Sat vs. Act?????

[gingersmom]

How did you decide which one for your child to take? Did they take both?

 

Did they study for both?

Did they just use study guides or took a class?

 

Most importantly, when did they begin studying?

 

My daughter (high honor student) is not the best at standardized tests. She will procrastinate forever till it is the week before and decide to open a test prep book and study.

 

She wants to get a job this summer but I am thinking her job should be to prep for the SAT or ACT.

 

Thoughts?

[Brenda in MA]

How did you decide which one for your child to take? Did they take both?

 

Did they study for both?

Did they just use study guides or took a class?

 

Most importantly, when did they begin studying?

 

My daughter (high honor student) is not the best at standardized tests. She will procrastinate forever till it is the week before and decide to open a test prep book and study.

 

She wants to get a job this summer but I am thinking her job should be to prep for the SAT or ACT.

 

Thoughts?

 

My older one took only the ACT. I decided by having him take the PSAT and a practice test from The Real ACT book. He did much better on the ACT, so I had him focus on that. I find that Jr year is so busy, that trying to practice and prep for both the SAT and ACT was not time well spent for him. He ended up with a great ACT score and acceptances to many great colleges, so skipping the SAT wasn't a problem for him.

 

My next student is a different kind of test-taker. I am having him focus more on the SAT due to his strengths. If he does well on the SAT, I won't have him try the ACT.

 

Both of mine used prep books to study for the ACT or SAT. Doing many practice tests helps identify weak areas and also helps them to work on their timing so they can finish each section. Ideally, I think they should start prepping several months before the test. Summer is a great time to prep for a fall test date. I've found that in the spring, when lots of people take it, the student is a bit fatigued from the school year, and trying to prep on top of doing school work is hard.

 

If your dd tends to procrastinate, you might have to help her with scheduled study sessions and practice tests. Better yet -- roll up your sleeves and take the practice tests with her. It'll give you an appreciation of what she's going through, and it might give you some insight on the types of questions so you can give her guidance.

 

Best wishes to you and your dd!

Brenda

[In The Great White North]

Dc took the SAT because that is the only one offered by the local high school. They did well enough to get into the school of their choice so we didn't search out an ACT testing site.

[Lori D.]

Do one or both tests: JMO: do both

1. Some students do significantly better on one test rather than the other.

2. Some colleges/universities prefer one test over the other.

3. The tests are similar enough that prep for SAT usually helps some with the ACT, so might as well try it, too.

 

 

Study via Guides or a Class: your call (what are your goals?)

A lot of people start with the guides and practice tests and take the SAT to see where the student scores. If a 100 to 150-point increase in score would bump the student into a higher "bracket" for scholarship money, then it would be worth considering taking a study prep course and take the test a second or third time.

 

Do be aware that, YES, these courses really DO improve scores (several DC of friends all improved), BUT, they can only do so much, and they tell you that up front. If your student scored UNDER 1800 on a first SAT, the courses usually can guarantee a 100-150 point increase. If your student scored OVER 1800, then these courses tend to turn into very expensive individual tutoring sessions, which, yes, do help fine-tune your student's responses for a score increase, but they can no longer guarantee a big point increase.

 

These prep courses tend to be anywhere from 10 hours of class time (regular) to up to 60 hours (elite), and cost anywhere from $170 to $1200.

 

Only you can decide what your family goals re: finances and test results are, and how high of scores do you need and for what reason. And only your DD can tell you what her future goals are (i.e. how MUCH of a score does she need for college entrance and scholarships).

 

 

When to start studying: anywhere from 2 to 6 months in advance of the test

I'd suggest thinking of this as preparing rather than studying. It's more like exercise -- you want to be stretched out and have developed strong "testing muscles" from regular daily practice for several months in advance. You really can't study the test content, but you can learn how to prepare for the test by learning the tricks/tips of HOW to take the test, and then do practice tests. Spending 20-30 minutes a day as part of your daily school schedule for 2 to 6 months in advance of the test is reasonable. Or, you can take one of those prep courses in the summer before taking the test. (For example, check out the Princeton Review list of prep courses here.)

 

You can sign up for the daily SAT practice question to. be delivered to your email, through the College Board website.

 

You can also include in your homeschooling schedule a weekly practice of timed essay tests from a past SAT prompt.

 

 

Summer job or study: your call

I don't see why a good student can't reasonably do both, unless you feel DD is a good candidate for the $1800+ 60-hour dual-mastery prep course (both ACT and SAT test prep).

 

Another option: sit down with DD for 20-30 minutes a day over the summer, and oversee her doing some test prep guides or a weekly timed essay from a past prompt. I'm sure you can find a way to work that in 4-5 days a week in addition to a job...

 

Just a thought, FWIW: it sounds like you may not have a diligent, self-disciplined, self-starter when it comes to testing, so taking a prep course in the 6-8 weeks just before the test date might make it easier for all of you. Usually, those are the 10-hour courses in the evenings or weekends, so you can do it during the school year.

 

 

In general, the advice from BTDT moms on this board that I keep seeing tends to be:

 

- take ALL the practice tests in the Official College Board SAT prep book

- Rocket Review gets good marks from many as a helpful resource for tips/tiricks on test taking

- FREE video tutorials on Khan Academy on SAT prep also gets good marks from many as a helpful resource for tips/tiricks on test taking

- after taking the SAT, if your student really bombed the test, OR, if a 100-150 point increase would boost your student into the partial scholarship range -- or from partial to full scholarship range -- then a prep course and taking the test a second time is worthwhile

- some parents advocate multiple testing, as many students do increase scores with more testing, and many colleges allow you to send the best portion score (i.e., the math or the critical reading) from the different times of testing (on the other hand, other colleges look at ALL test scores, and if you've tested 5, 6 times and more, that may begin to look not as good for you)

 

 

And of course, don't forget to look through past threads that are tagged SAT, ACT, test prep, etc., for more great advice and past BTDT experiences! BEST of luck, whatever you decide! Warmly, Lori D.

Edited September 27, 2012 by Lori D.