Night Elf Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 1. Is the writing portion necessary? Can ds16 opt out? He'll likely do well on the regular portions but he'll freeze on the writing. He has Aspergers and writing quickly is just something he can't yet do. 2. Are there any other places to take the SAT besides in the local public high school? I can't find anything but it just seems odd. What if a 30 yr. old wanted to go to college for the first time? Would he really have to test at the local high school? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 The writing section is included. In fact, it is the first thing the students do. I have never heard of anyone opting out; I would assume one could just turn in a blank essay but it would definitely negatively affect the score. One of the universities in town administers the test. The high schools typically just administer the ACT which is more frequently taken by students. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in MA Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 No, you can't opt out of the writing section or the written essay on the SAT. You can, however, take the ACT with or without the written essay. A fair number of colleges require the SAT or ACT w/writing, so before signing up for the ACT without writing, you would want to make sure that the target college will accept it. HTH, Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 23, 2013 Author Share Posted January 23, 2013 The college he will apply to, besides the junior college, requires only a 450 in the reading section and the 460 in the math portion. The writing portion isn't mentioned. I just showed him a prompt from teh Dec. 2012 SAT and he said he could answer it, but he doesn't think he could write the essay in the time given. Also, the site says the student is given lined paper and is limited to that. How much lined paper do they receive? I don't think even I could judge the length of an essay I do based on how many lines are given to me. That seems bizarre. Another question. Do we need to get him a picture ID? He does not have, nor does he want, a drivers license. But I think the DMV will issue a picture ID. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy in nj Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 They receive 2 pages of lined paper and studies have shown that the essays that fill the pages score higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Another question. Do we need to get him a picture ID? He does not have, nor does he want, a drivers license. But I think the DMV will issue a picture ID. Yes, he will need an official photo id. In addition, you will have to upload a digital photo when you register your son for the test. If you don't want to get an official id from the DMV, the College Board has a form that you can download and get notarized that the testing facility will also accept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 23, 2013 Author Share Posted January 23, 2013 Thank you for the help. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 It is a good idea to get the government issue ID because he will likely need it for other purposes at some point too. He might even need it to get his college ID issued. Of course kids are all different, but it has been my observation that students with Asperger's often prefer the ACT because it is more predictable. The ACT is shorter and the test sections are always in the same order so you know what to expect. The SAT is a longer test and they have an "experimental section" where they are trying out new questions and the students aren't told which section is experimental. So they can get a section with harder or weirder questions which can be an anxiety trigger. Also, there is no guessing penalty on the ACT that that is more comfortable for some students. I've also had some students with Asperger's who have struggled more with the reading section on the SAT because there are questions that require more interpretation and inference type skills whereas the ACT is a bit more straightforward. As far as where to take the test, it varies by area but there are university test sites here for the ACT. If you go to the test registration online you'll be able to see the locations for your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tearose Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 The college he will apply to, besides the junior college, requires only a 450 in the reading section and the 460 in the math portion. The writing portion isn't mentioned. I just showed him a prompt from teh Dec. 2012 SAT and he said he could answer it, but he doesn't think he could write the essay in the time given. Also, the site says the student is given lined paper and is limited to that. How much lined paper do they receive? I don't think even I could judge the length of an essay I do based on how many lines are given to me. That seems bizarre. Another question. Do we need to get him a picture ID? He does not have, nor does he want, a drivers license. But I think the DMV will issue a picture ID. Has he considered taking it untimed or with extended time? Some of the possible accomodations to request are here: http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/ssd/accommodations/time It is noted with the score if the test was taken with extended time or untimed, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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