How many times do your kids take the SAT?

[Janice in NJ]

I've read that 2-3 times is the norm?

 

I've also read that with Score Choice, there has been an increase in the number of kids taking it 4 or more times.

 

And I've read that some colleges "frown" on that. Others seem to encourage kids to try until they get better scores.

 

Care to weigh in?

 

Thanks,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

[momma2three]

Twice was the norm when I was in high school in the 90s. Everyone I knew who intended to go to college took the SATs at the end of Junior year, and again at the beginning of Senior.

 

I can see why doing it twice is a good idea... If you're having an off day, you can do better the other time. Taking it more than that seems silly (and expensive) unless you're doing the Talent Search thing in 7th grade.

[Brenda in MA]

Son took the PSAT, and then took ACT practice exams from the red Real ACT book. He did better on the ACT, so he went with that. He ended up taking the ACT only once. I tried to convince him to study a bit more and take it again, but he so loathed standardized testing, that it was once and done for him.

 

Brenda

[Mommyfaithe]

I've read that 2-3 times is the norm?

 

I've also read that with Score Choice, there has been an increase in the number of kids taking it 4 or more times.

 

And I've read that some colleges "frown" on that. Others seem to encourage kids to try until they get better scores.

 

Care to weigh in?

 

Thanks,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

 

Oldest took it once and refused to ever be subject to anything so utterly stupid again:tongue_smilie: this was Pre-essay SAT, she did great on the verbal...almost perfect 800 and ok on the math...650

 

Dd2 took it twice....first time she was a nervous wreck....and sick, and didn't do as great as she had hoped. She took it a second time and raised her scores at least 100 points in each section. This was essay-SAT....she scored around 2200-ish...can't remember exactly, the 2nd time.

 

Ds never took it at all....he sees no point, and if he goes to a school that requires one, he figures he can take it. I am not sure if that is true or not.

 

Ds 17 still has not taken an SAT. We are going to aim for September. Due to Lyme disease, He was waylaid awhile.....

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I've read that 2-3 times is the norm?

 

I've also read that with Score Choice, there has been an increase in the number of kids taking it 4 or more times.

 

And I've read that some colleges "frown" on that. Others seem to encourage kids to try until they get better scores.

 

Care to weigh in?

 

Thanks,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

 

I still think that Score Choice is a program designed to up the number of times students test, not to improve their scores.

 

You can flip through the list of college practices with SAT scores.

 

I read through the whole practices list when the Score Choice option came out. I found that, while there were some exceptions, the majority of schools wanting all scores were private (and often religiously affiliated) small colleges.

 

Obviously, we're not there yet. But I just got the feeling that it was a College Board solution in search of a problem. Or that the problem it was correcting was cash flow. I'm just incredibly cynical about this one.

 

I will probably have my kids plan to take it 2-3 times (twice in junior year and if necessary, once early senior year).

[Nissi]

Ds. took it in 10th grade to get into an AP class and later in the spring of 11th grade. I think we'll do the same with my younger one.

[Gwen in VA]

We do the "one and done" approach.

 

Why give the College Board more money than you have to?

[regentrude]

DD took the SAT in 7th grade and will take it once during high school.

She took the ACT last fall and will take it one more time to improve her score.

[nancy in nj]

it didn't work out that way. The gameplan was to prepare once and take both the SAT and PSAT in October of Junior year. My dd's 3-part SAT score was good due to a near-perfect writing score, but her composite reading/math was 1380 (690-690) which really put her smack in the middle 50th % of most of the colleges on her short list. She took it again in March and raised her reading score to a 760. Her math is still relatively low, but she is just plain done.

 

She has a near-perfect score on the Math 2 SAT II. If a college is so formulaic that it won't put more weight on the harder math test, it's not a school I would want my daughter at anyway.

 

We went to a seminar by a college-consultant last spring and the woman recommended taking the SAT at every opportunity since you could just focus on the section that needed improvement, and there is nothing to lose. Yeah, nothing to lose except your health..sanity....life.

 

Nancy

[mom31257]

Dd is only in 9th grade, but she in interested in going to a Christian college that has scholarships based on test scores, some of which are all 4 years tuition. I was thinking of having her take both the ACT and SAT at the end of her 10th grade year so that we could figure out which she'll naturally do better on. We could then focus all our test prep toward that test and take it again at the end of 11th and beginning of 12th if necessary to get her score where it needs to be. Is this a good idea or not?

[ereks mom]

I have my kids take the SAT and the ACT during spring of their junior year. Then I have them retake either the SAT or ACT--whichever they prefer--during the fall of their senior year. So, they take the ACT once or twice, and the SAT once or twice.

[emubird]

Only once for the first kid. Can't say yet for the other one.

[Guest tschilling]

I had my oldest two take the PSAT practice at home this last Christmas. This was so helpful to let me know what we really have not done so well on. I do not see much point in taking the real SAT more than once or twice if you really had a issue the first time. we still have a few year, as they are only 12 + 13, but it never hurts to try taking the free test ahead of time. Less stress on test day if you have an idea of what to expect.

[creekland]

Dd is only in 9th grade, but she in interested in going to a Christian college that has scholarships based on test scores, some of which are all 4 years tuition. I was thinking of having her take both the ACT and SAT at the end of her 10th grade year so that we could figure out which she'll naturally do better on. We could then focus all our test prep toward that test and take it again at the end of 11th and beginning of 12th if necessary to get her score where it needs to be. Is this a good idea or not?

 

Why not take practice tests at home to see which one she likes better first? If it's a toss up, then take both for real.

 

To get "testing practice" try to sign up at a local school for the PSAT. This is an inexpensive test given in October (only) that is used as a "practice" SAT. Junior year it's also used for National Merit consideration (a great designation to get for many colleges). Try it sophomore year to see if she's in contention junior year.

 

For my guys... PSAT sophomore and junior years. Then either the SAT or ACT in the fall of junior year followed up by a "final" test in the spring of their junior year. Oldest had his "final" test in the fall of his senior year as I hadn't yet figured out what I liked. ;) He missed the fall of junior year first test...

 

So, oldest took the SAT and ACT once each - did better on the ACT.

 

Middle took the ACT 3 times and never took the SAT after only getting commended with National Merit. He did better on the ACT.

 

Youngest has taken the PSAT sophomore year and will take his first SAT or ACT (pending practice tests) this fall around PSAT time (only prepping for one time period), then again next spring.

 

I think that will be it. I reserve the right to change my mind pending his scores.

[lllll]

...

[Jane in NC]

Slightly different situation for us, perhaps. The state of NC requires homeschoolers to take an annual standardized exam. The ACT is accepted for this requirement as it is a knowledge based exam, whereas the SAT (more of an aptitude test) is not. Thus the ACT became an annual event whereas he took the SAT once.

[Janice in NJ]

Hi Amy,

 

Good plan. Have you flipped through the prep books? It's a good thing to do in 9th grade. (Helps avoid any surprises. :001_smile:)

 

I would recommend that you check your library for these:

 

The Official SAT Study Guide

http://www.amazon.com/The-Official-SAT-Study-Guide/dp/0874478529/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333555903&sr=8-1

 

The Real ACT

http://www.amazon.com/The-Real-Edition-Prep-Guide/dp/0768934400/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333555934&sr=8-1

 

Just take a look at the practice tests to get a feel for the level of skill/knowledge required. You might even have your child take the diagnostic test to see how well she does.

 

If you're uncomfortable with your dd's skill level/knowledge base (keeping in mind that they grow quite a bit in two years), you might want to pick up a prep book and start teaching to the test a couple of times a week. :001_smile:

 

If so, I can recommend these. (These don't replace the official books. The official books have practice exams that are very close to the real thing. But I have found that these texts provide a gentle warm up to the skills needed. Decent coverage with a format that doesn't overwhelm. Very incremental.)

 

http://www.amazon.com/McGraw-Hills-2012-Edition-Christopher-Black/dp/0071764097/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333556203&sr=8-1

 

http://www.amazon.com/McGraw-Hills-CD-ROM-Edition-Mcgraw-Hills/dp/0071792988/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

[J-rap]

And I've read that some colleges "frown" on that. Others seem to encourage kids to try until they get better scores.

 

How would colleges know how many times you've taken it? I thought you get to choose which test scores to send.

 

My son took the SAT three times, working with a tutor in-between each one. Next one down took the SAT once and the ACT once. (She scored about exactly the same, on both.) Next one down took the SAT twice. Next one day hasn't taken it yet, but will take it in May and again in the fall. Next one has taken the SAT once, more as a practice. She'll take it at least one more time.

[Janice in NJ]

Different colleges have different policies for the SAT.

 

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/sat-score-use-practices-list.pdf

 

Peace,

Janice

[Lucy the Valiant]

Not for my own children, but I'm currently working part-time as an SAT Prep Tutor, and most of my kids take it 2-3 times, if not more.

 

The reason usually is that they want to get into a selective school with a minimum score acceptance, or they are applying for scholarship (or internship) programs that require the higher score.

 

Hoping my own kids only have to take it once.

[regentrude]

How would colleges know how many times you've taken it? I thought you get to choose which test scores to send.

 

No, not all schools allow that. Many colleges request that you report ALL scores.

[Laura in CA]

 

We went to a seminar by a college-consultant last spring and the woman recommended taking the SAT at every opportunity since you could just focus on the section that needed improvement, and there is nothing to lose. Yeah, nothing to lose except your health..sanity....life.

 

 

:iagree:

 

At the (one) college presentation we've attended so far, Caltech's, the admissions director told the kids in the audience: Trust us to "super-score" (take the best math score, best CR score, etc. across all attempts). He also told the kids to take the SAT/ACT once, maybe twice ... but not more. In his words, "You have better things to do with your Saturday mornings." Very reassuring! (Of course, the kids in attendance were pretty self-selecting as being bright and used to taking tests.)

 

My older son, who's looking at a small Christian school that gives generous scholarships for ACT 30+, and at large state schools (non-CA) where honors college admission is automatic for ACT 29+, took the ACT in Feb. and is taking it again in April (I've posted before about how his calculator didn't work and his math score came in much lower than he expected). If he gets just *one* point more on his ACT composite score, it will translate into *much* more merit aid at both the small Christian and large state schools! So ... to answer the question ... he might have been done after his first attempt, if his calculator had worked! As it is, we view that as a practice test. He now knows what to expect and is not dreading the re-take.

 

Now, a third try, he might protest at ... but then again, I've never seen him so motivated as when he looked at one school's "scholarship index" (combination of SAT/ACT score and GPA and how it translates into a four-year, two-year, or smaller scholarship). I think boys, especially, love having goals and challenges. He hadn't known what the big deal about these tests was, until he realized that a good score can translate into tens of thousands of dollars in tuition remission (saving him money that could then go toward a car LOL). :auto: ... or that would take him *years* to earn at his current salary of $9/hr!

[creekland]

:iagree:

 

At the (one) college presentation we've attended so far, Caltech's, the admissions director told the kids in the audience: Trust us to "super-score" (take the best math score, best CR score, etc. across all attempts). He also told the kids to take the SAT/ACT once, maybe twice ... but not more. In his words, "You have better things to do with your Saturday mornings." Very reassuring! (Of course, the kids in attendance were pretty self-selecting as being bright and used to taking tests.)

 

My older son, who's looking at a small Christian school that gives generous scholarships for ACT 30+, and at large state schools (non-CA) where honors college admission is automatic for ACT 29+, took the ACT in Feb. and is taking it again in April (I've posted before about how his calculator didn't work and his math score came in much lower than he expected). If he gets just *one* point more on his ACT composite score, it will translate into *much* more merit aid at both the small Christian and large state schools! So ... to answer the question ... he might have been done after his first attempt, if his calculator had worked! As it is, we view that as a practice test. He now knows what to expect and is not dreading the re-take.

 

Now, a third try, he might protest at ... but then again, I've never seen him so motivated as when he looked at one school's "scholarship index" (combination of SAT/ACT score and GPA and how it translates into a four-year, two-year, or smaller scholarship). I think boys, especially, love having goals and challenges. He hadn't known what the big deal about these tests was, until he realized that a good score can translate into tens of thousands of dollars in tuition remission (saving him money that could then go toward a car LOL). :auto: ... or that would take him *years* to earn at his current salary of $9/hr!

 

I've told all of my guys they can earn far more for college from studying for these tests than they ever will in a basic summer job. This assumes their colleges offer merit aid, but we choose those that do. It also means they have an easier time getting accepted (but a high score is certainly no guarantee).

[Lori D.]

One and done here.

 

BUT, that is because that is what fit our specific circumstances -- both DSs said in advance they were only willing to take each of the PSAT, SAT, and ACT one time. Neither was willing to go through a prep course to try and raise their scores. And neither had the goal of trying for a specific university or college program, as neither knew exactly what they wanted to do. If they had totally bombed the test by accidentally filling in bubbles wrong or were really feeling sick/poorly on the test day, that would have been the one situation in which I may have made them do that test a second time.

 

If I had a highly academically minded student who was self-motivated, I would consider doing each of those above tests twice. For me, it is NOT worth it if I have to stand behind people with a stick and force them to work, prep, study, etc. I have realized in the last 2 years that I'm too old to waste MY precious energy on other people's lack of motivation. ;)

 

BEST of luck, whatever you decide! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

ETA: I should also add that I am personally NOT in favor of these tests anyways. They are more about learning how to test rather than accurately assessing an individual student's abilities -- which could really only be done by a very savvy interviewer in a one-on-one process, which, of course, is not practical or financially feasible. That's also why I am not in favor of taking the tests multiple times and spending months of time in prep work -- all it shows is that the student "learned how to take this particular kind of test", rather than gauging how much knowledge a student has (an AP or CLEP test might be better at that), or even more important, how will a student perform in a college setting (something NO test is going to be able to accurately determine).

 

That said, I *did* try and give DSs a fair chance against all those who DO multiple testing and prep work by having them go through a DVD series with test-taking tips, and then taking a practice SAT exam (spread out over a week) from a prep book in the 2 months before the SAT and again before the ACT, so they would know what to expect.

Edited April 4, 2012 by Lori D.
added comments

[MorningGlory]

If I had a highly academically minded student who was self-motivated, I would consider doing each of those above tests twice. For me, it is NOT worth it if I have to stand behind people with a stick and force them to work, prep, study, etc. I have realized in the last 2 years that I'm too old to waste MY precious energy on other people's lack of motivation. ;)

Oh, Lori! I have always thoroughly enjoyed reading your encouraging literature posts...you have given me the heart and the hope and the will to do homemade lit on my own for my dear sons in high school...which is quite an accomplishment for this old math/science mom.

 

But this post above has got to be my favorite! I really laughed out loud when I read it...almost woke the toddler! I can see myself saying this when my younger son hits the testing time; I cannot imagine that he will be very motivated.

 

Having said that, my older son IS academically minded. He could do very, very well (he already has...in 7th grade) on these tests. But a large part of me rebels at the thought of having him take the tests over and over again. Some of his friends are signing up for the PSAT in 9th grade! Good grief. Here I am in my mid-40s feeling peer pressure...should I or should I not give in to the PSAT/ACT/SAT race?

 

Just thinking out loud.

[Cosmos]

DD took the SAT in 7th grade and will take it once during high school.

She took the ACT last fall and will take it one more time to improve her score.

 

What is the purpose in taking the SAT during middle school? I understand that some schools use this test for gifted students to inform their coursework placement. Is that the circumstance under which your DD took the test in 7th grade? If you were homeschooling at the time, I would be very interested to know your/her motivation. Thanks!

[regentrude]

What is the purpose in taking the SAT during middle school? I understand that some schools use this test for gifted students to inform their coursework placement. Is that the circumstance under which your DD took the test in 7th grade? If you were homeschooling at the time, I would be very interested to know your/her motivation. Thanks!

 

She took the SAT for the Duke TIP talent search. Her motivation? She had the opportunity and just wanted to. Just to see how she could do. And she did rather well.

ETA: We actually petitioned to keep the score, because we thought it might come in handy as a bargaining chip for early dual enrollment admission.

[AngieW in Texas]

My oldest took it twice. Her 2nd time was 200 points higher than the first.

 

My middle has taken it just once, but she outscored her older sister's highest score. She will probably take it again this summer to see if she can raise the score a few more points, but that will be it.

[Cosmos]

She took the SAT for the Duke TIP talent search. Her motivation? She had the opportunity and just wanted to. Just to see how she could do. And she did rather well.

ETA: We actually petitioned to keep the score, because we thought it might come in handy as a bargaining chip for early dual enrollment admission.

 

Good idea, and that's great for your dd. Thanks for the info!

[creekland]

I can see myself saying this when my younger son hits the testing time; I cannot imagine that he will be very motivated.

 

 

My oldest was never motivated to study for the tests. I bought the books, but he barely cracked them. Fortunately, he scored decently enough for merit aid anyway.

 

Middle son is super motivated on his own and I had to stop him from retaking the tests after his third (once as a sophomore and twice as a junior). He wanted to go for perfection on each section and was disappointed not to have had it.

 

Youngest is more like oldest in motivation without the natural talent in math. I'm hopeful that having some of his friends over for group practice will help. Time will tell.

 

Each kid is different - in spite of what we would like or wish to be true. :tongue_smilie:

 

I do what I can with the "game" because the money is worth it to us. I've never paid for courses - just for books. We each need to make our own decision about that aspect. I don't start before sophomore year. ;)

[Karenciavo]

My oldest took it twice, ds17 will probably take it 3x unless he he makes great strides in June.

[chepyl]

I took the ACT in 7th and 8th grade. I took the SAT every year in high school. I took the ACT one more time junior year. That was pretty standard for every one in honors at my school.

[Kareni]

We went to a seminar by a college-consultant last spring and the woman recommended taking the SAT at every opportunity since you could just focus on the section that needed improvement, and there is nothing to lose. Yeah, nothing to lose except your health..sanity....life.

 

 

... money ....

 

My daughter took the PSAT once and the SAT once, the latter in March of her junior year. Her scores for both were quite respectable. Given that she was tired of test taking after having done the PSAT, SAT, two AP exams, two SAT Subject tests, and the National Latin Exam, she said that she was done with the SAT.

 

Regards,

Kareni