When do you begin SAT and PSAT prep? And when do you take it?

[Janeway]

Someone from a home school group I attended a while ago recommended using a prep book and starting in 9th grade. I don't think he meant an hour a day in 9th grade, I think he meant more like a little bit of time each week. It seems to me this could be helpful.

 

Also, I found out that some of our local public high schools have the 9th graders taking the PSAT. Should we be looking to that?

[Joker]

My dd has taken the PSAT since 8th grade but has never done any prep. She did very well this year in 10th. She will prep for next year's test since it counts.

[regentrude]

PSAT only counts for NM in 11th grade. It may be useful to take it for practice in 10th.

SAT - I recommend first round of testing in fall of Jr year. That way, student can retake the test in the spring, and if absolutely necessary in fall of senior year. The latter is to be avoided if at all possible, since Sr year will be crazy, and the fall test results too late for early action applications.

 

We started targeted prep a few weeks before the test. I see no need to prep for several years - the best prep is a thorough subject mastery of math and English, which has been cultivated since 1st grade. The targeted test prep to drill format and timing does not have to take several years.

Edited January 8, 2016 by regentrude

[LisaKinVA]

We haven't done anything. I wanted my son to at least take a full length test, but time got away from us. DD (8th) wasn't allowed to take the test this year, because she's not in the special school program (not because she's not qualified, but it requires her to take 8th grade classes in English, history and science...which among other things wouldn't allow her to be homescooled at all). DD will take it next year, with the most basic preparation planned (basic test taking strategies, and one full test). Beyond that, I want to have an idea of where she's at. She typically tests very well.

 

DS begins prepping for next year, now. He's a sophomore, so next year counts. The hope is that he scores well enough on the ACT/SAT to no longer worry about those tests his senior year. DS has the ability to make commended or NMQST, but that is not our goal.

 

Currently, the plan starts with:

 

1) Seeing if he can answer missed problems correctly, absent a time limit.

2) Taking the math portions of a PSAT practice test without a time limit.

 

Based upon this, the review needed can be determined. Varying from regular small bites of Khan Academy practice, and/or bookwork, with several practice tests scheduled between May and October, to more in-depth gap filling, possibly slowing down his math progression to make room for the gap filling, again with practice tests. My first goal is that foundational concepts are solid, more than a super-high score.

 

This is the plan, anyhow. But so is completing the school year in May ;)

[Julie of KY]

The main test prep is good solid teaching over years of school.

 

Other test prep - be sure to do a full length test. I have my kids take as much time as they want, but time it so I have a good idea how cramped for time they are. Next we analyze what they missed - do I need to teach something more or learn test taking strategies? Do they need to learn to go faster?

 

I don't cram a lot of test prep in, but I do try to find out what if difficult and why and see if I can correct it.

 

 

[JoJosMom]

DD took the PSAT for the first time this year, 8th grade, for a pre-high school baseline.  We did not do any organized preparation, but I did give her the official prep book and gave her time to go through it, more for familiarity than anything else.  I did not want her to get freaked out by completely alien questions.

 

My DD is an easy-going kid and does not mind test-taking.  I was actually somewhat surprised how difficult she found the process.  The loooong delay filling out the forms did not help, nor did the fact that her blood sugar crashed late in the game.  Although I will leave the decision about whether to take the PSAT next year to her, I will likely encourage her to do so, simply to address the process issue above.  When it matters, I would like her to have a certain comfort level developed.  For 11th grade, I will provide study materials, as well.  National Merit is a highly realistic prospect here.

 

HTH.  :001_smile:

[Kareni]

I'd suggest having your child do the The Official SAT Question of the Day beginning in 9th grade.

 

I had my daughter take a practice SAT (at home) at the beginning of 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. This was to get a baseline as to her strengths and weaknesses and to see if there were any gaps that we needed to address. It was also a good method of having her become familiar with the test.  (I actually had her take the ACT test once to see if this test was a better match for her.)

 

My daughter found the Chalk Dust SAT Math Review to be helpful for the math portion of both the PSAT and SAT.  I had my teen watch the DVD and stop it whenever she needed/wished to work a problem. She also did several practice tests (in their entirety) as well as worked through math sections in the big blue book. Ideally, I'd start the Chalkdust program about 8 weeks before the test for maximum effect.

 

I'd also suggest reading/working through a PSAT or SAT prep book to learn some test taking strategies.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[justasque]

...the best prep is a thorough subject mastery of math and English, which has been cultivated since 1st grade. The targeted test prep to drill format and timing does not have to take several years.

 

This.  

And do not underestimate the usefulness of, for lack of a better term, play.  Playing with math through games, playing with language through exposure to clever writing, wordplay, and good literature, playing with ideas through the arts.  Bookwork has its place, but the kind of nimble mind that does well on standardized tests can, in my experience, be cultivated and exercised through exposure to and participation in a variety of intellectual environments and challenges, of which the world of textbooks, worksheets, and assigned work is a part, but not the whole package.

[MarkT]

Someone from a home school group I attended a while ago recommended using a prep book and starting in 9th grade. I don't think he meant an hour a day in 9th grade, I think he meant more like a little bit of time each week. It seems to me this could be helpful.

 

Also, I found out that some of our local public high schools have the 9th graders taking the PSAT. Should we be looking to that?

my DS took the real PSAT in 9th grade because his charter school requires it (parents still pay) it was interesting to see but sort of a waste of time - 10th grade is a better time to start

 

Also don't take the PSAT 10 in 10th grade take the real PSAT/NMSQT

                               ^another un-needed CB product IMHO

Edited January 11, 2016 by MarkT

[MarkT]

PSAT only counts for NM in 11th grade. It may be useful to take it for practice in 10th.

SAT - I recommend first round of testing in fall of Jr year. That way, student can retake the test in the spring, and if absolutely necessary in fall of senior year. The latter is to be avoided if at all possible, since Sr year will be crazy, and the fall test results too late for early action applications.

 

If you don't care about Early Action/Admission then Spring Junior year for SAT (maybe June) is good. Since 11th grade usually has lots of AP tests and will be more stressful for my DS - YMMV

[JoanHomeEd]

When do you begin SAT and PSAT prep? 10 days or so before the test. Practice from the Official SAT Study Guide (untimed + timed). Additionally, a last minute review on Trig.

Other than that, before high school:

Finishing EPGY high school Math + Math competitions helped SAT I (Math) 800.

Love of reading + Spelling Bee helped to improve SAT I (CR) to 800.

Lots of Grammar diagramming helped SAT I (W). But never reached 800.

 

During high school:

High school Math competitions + AoPS Math + Dual Enrollment for higher Math; SAT I (Math) remained 800 and PSAT (Math) were 80s.

No more Grammar diagraming, but PSAT (W) were 80s.

Lit analysis + tons of writing helped to improve SAT I (W) to 800.

Interestingly, PSAT (CR) dropped from 80 to 78 between 2 tests. Thankfully, maybe the reminder (not to over-analyze) helped the 800 SAT I (CR).   

 

And when do you take it?

Mine took the SAT I in 6^th, 7^th, 8^th, and 12^th grades. PSAT in 9^th and 11^th grades.

[Guest2]

Kids in my area start early...very very early. It could and probably is a cultural thing. That being said, they are taking the same classes as my DD's other public and private school friends, and getting similar grades. The early prep kids are getting much better scores. Their parents start with test prep books and by high school they are using a test prep progam. This one is common http://www.testmasters.com.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Silver Brook

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I don't think that it is necessary to do a lot of concentrated test prep.  Our test prep consists of a couple things.  Years of reading a lot of high quality literature and gobs and gobs of other reading.  So my kids have read Dickens and Austen. They also read more Star Wars sequels and spin off novels than I can count.  The result was a good reading speed, strong comprehension and solid vocabulary.  

 

A consistent progression through math.  Both of my older kids are on track to hit calculus by senior year.   

 

Specific test prep consisted of being familiar with the format of the test.  They worked through sample tests so that they understood directions and the layout of the exam.  They read a test prep book (They liked Up Your Score, which may not have been revised to the new format yet).  This gave them insight to a few strategies like knowing if it was a good idea to guess (yes, especially now that the penalty has gone away), that it was ok to skip around, and that they might want to skim questions before starting the readings.  

 

If practice tests identified a content area that they were week on (ex. geometry of triangles or probability) then they studied that area.

 

They did not do any paid test prep course.  Khan Academy, books from the library, books we bought used (garage sales and used book stores at the beginning of summer were great for getting these books).

 

FWIW, they both had very good scores, but their scores were also consistent with the percentiles they've had on tests for many years.  I have tried to keep them challenged in school and provide a quality base for their learning.  A student that doesn't have good offerings in school or who lives in an area where keeping kids from failing out trumps helping those who are on the high end might have greater need to go outside for support.  Even so, I'm not convinced that a $500 or $1000 course is going to bring great results unless it's a means of buying an outsider's voice or a deadline to encourage completion of the studying.  (I'd rather spend the $500 on books, personally, or a dual enrollment math course.)

 

For timing, I considered when I wanted them to have scores available.  Because of summer program applications, I wanted them to have good scores NLT December of junior year.  One took his first SAT in fall of junior year.  The other took it in Dec of sophomore year (partly because we were moving and I wanted to get a score in before we moved and got unsettled).  

[GoodGrief]

My oldest took the PSAT in 10th only with no prep, because she was on exchange junior year. She took the SAT in October of senior year, with an intensive prep course in the month or so before. I do not recommend that course of action, but it needed to be that way because of the exchange. The prep course was helpful because she gets terrible test anxiety, and she went into it feeling very familiar.

 

My current senior took the PSAT in 9th and 10th with no prep. She did PSAT and SAT during the same month in junior year, October. That worked out great, because she could prep for both at the same time. She started looking at prep books during the summer before the junior year test, and did some work with the Prep Scholar program during the couple of months before. She scored high enough that a retake was not necessary, and that she qualified for NMSF, which was the goal. (I wouldn't have that goal for all my kids, but she has always been a good tester.)

 

It is really REALLY nice to have all the testing (save some AP exams, of course) DONE by mid-junior year. Very stressful during senior year as it is, without the pressure of SAT prep.