Taking the ACT Early

[Haiku]

My daughter, who is in 8th grade, wants to take the ACT in June "just to see how I do and see what it's like." I have talked to her about the fact that it will test things she may never have studied and that she can't be discouraged if she doesn't like her score, and she says she understands. Is there any reason not to take the ACT early like this?

[regentrude]

 

 

Is there any reason not to take the ACT early like this?

No. My DD took the SAT in 7th grade.

[Guest niab]

My daughter took both the SAT and ACT in 8th grade. The biggest benefit with this was that ACT and SAT score records from the 8th grade and below are purged unless you specifically request otherwise.

 

If you take either test in 9th grade or later, it will show up in their records. For certain colleges, (mostly elite ones, think Harvard etc.) they require you to send all scores recorded, i.e. all scores from 9th grade and above (not including 8th grade), so taking it multiple times and getting bad scores in high school is discouraged. Some colleges allow you to send only the scores you want to. However taking it multiple times in middle school won't matter, even if you do poorly.

 

Overall, taking it was a pretty good idea for my daughter, as it allowed her to figure out the sections that she was weakest on, without any pressure, and she got a near perfect score later on.

[Arcadia]

It was a good experience for my oldest who took it in 6th. He ran out of steam by the time the science section came around and told me he was too tired to finish it at his usual fast speed. That was his first longer than 2hrs test.

 

You would just be out money for the test fees :)

 

You would have to mail in for under 13. Register online for above 13. You would need a form of photo ID.

 

ETA:

The May and June date has less test sites locally so if she is interested in the June date, register soon to get the test center she prefer.

 

My kid did at the local high school which was familiar territory.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Arcadia

[Dmmetler]

My DD11 took the SAT this past fall and will take the ACT in June. She found the SAT challenging (and definitely got tired), but it was a positive experience overall. Usually there are a handful of young test takers because a lot of the academic summer programs etc use the SAT or ACT as a screener.

[katilac]

I would just have her take a (free!) practice test first. You can go to princetonreview.com and look for ones in your area, or ask at the library. 

 

We have also printed one from online and then gone to the library to take it with me timing them. 

 

I'm not nice enough to spend $40 just to be official, lol. The practice tests will give her a very good idea of what it's like and what her score would be. 

[Arcadia]

The practice tests will give her a very good idea of what it's like and what her score would be.

Oldest scores for the ACT were significantly higher than for the practice tests by ACT. He is overly pragmatic by nature.

[RootAnn]

The SAT folks do purge scores of the younger folk unless you specifically request they not do so. I don't believe the ACT does so automatically. However, if your kid ends up applying to a school that requires that ALL scores be submitted, it is pretty easy to see when an ACT was taken in the younger years. They'd look at improvements in a good light - and it is not unusual to take the ACT/SAT for talent (gifted) search purposes.

 

My eldest took the ACT in 8th & it was beneficial in many ways. She was able to see what she was good at & that she still has a long way to go in every area. (It was great for me since she's my oldest & I could see that I'm not a total failure at this homeschooling business.) She knows it isn't something to be scared about now.

 

My next probably won't because it would just stress her out (personality) with absolutely no benefit. She'll either take it in 9th for the first time or possibly wait until 11th. She'll be a lot older before she has as much math as dd#1 had at the same age. If dd#2 took it before she could prepare and be assured of doing a decent job, it would torpedo her future efforts. That's the difference between these two kids!

[VANURSEPRAC]

What kind of schools require all SAT/ACT scores. We are only aiming for state schools. My kid took Duke Tip SAT in Oct as a 7th grader and she too tired out.

But is was very good for her to see what to expect.

She enjoyed taking high stakes test with nothing on the line......If that makes any sense.

[TrixieB]

My younger child took the ACT (without writing) as an 8th grader and thought it was "fun" :rolleyes:

[mjbucks1]

My ds took the ACT in the 6-8th grade because we live in a test that requires testing at the end of the year, or a teacher to look over his work.  He had been consistently testing in the 99th percentile on the IOWA test and I felt like the ACT would give me a better idea of his academic improvement.  I told him not to stress about it, that it didn't matter, and that I would just use it to help me decide which classes he should take.  He ended up doing very well, and it really helped me decide his course sequence.  He is a senior now.  Two schools required full testing records, but after calling one of them they said we only had to send one score (they really ask for it to benefit the student).  Another school requested the full testing record for either the ACT or the SAT.  We sent the SAT scores because it was more cost effective.  Most schools will not care about middle school test scores, and the SAT will purge scores taken before 9th grade.  

As long as it does not cause a child undue stress, I see no harm in taking the ACT/SAT early (my dd also took the ACT in 8th grade).  In fact, I would argue that taking the ACT every year is great practice and allows the child to get used to taking the test without pressure.  My oldest was finished with taking the ACT the fall of his junior year.  And just last week he was named a National Merit Finalist....so maybe taking all of those standardized tests helped!! 

[Ann.without.an.e]

My daughter, who is in 8th grade, wants to take the ACT in June "just to see how I do and see what it's like." I have talked to her about the fact that it will test things she may never have studied and that she can't be discouraged if she doesn't like her score, and she says she understands. Is there any reason not to take the ACT early like this?

 

[Ann.without.an.e]

I can't respond again...I've been avoiding WTM because it deletes my responses 99% of the time. 

 

 

 

What I said was....Our state requires testing, my dd tested 99th% on the other tests for years in a row, and her test administrator suggested it for her early.  The only downside I can see (now that she is a junior) is that some colleges ask for a full test record and then you have to pay to send all of those dates even though they won't be used for college admissions, you still have to pay to release them.

Edited April 13, 2016 by Charleigh