Taking the SAT in 7th 8th grade

[amyx4]

Are there any negatives to taking the SAT in 7th & 8th grade? Is it worth for the average student? Or is it really only a good idea for the brightest students? Thanks

[Saille]

I tutor for the SAT, and there's an uptick in families sending 7th/8th graders for tutoring. The advantages appear to be:

 

1. Some summer-type gifted programs accept SAT scores as a measure of eligibility.

2. It gives a student plenty of time to get comfortable with the test before it's time to think about things like National Merit Scholarships.

3. It gives parents a chance to identify and fill in gaps, and to set expectations AFA what their student should be learning in HS in order to do well on the SAT.

[Muttichen]

We always have our kids take the SAT in 7th and 8th grade because it is practice with the test that is off the record. Our local school puts all of the middle school kids in a room together, so they usually are taking it with kids they know. It's always been a good experience for us.

[scooby-do]

My child and others I know began taking the test in 8th grade. It really gives the child time to learn what types of questions there will be and gets them comfortable with it. The test can be taken as many times as the child wants; and the best grades are pulled from each area. My child took it three times and they pulled her best math, writing, etc. The more my child took it ,the less anxious they became.

[Saille]

Another thought--the ACT has no penalty for guessing, plus the writing section is optional. It might be a better choice for a middle schooler. The SAT's writing section is required and it comes first--it wipes out a lot of kids...

 

The ACT has Calculus and Trig on it. The SAT only goes through Geometry. Although there are only four passages on the reading section, I find them excruciating. I think the SAT's passage-based reading questions are often more straightforward. I joke that the ACT is Windows, and the SAT is Mac.

 

If you were going to do the SAT early, I'd do prep. The questions, as well as the skills tested, are very formulaic. You know what you're getting, whether the questions are in order of difficulty on that particular section, etc.. You could get Kaplan books and go through them yourself, or you might have a program in your area. (I really do love our test prep program. I work for a national tutoring franchise. Am happy to drop the name to anyone who wants to pm me.) Homeschooled students who've had grammar all along and have practice writing five-paragraph argumentative essays should be fine on the Grammar once they're familiar with the question types, and once they learn to identify the error BEFORE looking at the answer choices. There may be a gap on the vocabulary (words like abstemious, garrulous, phlegmatic, etc.) and on some of the math skills. That's important to keep in mind when you look at the scores. I'm rambling, but there's an impatient kid behind me waiting to read Aristotle Leads the Way together. :D Will be back.

[Barbara H]

If the child is performing approximately at grade level in most subjects, I don't think it is worth it because a lot of the material, especially math, is going to be out of range. It has a risk of promoting anxiety because the material is so far out of range.

 

For students who are performing at the high school level in some subjects it makes a lot more sense. We were glad to have talent search scores because they helped us plan for high school and we used the scores for dual enrollment admissions.

 

If you want a group testing experience just so they know what that's like I'd check and see what is being offered by local homeschool groups. If you want them to specifically take an ACT or SAT product you could see if your public schools would allow a student to take the PLAN or EXPLORE. And, of course you could also get an SAT or ACT test book from the library and just try a sample test at home. Less expensive and if they are getting stressed out you can call an end to it.

[Barbara H]

The ACT has Calculus and Trig on it. The SAT only goes through Geometry. Although there are only four passages on the reading section, I find them excruciating. I think the SAT's passage-based reading questions are often more straightforward. I joke that the ACT is Windows, and the SAT is Mac.

 

 

The Mac and PC analogy is good because some learners really do think more like one system. It is so interesting to me how individual this is. Many students find the ACT much more straight forward and the SAT trickier (and more coachable).

 

For "out of level" (7th and 8th grade SAT testing) talent search advises that students are not coached aside from a very short review of the instructions and how to fill out bubble sheets. That's what we did and I'm glad because as a parent I really wanted to see what the unprepped scores would be like because it gave us helpful information for planning high school and college. If we'd prepped I would have wondered how much we skewed the process.

[snowbeltmom]

The ACT has calc? I've never heard that. It has always had some trig but the the SAT added trig a few years ago too.

Unless changes were made to the ACT this year, the ACT does not test calc.

[Barbara H]

ACT math description: http://www.actstudent.org/testprep/descriptions/mathcontent.html

[Saille]

Thanks, Barbara. You're absolutely right. Trig, no Calc.

[mom4peace]

My older son, 14, took the ACT in both 7th and 8th grade just to see how he was progressing on that front. That said, he's a HG/PG kid, so grade-level instruments just don't give much information.

 

The SAT is significantly longer than the ACT, which for my son was a good reason to stick with the ACT (without the writing portion). As others have mentioned, they are very different tests. There is a bit of trig on the ACT, although it's the bare basics (sine, cosine, tangent, cotangent, cosine, and cotangent).

 

I'd stick the the EXPLORE for a child at grade-level (ACT's 8th/9th grade test). Producing anxiety for a 7th or 8th grader about high-stakes testing would be a big mistake. We've used the ACT and EXPLORE to boost confidence and look for gaps. So far, it's served us well.

[SS in MD]

Both our older girls took the SAT in 8th grade. It was a good experience for them and the non high schoolers were put in a seperate room. Also it gave the kids the experience of what it was like to take the SAT and a timed test (in a non-stessful way). Also, showed us what we needed to work on and gave them confidence in their abilities. The score doesn't stay on their record (unless you specifically request it). Oldest dd's score was very good, and we were contemplating keeping it, but decided against it, since she will take it again in her junior year.

 

Good Luck!

[brandigirl]

Hi I as someone who took it in 7 th grade and passed with decent scores made it to state I am here to tell you I didn't do a thing for me. I was proud when I received my Duke Tip award but guess what 15,000 other kids were awarded it in my state. I don't think colleges care about those things. People seem to always been in a hurry to write this or take this but honestly the more I advance the more I realize it's all a game and the better you can play along the rules the better chance you have. Have you dc take it it will expose them to the fun that is standardized testing ... I am sorry I am just rambling after having messed up heat another Chem problem :glare: and with less than 1 month to AP exams I am very cranky. Congrats on this opportunity for your kid but please don't stress them out it's not fun and there will be so many things to stress over latter :(

[Colleen]

Are there any negatives to taking the SAT in 7th & 8th grade? Is it worth for the average student? Or is it really only a good idea for the brightest students? Thanks

 

I think it's overkill.

[Chez J]

I am planning for DD to take it next year in 7th. The only reason is to qualify for camps that require it. She takes the Stanford every year at the end of the year, so she's used to a timed test - just not all in one day.

 

BTW, 7th graders do not have to score like an 11th grader. :) They have a lower cutoff score required.

[MorningGlory]

Older ds took the ACT in 7th. It was a great experience for this son, and it was very helpful to me because I realized (when I got his score and the Duke score report) that I was "holding him back". This son always scores in the very tip-top on the SAT 10. We are adjusting our materials and plans for him accordingly.

 

Younger ds will NOT take the ACT in 7th. It would be torture to him. He scores "above average" on the SAT 10 every year, but I see no point in making him sit for the ACT. I think it would scare him and make him dread the test in high school.

 

So no. I don't see enough advantages for an "average" kid to take the test in 7th and 8th. But that is just my 2 cents.

[regentrude]

I do not think it would be worth it for average students because they simply would not have the math (algebra and trig) to achieve a decent score. I would only recommend it for a student who has taken at least algebra.

 

This said, I can recommend it for a strong student. DD took it in 7th; we kept the score for dual enrollment. I was a no-risk way to get familiar with the test because the score does not count unless you want it to.