the point in taking the PLAN test?

[creekland]

So, what is the point in taking the PLAN test?

 

I'm not at all familiar with the PLAN test with as little as the ACT is offered around here, but my guess is that they will try to link scholarships to it in a similar fashion as the PSAT (if they haven't already).

 

Also, if it's like the PSAT, it's a low cost test practice (some places free, others up to $20 or so). For many students there's an extra "nervousness" to taking a real test that just can't be duplicated at home. Taking the practice test(s) helps a ton with that for most students. Like anything else, the first time or two one does something, it cranks out the butterflies. Once one does the "nerves creating" thing and lives, the next time the body isn't quite so fearful about it. It's human nature.

[MBM]

No, we're not looking for practice; DD is trying to get a good no-pressure shot at something that actually counts. She has already taken the SAT in 7th.

I do not understand the "pre"- tests anyway - is it just a money making scheme? I mean, they could simply take the actual ACT or SAT for practice, so why have all these other things (PLAN, EXPLORE and whatever else)?

And if somebody just wants to identify weak areas, he could simply take a practice test at home for free.

So, what is the point in taking the PLAN test?

 

 

Yes, what Creekland said.

I'm sure it's somewhat of a money-maker.

 

I think the idea is to have students take the PLAN test so that they can get more experience taking the test in a group setting as well as help them become familiar with the ACT if parents can't or don't offer it at home. That's my guess. It's new to me, so I don't know much about it.

 

It also claims to help with career planning, but again, I don't know how exactly.

 

Just throwing the information out there for anyone who might be interested.