happykids Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 It was the first time for my 11th grade dd. She thinks she did very well in the English portion, fairly well in the reading, and is not sure about the rest. That science section can be a bear! Thankfully, she was able to finish all the sections before running out of time! When it was over, they all got to spend an extra 20 minutes answering an experimental section. She did enjoy the experience of taking the test and will probably retake it next year. ~Sabrina in NY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyinNNV Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 It was the first time for my 11th grade dd. She thinks she did very well in the English portion, fairly well in the reading, and is not sure about the rest. That science section can be a bear! Thankfully, she was able to finish all the sections before running out of time!When it was over, they all got to spend an extra 20 minutes answering an experimental section. She did enjoy the experience of taking the test and will probably retake it next year. ~Sabrina in NY It was the first time for my dd too. She is going into 9th grade. She felt good about the English. She said that she almost ran out of time on the reading, which has never happened to her while taking the CAT, so that was a good thing to find out. She did say the reading selections were dull and dumb (and that from someone who enjoyed reading Civil Disobedience). She and I were both bummed that she didn't feel better about the science as she just completed BJU's Physical Science. We both hoped that some of that might end up on the test. The only thing she saw was questions on mechanical advantage. Math isn't her strong suit, but she said that there were some problems that she could do. She said that there was lots of geometry, but that is from the perspective of someone who hasn't taken geometry. She is a pretty good writer, but wasn't thrilled about her essay. She said she used her brother as one of her examples. When we were walking towards the hs we got lots of weird looks. I didn't see any other parents or siblings, maybe that's why. But, my dd said that nobody bothered her. All in all, she had no complaints. If anyone has any specific questions, I'd be happy to ask her while her memory is relatively fresh. Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tullia Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 that the test was harder than any of the practice tests he had taken, but that the essay prompt was better than he'd expected. He actually enjoyed writing his essay. (He thinks that the PSAT/SAT practice tests have been more challenging than the real thing.) He had a science test form which doubled up on his least favorite science. Thanks to a suggestion posted here by Laurie, he was able to pace himself better on the reading test, and and so he felt that section went better than on some of his earlier practice. He felt confident about the English test. Math is his toughest subject so we'll see how that went. Overall, he prefers the ACT to the SAT, and will probably decide to repeat it instead of the SAT in the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Wisc Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 I was off doing other things, and the DEAR BOY FORGOT to go to take the test. :banghead: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in MO Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 thought it was about the same as the practice tests she took (we used The Real ACT Prep Guide, but she didn't think she did as well on the real test as she did on the practice tests. She also said that about the PSAT, though, so we'll just have to see how she did. She didn't do the essay; I let her have her choice this time, but next year (which will be 11th grade) I want her to do the essay. She thought she did well on the English and reading sections, but said she was about 3/4 of the way through the math section when she realized she had only a few minutes left, so she just randomly guessed for the rest of the questions. I was actually glad she did that! Hopefully next year, though, after doing Alg. II and Trig., she'll be able to do better and actually finish the math section. She said she also had to guess on a few of the science questions at the end, too. Holly, don't feel bad about the science section; for one thing, your daughter is still young. For another, the science section (I've heard, anyway) is more how well you can interpret graphs, charts, etc., and reading into data. I've heard the science section can be a bit difficult that way. That was our day---we can home and I let her rest for the remainder of the day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moira in MA Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 When we were walking towards the hs we got lots of weird looks. I didn't see any other parents or siblings, maybe that's why. But, my dd said that nobody bothered her. DD took an AP at a local prep school, there were no other parents in sight. When she took the SAT II last weekend there were quite a few parents with their teen -- it was a regional test site -- I think a parent is more likely to attend if their teen doesn't know the site. jmho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Ds was comfortable with the English. He got through nearly all the reading, which is much better than he did in practice tests (just guessed at last 3 questions.) Thought he did poorly on the science. Not sure about the essay. (All the ones on the practice tests were inane.) Thought he did pretty well on the math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleinMN Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Ds 16 and dd 14 both said that they thought it went pretty well. Dd thought it was easier than the practice tests she did. They both did the essay part too. I hope their scores agree with their feelings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 I was off doing other things, and the DEAR BOY FORGOT to go to take the test. :banghead: Oh, no! How very frustrating, Jean. You have my admiration if that 'd' in db still stands for 'dear'! Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 I was off doing other things, and the DEAR BOY FORGOT to go to take the test. :banghead: Don't feel bad, Jean. My dd skipped it on purpose!! She did so with my permission, however. She had worked at Cub Scout Day Camp this week during the day, and then worked at our semi-pro ball park each evening as our local team had a homestand this week (she is a chicken dance girl). Friday night there was a rain delay and it was pushing midnight before she got home. She would not have scored well at all. It would be cheaper to pay the fee to take the test a different day, than to have her test and then retest because her score would not have been accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 In April ds took the ACT at the local public school and it was chaotic to say the least. He did not test well. Saturday he took the ACT at a local college and he said that it was much better organized. I hope that the better organization leads to better scores. Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in MO Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 In April ds took the ACT at the local public school and it was chaotic to say the least. He did not test well. Saturday he took the ACT at a local college and he said that it was much better organized. I hope that the better organization leads to better scores. Mandy I know I would have a hard time taking any test if the testing procedures were chaotic and the environment was loud. I would feel pretty "flustered" inside! Hope it went better this time for your ds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 I know I would have a hard time taking any test if the testing procedures were chaotic and the environment was loud. I would feel pretty "flustered" inside! Hope it went better this time for your ds! Thanks, I talked to his Kumon instructor about prep courses and she felt that even when ds knows the material how well he tests is largely dependent on his state of mind. Her suggestion was to have him take the test many, many times. Since he will only be entering 11th grade in the fall, there will be many, many opportunities. I'm sure that he is thrilled. LOL Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisN in NY Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 My dd also took the test on Saturday; it was her first time. She studied with a friend, using one of the test prep books. The first feedback she gave was about how long it was. She didn't think it was too hard, but she did run out of time for the last 4 math questions. That was the only section she didn't finish. We do IOWAs every year, and she usually uses nearly the full time allotted for each section on that too. Her IOWA scores are usually in the 60th to 70th percentile, and I expect her ACT score to be in that range as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happykids Posted June 18, 2008 Author Share Posted June 18, 2008 It was fun reading everyone's thoughts! Dd is counting the days until June 25th when you can view your scores online! ~Sabrina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwilliams1922 Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 When we were walking towards the hs we got lots of weird looks. I didn't see any other parents or siblings, maybe that's why. But, my dd said that nobody bothered her. I walked my dd in to the school for the SAT this month. I talked to the proctor to let him know she was only 12 and I was only a phone call away should she need to leave earlier than the expected time. Kids looked a bit but no one made a big deal. Lucky dd was too nervous about the test to worry about mom coming in with her. :) Now if I can just wait till the end of the month to see the scores.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyinNNV Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 I walked my dd in to the school for the SAT this month. I talked to the proctor to let him know she was only 12 and I was only a phone call away should she need to leave earlier than the expected time. Kids looked a bit but no one made a big deal. Lucky dd was too nervous about the test to worry about mom coming in with her. :) Now if I can just wait till the end of the month to see the scores.... My dd had a similar reaction. "They were looking at me? I don't really care cuz I had other things to worry about. Anyways, they were probably looking at you, mom!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 In April ds took the ACT at the local public school and it was chaotic to say the least. He did not test well. Saturday he took the ACT at a local college and he said that it was much better organized. I hope that the better organization leads to better scores. Mandy Good News! Ds's composite went from a 17 to a 21. Reading came up 2 points. Science and math came up 3 points. English came up 8 points from a 16 to a 24! Whew! Ds's response, "Well, at least I know I'm not a total idiot." Poor guy. We did no test prep work between the two dates. The night before the second test he went to a friend's house until 10:30 and ate junk for dinner. He ate McDonald's on the way to the test center. I presented it as a no-big-deal happening. The plan now is to repeat the test once in the fall and once in the spring just to get more comfortable and to include the essay portion which his has yet to take. Then, we will prep between the spring date and the June date. Update from- Mandy, who is feeling much better about homeschooling high school Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwilliams1922 Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 I was shocked at the mess. There were hundreds of kids outside the high school along the side walk. A very rude lady would open the front door ever few minutes and call out a secion of names 'Ames through Clemmson come in now!' It was impossible for the entire crowd to hear what she was calling. When people made their way up to ask her to repeat, she was sooooo rude. I meant to call the school and suggest they put up signs to help the kids sort them selves. It took almost an hr to get all the kids into the building and in the correct rooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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