Thoughts on help for the SAT/ACT for a smart student who is struggling with these tests
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Anonymous
| My kid just went test optional- doing great in college |
Anonymous
more and more colleges are requiring tests. OP, maybe send your kid to SAT prep. I think it's about confidence. I have two DCs and they are like yours: one got a 1580 first (and only) try; the other is struggling with their psat. |
Anonymous
| Everything you wrote suggests that the student should only take the SAT. ACT requires much more speed unless your kid gets extra time (and I do think it's too late for that). For prep they've already done, is it self-paced? I'd look for 1-on-1 prep with someone who can help teach strategy. |
Anonymous
| First of all 1410 is fine, stop comparing them to their twin. I had class of 21 twins who had a 1380 SAT and an ACT of 30 (respectfully) and they are both at a top school and doing great. I know scores are trending higher now because people don't submit lower ones, but the 1410 is perfectly acceptable. |
Anonymous
I'm the OP. Thank you! He/she has been doing 2 hours of prep a weekend with a tutor (1:3 ratio--1 tutor, 3 kids) for months. I bought a package of hours at a place (not super high end place but an established company). My first kid never even went (had some schedule conflicts) and then got the high scores and that was that. This second kid has been doing questions with the tutor. Probably 15 visits for 2 hours a time? Are are there better tutoring options? I am so frustrated by this. Not because I care that much about the scores. I ultimately don't. He/she could go test optional or apply to different schools. Because within the dynamic of our family (twins) it is causing such an issue. As parents we don't talk about it. We are as chill as can be. Never mention the SAT or ACT. But the second kid compares himself/herself to the sibling. I know that life isn't fair, we don't all succeed at everything, etc. And it very well might be that twin #2 never figures this out. But I'm in the information gathering stage to see if there is more help that we can get before we call it a day |
Anonymous
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OP, my DD has a very hard time finishing these tests (with unlimited time on practice tests, scores in the 1550-1580 range, but with time constraints consistently scores in the low to mid 1400s). It may simply be a relatively slow processing speed. It is what it is.
If you DD hasn't taken a bunch of practice timed tests to help with some of the anxiety associated with time pressure and getting some additional help with time strategies/time management (e.g., learning to guess and skip and come back to questions that would take too long otherwise)...otherwise, test optional might be her friend, especially if she submits a bunch of 5 AP scores to show that grade inflation isn't the reason for the high GPA. Good luck! |
Anonymous
Maybe just let it go, then. TO is still an option for so many schools. You and your kid need to decide if it's worth it to keep pushing this if you aren't seeing the returns and the kid is just getting more stressed/upset. |
Anonymous
I'm the OP. I've let it go. I mean, internally I've let it go. I haven't told this kid yet because the scores just came back today and they were just the second test. But I will 100% offer my blessing on stopping and pivoting to test optional or using these scores. Knowing this kid my bet with bet that he/she will want to continue. That's just how it goes. He/she drives the train and I'm along for the ride, offering support. |
Anonymous
| I would let this go and focus on other aspects of the app. Look for TO or test blind apps. Or if she wants a non-TO ultra reach, Yale will accept AP scores as test submissions. Wherever she applies, send in those APs. That gives colleges some sense of how she performs on a more standard scale. Also, for many schools 1410 will be fine. Good luck! |
Anonymous
Very similar kids to yours. A lot of tutors don't change their teaching to what a kid actually needs to study. They continually do practice problems and that's it. If you have the time, below is what I did to help my 1300 kid get above 1500 (an 800 in math) -Print out old tests (there are several on Reddit) -Each day over the summer take one section of a test (timed) and then review missed questions -there are several YouTube videos that will go over in depth the question you missed and several different approaches for each problem -watch the "how I got a 1600" videos on YouTube The SAT is very repetitive in the questions it asks so once you understand the patterns, it is very easy to do well. Use all of the free resources on Reddit and Youtube |
Anonymous
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If the test prep is just doing a lot of practice, they're just reinforcing their current testing skills and not changing anything. I'd try to find a different type of tutor. Someone to analyze the types of questions they're getting wrong. And to work on test strategies, not necessarily the specific content (like how to "guess" better, how to pace themselves better).
Also, the he/she is stupid. Just use "they." We get what you mean |
Anonymous
| I don’t get why you don’t just list if they are boys and/or girls. Is the one in easier classes who scored well a boy and the one in harder classes who didn’t score as well a girl? That is often a typical pattern. The maturity rate fue boys and girls can vary. The one in harder classes has thought of herself as the smarter twin and it wasn’t a problem before. Now it has been equalized by the other twin getting better test scores. So now it seems they are equal. Doesn’t seem like a problem. |
Anonymous
| I think there are some good free resources. I believe Khan Academy is one. It’s certainly possible in some cases to do well in college without high scores, but in other cases the extra self-study can lead to a more prepared student. More studying isn’t always a bad thing! |
Anonymous
OP- I made their gender ambiguous in this post because I was feeling exposed by otherwise sharing specifics (including the exact score). |
Anonymous
+1 If you have a junior search here for the TO list. Lots of good options - even in T25 to heavily target. Are you at a private? That might help as a TO candidate at Rice and Vanderbilt |