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How well did practice test scores correlate to actual ACT scores for your student?


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My kids score significantly lower on the real test. Low enough that I finally sent them for private tutoring. After the first session, the tutor said he had never see such a discrepancy before (one dd in particular). After tutoring, one's score stayed exactly the same. The other had an increase of 5 points, but still was not as high as her practice tests.

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It depended on the practice book. I thought the Kaplan book was easy and dd and ds scored a little higher on practice exams than on the test. The Princeton book was spot on. It very accurately predicted their scores. I found the Barrons book to almost over teach and they scored a point or two better on the exam than they did on the practices. That's true with the AP. DD did the Princeton book and came out as a 5 on the Chem AP and Physics AP as well as 5's for the online practice exams from the college board. However, she only received 3's or the occasional, barely 4 on the Barrons. Yet, she got 5's on the actual AP's. I think Creekland has had the same experience with Barrons.

 

I think one could use Barrons and the online practice exams and then look at an average of the two and it would give a pretty accurate picture. I wouldn't go by Barrons alone. However, I think that the over teaching that Barrons does, can be very good for the right student. But, I'll have to be very careful with eldest boy because he has test taking anxiety and if I use Barrons with him, he's going to be so discouraged going into the test, that it may shake his confidence enough to have him double guessing himself and bomb the exam when he takes it this spring again. He's just finishing a Kaplan now, and we'll spend February and March doing a 2012 Princeton book and then the 2013 book. Hopefully, his nerves will have calmed down by then. DD had TERRIBLE nerves and it was a real trial to help her overcome them, which thankfully, she did. I'm looking forward to going through this with my middle and youngest who are pretty happy-go-lucky, and fearless adventurers. It will make a nice change. :D

 

One thing I did do to try to get an accurate picture was to also recreate a bit of the testing environment at home. Get them up early, eat early, make sure they have protein, pull together the supplies, get everyone out of the room except myself as proctor so that it's ultra quiet, and then start doing those practice exams one after another with the prescribed breaks in between, grab that banana and cheese, snarf it down, run to the bathroom, get back before the deadline, start in on it again. However, in order to make it happen, be sure to turn your cell phone off, unplug your landline phone, get your husband to LEAVE THE HOUSE so he won't be constantly interrupting because he can't find his pen, his glasses, his.... :angry:, and put a sign on the door that you aren't receiving visitors. Otherwise, you just end up with a lot of interruptions.

 

Faith

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We used the REAL ACT prep book as well as the on-line Peterson practice tests. They were a pretty accurate indicator.

 

My dd took the test in October, and then again December 8. Her score went up 2 points. (she said she was a lot less stressed the second time, since she knew what to expect). She will be taking it again one final time in April.

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