Can taking the ACT in 9th grade for fun/practice hurt you?

[mirabillis]

Can taking the ACT in 9th grade hurt my ds? 

 

It's in June after his last SAT II test. He'll be in 'school' mode and it might be nice to go thorugh a real run-through ahead of when he takes it likely late 10th, 11th grade. He won't be taking it more than thrice - but is that too much?

 

We're looking toward pretty selective schools.

 

Your thoughts? He would do some test prep - take a practice exam or 2, but not a tremendous amount of prep...

Edited July 8, 2017 by mirabillis

[madteaparty]

Just listening in because I don't know whether DSis currently a rising 8th grader or rising 7th grader (I haven't decided yet, we are arguing about it;))

[tampamommy]

With the ACT and SAT, I didn't have my children take it until they had completed Algebra 2. Also, DD found that her math ACT improved a lot after she had completed Trigonometry.

 

So if your student is past those courses, go for it. It's good practice.

[EKS]

I would not have a student take either the SAT or ACT for fun or practice--that is what the PSAT/PLAN and practice books are for.  

[RootAnn]

We're looking toward pretty selective schools - UCs, Stanford, Ivies, etc.

 

Because of this, I wouldn't recommend it. Otherwise, I would say go for it.

 

I'd just have him take a practice ACT at home using as close to test conditions (only one short break, timed, no snacks or drinks during the test, etc.) as you can get.

[SJ.]

I was under the impression that it wouldn't hurt you and that colleges take your highest score.

 

I was part of a group of students who took the ACT in 8th grade and eAch year after. It was encouraged to take it multiple times for experience and to aim for a higher score.

 

I am interested in the responses as I planned to have my dc do as I did. For those of you that say not to take it until later I am interested in your reasons.

[madteaparty]

Because of this, I wouldn't recommend it. Otherwise, I would say go for it.

 

I'd just have him take a practice ACT at home using as close to test conditions (only one short break, timed, no snacks or drinks during the test, etc.) as you can get.

But what if you wanted to (say) qualify for a talent search?

Also, June of 8th grade (because school year goes to end of June here) would not be considered 9th, right?

I just realized I sound like an idiot asking idiot questions. But planning (maybe!) 9th has a way of messing with one's brain.

[Lilaclady]

I will have him take it. Most of those schools superscores and some like Stanford and Berkley ignores 9th grade. I will have him prep a bit and take it.

If he is also looking at selective schools, he needs to start looking at some of the more competitive camps and programs and lots of them require either PSAT or SAT/ ACT scores especially for a homeschooler.

[lewber]

My DS 8th grade just took it - hoping it doesn't count. He is interested in taking the SAT in June but I'm trying to verify if that is considered 8th grade or not as well? 

 

It was very eye opening for my DS and me. I would recommend it from that standpoint. He did zero prep - which was our deal for him taking it :) But it opened his eyes to the process, the material, and made it all the more real I guess. IF your son it still in 8th grade, maybe you can sneak in the June ones if it's verified they are not counted. 

[mirabillis]

Keep the advice coming!

 

I think it will be greatly beneficial. But I don't want it to hurt him. He is taking the PSAT 9th (already) and next year 10th for practice so that is good test-taking practice. But love to take an actual exam. But not if it will hurt him. 

 

He will be post-Algebra II this year. If you think post Trig, we could just wait until after Pre-Calc next year. He is completing his 9th grade year this year.

 

 

[wapiti]

Applicants must submit all SAT scores and all ACT scores directly from the testing agencies. The only exceptions are tests taken for the purpose of talent programs in middle or junior high school (for example, Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth and Duke University's Talent Identification Program). These test scores do not have to be sent to Stanford.

 

I don't know whether "junior high school" includes 9th grade but I doubt that's what Stanford intends here.  IMO it's safer to take a practice test for practice (use a prior, real test) than to take a real test for practice.  In the end, probably not a huge deal, but when you're talking about schools like Stanford - what was the admissions rate, negative percent? lol - I'm not sure anyone can afford to take a chance.

 

You can also do fully timed practice tests at a test prep provider.  Or, take the "pre-ACT" (I think?), the new version of what used to be called the PLAN.   (My kids' school had all sophomores take it this year.)

 

If he is also looking at selective schools, he needs to start looking at some of the more competitive camps and programs

 

I don't believe that competitive camps are actually necessary unless they happen to involve a special interest of the student.

Edited April 20, 2017 by wapiti

[RootAnn]

I had my oldest take the ACT in 8th, so I'm not against the practice in theory. However, you are looking at selective schools and they require you to send all your scores. That part is what makes it maybe not worth it.

 

If you do decide to go forward with it, you can always delete your score later.

[chiguirre]

Hmm, Trinqueta is planning to take the SAT this summer to qualify for honors classes at the CC. She only needs an 1150 to be admitted to the Honors College.

 

Even schools that want to see all scores must look at the dates, right? How much of a problem is getting a 1200 or 1300 in 9th grade going to hurt an application if you take it for a specific reason?

[mirabillis]

Since we ARE in high school already (not middle school for gifted programs), I think we'll abstain from this new idea. Like posters have suggested, we'll take a practice exam and see where we are in that regard. Thanks for the helpful advice!

[Murphy101]

I have always had my kids start taking it the summer before 9th grade and based on how it is and where they are academically, they will retake it 2-3 times before graduating from home school.

 

No negatives so far. The schools only get the highest score. And I don't submit to any schools with the first one anyways.

 

I'm extra happy with the scores we just got from the April test, but 2 of them will take it again (their third time) in September, one is just 9th grade, so I'll wait until next summer to see how he improves. The 2 that will retake in September are on the edge of a much better score. We had planned on this being their last ACT, but the testing center was not well done and they were on the cusp of the flu that we were hoping was only allergies. (They woke up with headaches and minor sinus issues, so we gave their allergy meds and hoped for the best, but by the time they got out of the testing it was obvious they had rapidly declined and it wasn't just allergies.) So their scores were good, but not anywhere near as good as expected from practice exams.

 

The important thing is to explain what improvement is realistic and what it looks like. In my opinion, that's key to making retaking the exam a positive experience vs disappointing.

[tampamommy]

Practice books may be good for practicing, but I don't think they accurately replicate the actual testing conditions. The early hour, all the other students around you, even possible uncomfortable seats...not the same as using a practice book in the comfort of your own home, relatively by yourself, with a nice cup of coffee. :) Just mho.

 

We also opted to never indicate sending SAT or ACT scores in advance. That just takes the pressure off. We sent them after receiving the scores, and only to the schools my children were very serious about (i.e.2-3, not 15). Many schools often superscore too, so that is another factor to keep in mind.

[Garga]

I'm in the process of making this decision as well and have some thread out there about it from a few days ago.

 

I'm 99% sure that we're going to stick with the PSAT for practice. He took the PSAT this year and will take it again next year for practice in a testing environment. For my homeschooler, it's not only about the questions on the test, but about walking into a strange building with a boatload of strangers and having to listen to another stranger give instructions, and then be able to focus on the test through all those new distractions.

 

I wanted to have him take the ACT for the same reasons as you: to see the format of the test, to be in the high pressure environment.

 

But because some schools require all the ACT scores, even when they were just for "practice" in your mind, it's not worth possibly messing things up for the student. You CAN delete the score if you want to, but it seemed like more hassle than worth.

 

So, I'm using the PSAT for practice and will be using practice tests at home to see if the ACT or the SAT is the better fit for when the scores count and aren't just for practice.

 

(Gotta run--hopefully there aren't 500 typos on this!)

[SJ.]

I am curious, which schools request every test score regardless of the grade it was taken? Thanks! Interesting thread.

[wapiti]

I am curious, which schools request every test score regardless of the grade it was taken? Thanks! Interesting thread.

 

You can google various lists of colleges that require all scores; this may change from year to year and needs to be confirmed on any specific school's website, but here is one article from two years ago: http://blog.prepscholar.com/which-colleges-require-all-act-scores-sent

 

As quoted above, Stanford does not require scores from tests taken in middle school.  I wouldn't know about the others.

[Arcadia]

Just let your son take the ACT if you want him to and delete the score if you want to before college application in 12th grade.

 

Also, June of 8th grade (because school year goes to end of June here) would not be considered 9th, right?

  

My DS 8th grade just took it - hoping it doesn't count. He is interested in taking the SAT in June but I'm trying to verify if that is considered 8th grade or not as well? 

My kids ACT and SAT reports did not state which grades they are in. Their SAT report has their birth dates printed just below the test date so it is very easy to calculate how old they were at time of test. Their ACT report does not have birth dates.

[mirabillis]

If you do decide to go forward with it, you can always delete your score later.

 

 

Thanks Arcadia. I might do that and delete if necessary.

 

And thanks RootAnn - nice link. Taking a practice test at home and taking the same test in a testing situation (which for us is at a high school he's never taken a standardized test at) are like apples and oranges realy. I'd rather try the 'real' thing = and then delete as necessary once we retake for real in 10th or 11th grade.

 

Thanks wonderful ladies for your advice!

[MorningGlory]

Taking a practice test at home and taking the same test in a testing situation (which for us is at a high school he's never taken a standardized test at) are like apples and oranges realy. 

 

The interesting thing in my older son's case was that his score in the real testing situation was significantly higher than the practice test he took at home. He is not the type to be distracted by people, but he is highly distracted by the maps on his wall at home. :closedeyes:

[RootAnn]

 Taking a practice test at home and taking the same test in a testing situation (which for us is at a high school he's never taken a standardized test at) are like apples and oranges realy. I'd rather try the 'real' thing = and then delete as necessary once we retake for real in 10th or 11th grade.

 

DD's practice ACT at home was fairly close to her "real" ACT about a month later. The home one was slightly higher, which is what I would have expected.

 

DD had never set foot in the high school where she took the ACT the first time (8th grade). Since then, she's had driver's ed there, so she was much more comfortable this time - especially since she knew where the bathrooms were! She took the PSAT at a completely different school in a completely different atmosphere, but she'd been in the school & room (counselor's office) once previously when we were touring it to see if she would attend there. I anticipate her PSAT score will benefit next year because she'll hopefully be slightly more comfortable having already been through it there once. So, I get it.

[mirabillis]

Weirdly enough, when I started looking for ACT testing locations - I could only find (1) within my area that encompasses at least 6 other high schools within about 15 min radius. Not one of the schools we'll be taking PSAT or APs was listed there. So it might be nice to get experience in the 'real' setting.

[RootAnn]

I think it depends on your area. The closest we could take the SAT is 1 1/2 hours from here. There are 3-4 at that driving distance. Yet, the ACT is offered at 4-5 places within 35 minutes of our rural location. We're definitely in ACT country. I'd assume you must be in SAT country?

 

ETA:  Only one school within 35 minutes of us offers ANY AP testing at all as far as I can tell. It is one reason we aren't looking at taking any AP tests. No one (public-school or private-school-wise) around here has access a class and anyone taking an online class has to go 1+ hours away to take the exam at another school.

Edited April 21, 2017 by RootAnn

[katilac]

No one takes the ACT for fun, lol. 

 

I don't think it would do any great harm, but I also don't think it's needed or will be that helpful for your son. At a minimum, he's taken more than one SAT II test, so he's familiar with standardized testing, testing out of the home, and so on. He's also got plenty of time.  I'd probably nix even a practice at this point, and just have him do one (a practice) in early fall when he's fresh. 

 

Practice in fall and spring of 10th, practice in fall of 11th, real test in winter and spring of 11th - that's an abundance of time for prep and practice, imo. 

 

My opinion comes from the viewpoint of not wanting to focus too much on testing, and from having kids who would indeed overly focus on it if it's introduced too early or given too much 'space' in our homeschool.

[GoodGrief]

I tend to agree with Katilac.

 

If he's going to test, make the testing effort worthwhile. Prep for an SAT subject test, for example. He will need those for the schools you are targeting and it's a bummer to try and get them done when you are closing in on senior year.

[mirabillis]

He's taking his first SAT II test this year (June), then we have planned a handful for 10th & 11th already.

 

He's very keen on trying his hand at an ACT this June - after his first SAT II test. I think it may be worthwhile as a been there done that, type of situation. And like the poster said above, we can just delete the score as needed. Yes?

 

And he does think it's fun. He wants to take it! Go figure.

[Arcadia]

He's very keen on trying his hand at an ACT this June - after his first SAT II test. I think it may be worthwhile as a been there done that, type of situation.

UC requires ACT with writing so if he wants to take once and hopefully be done, choose the ACT with writing option. I have plenty of ACT test sites to choose from within 15 miles and the San Jose high school sites have lots of candidates.

 

"If you’re currently in 9th grade or below, you must take the new SAT with Essay exam (or if you choose, ACT with Writing)." http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman/requirements/examination-requirement/

[Meriwether]

Dd13 will be taking it in June, mostly for fun. We are trying to get a benchmark of where she is at. I didn't know there was an option to delete the score, but she isn't planning on attending a competitive school anyhow.