PSAT test prep

[Anonymous]

My DC took the PSAT this year (10th grade) and scored National Merit Letter of Commendation level. She'll take the PSAT that counts for National Merit Semifinalist next fall, which she'd like to make. Does anyone have any recommendations for a test prep person or company that would be good for her?

[Anonymous]

Just about every student improves scores between taking a "practice" PSAT in 10th grade and the "real" once in 11th grade, so trying to parse out scores and predict Merit semifinalist status is difficult. Focusing on PSAT seems odd, if you child obviously tests well, then wasting time on prep courses, particularly focusing on the PSAT which is not really the issue for college, particularly since the amount of money awarded by National Merit is relatively low (except of course the lower ranked schools that send letters offering semifinalists free rides that come almost daily) and in this area, there are so many kids that score great on this sort of test that if you child already tests well, it would seem that his/her time could be better spent on material being covered in challenging classes at school or on meaningful outside of school activities. Being in the midst of the college process with a senior merit semi-finalist who has many friends who are also in that category or were commended scholars, these scores appear to not predict college admissions very well at all, plenty of commendeds got in early to highly selective schools, and semifinalists did not, especially in the DC area the cutoffs are so high (highest in the US, several hundred points higher than some southern and mountain states) that the distinction is pretty meaningless.
Another approach could be to have the child take the SAT this spring, and see if scores have improved to a level that he/she is happy with, and if so, don't pursue expensive prep courses or tutoring that are truly meaningless for any part of life outside of taking these particular standardized tests. The best thing you can do for your child is to get them to relax and not start obsessing about the college process yet, next year spring is more than enough time , and once it starts, it gets so overwhelming that delaying it as long as possible makes. sense.

[Anonymous]

Prep Matters is very good.

Lots of kids these days do PSAT prep. It is really just a timing issue. If you are going to do SAT prep anyway you just move it up a little to do prep before the PSATs. Most kids take the SATs just a couple of months after the PSATs. It's not about the "scholarship" money, it's about college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Just about every student improves scores between taking a "practice" PSAT in 10th grade and the "real" once in 11th grade, so trying to parse out scores and predict Merit semifinalist status is difficult. Focusing on PSAT seems odd, if you child obviously tests well, then wasting time on prep courses, particularly focusing on the PSAT which is not really the issue for college, particularly since the amount of money awarded by National Merit is relatively low (except of course the lower ranked schools that send letters offering semifinalists free rides that come almost daily) and in this area, there are so many kids that score great on this sort of test that if you child already tests well, it would seem that his/her time could be better spent on material being covered in challenging classes at school or on meaningful outside of school activities. Being in the midst of the college process with a senior merit semi-finalist who has many friends who are also in that category or were commended scholars, these scores appear to not predict college admissions very well at all, plenty of commendeds got in early to highly selective schools, and semifinalists did not, especially in the DC area the cutoffs are so high (highest in the US, several hundred points higher than some southern and mountain states) that the distinction is pretty meaningless.
Another approach could be to have the child take the SAT this spring, and see if scores have improved to a level that he/she is happy with, and if so, don't pursue expensive prep courses or tutoring that are truly meaningless for any part of life outside of taking these particular standardized tests. The best thing you can do for your child is to get them to relax and not start obsessing about the college process yet, next year spring is more than enough time , and once it starts, it gets so overwhelming that delaying it as long as possible makes. sense.

Does this poster remember the question?

You're fired.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I appreciate the lengthy response, but remain unconvinced. Frankly, waiting until the spring of your junior year to start thinking about the college process seems way too late, particularly in today's pressured atmosphere. I agree that in an ideal world our DCs could start then, but that's just not the case. I also believe that any SAT prep course is insufficient, in and of itself, to prepare for the SAT. The most important thing, by far, is to encourage a love of reading in one's children. I am a teacher and I tell my 7th and 8th grade students to read for fun for thirty minutes a day to prepare not only for the SAT and college, but to enrich their lives.

Being a NMSF instead of a "commended" student does not, in itself, mean very much, it's true. If a PSAT course requires cutting out other activities, then we'll buy an SAT book for her to study. However, I am interested in finding out what's available. If she can move from "commended" to NMSF with minimal effort (two week course in August, for example?), I think it's worth it.

[Anonymous]

OP,
Do you live in DC or MD? They had the highest cutoff in the country last year, along with Massachusetts. It's the top 2%. See below.

This is at Sidwell, you get to work with Academic Approach after the session. I'm considering it for my child in the summer of 2012.

PSAT/SAT Preparation Class (June 20- July 1)
Academic Approach instructors lead the course.
Tuition: $1,050 , 9:00 am - 12:30 pm (Mondays, Test Days), 9:00 am - 11:30 am (Tuesday - Friday)
Students retain access to Academic Approach’s exceptional online courses after the Summer Session ends, so they can prepare flexibly throughout the year for the PSAT, SAT, and ACT. CONFIRM: For 12 months?


Qualifying Scores for the Class of 2010 National Merit Semifinalists:
Alabama 208
Alaska 211
Arizona 210
Arkansas 203
California 218
Colorado 215
Connecticut 218
Delaware 219
District of Columbia 221
Florida 211
Georgia 214
Hawaii 214
Idaho 209
Illinois 214
Indiana 211
Iowa 209
Kansas 211
Kentucky 209
Louisiana 207
Maine 213
Maryland 221
Massachusetts 221
Michigan 209
Minnesota 215
Mississippi 203
Missouri 211
Montana 204
Nebraska 207
Nevada 202
New Hampshire 213
New Jersey 221
New Mexico 208
New York 218
North Carolina 214
North Dakota 202
Ohio 211
Oklahoma 207
Oregon 213
Pennsylvania 214
Rhode Island 217
South Carolina 211
South Dakota 205
Tennessee 213
Texas 216
Utah 206
Vermont 213
Virginia 218
Washington 217
West Virginia 203
Wisconsin 207

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Just about every student improves scores between taking a "practice" PSAT in 10th grade and the "real" once in 11th grade, so trying to parse out scores and predict Merit semifinalist status is difficult. Focusing on PSAT seems odd, if you child obviously tests well, then wasting time on prep courses, particularly focusing on the PSAT which is not really the issue for college, particularly since the amount of money awarded by National Merit is relatively low (except of course the lower ranked schools that send letters offering semifinalists free rides that come almost daily) and in this area, there are so many kids that score great on this sort of test that if you child already tests well, it would seem that his/her time could be better spent on material being covered in challenging classes at school or on meaningful outside of school activities. Being in the midst of the college process with a senior merit semi-finalist who has many friends who are also in that category or were commended scholars, these scores appear to not predict college admissions very well at all, plenty of commendeds got in early to highly selective schools, and semifinalists did not, especially in the DC area the cutoffs are so high (highest in the US, several hundred points higher than some southern and mountain states) that the distinction is pretty meaningless.
Another approach could be to have the child take the SAT this spring, and see if scores have improved to a level that he/she is happy with, and if so, don't pursue expensive prep courses or tutoring that are truly meaningless for any part of life outside of taking these particular standardized tests. The best thing you can do for your child is to get them to relax and not start obsessing about the college process yet, next year spring is more than enough time , and once it starts, it gets so overwhelming that delaying it as long as possible makes. sense.

Does this poster remember the question?

You're fired.

For some reason this strikes me as one of the more obnoxious posts I read on DCUM recently.

[Anonymous]

The score range to qualify is really rather shocking. So in DC and MD you have to get an average of 74 on each section whereas in a few states you only need a 67. That's actually a huge difference. It puts a premium on doing test prep in DC and MD.

[Anonymous]

The colleges understand the differences in the cutoffs, and most national merit scholarships that can actually be used at a school of your choice are for relatively little money, so not certain it makes a very big difference for local applicants. The Ivys understand that a merit semifinalist from Wyoming isn't the same as one from DC, but these schools are striving for geographical and experiential diversity, so the applicant from Wyoming is going to be favored regardless of their test score national merit cutoff. When I was a merit finalist back in the 1970s, the money actually meant something as a meaningful percentage of tuition, but they don't seem to have increased much at all despite tuition being 5X higher.

[Anonymous]

Transcend Academy is good, too. My son worked with them and upped his score after a few sessions (we waited until the last minute).

They're newer, but started by a former NCS teacher who helped her students ace the AP and SAT exams.

[Anonymous]

Just curious, are the cutoffs based on where you live or where you go to school?

[Anonymous]

Where you go to school. OP, use prep matters.

[Anonymous]

Where you live, I think. A DC resident who goes to Holton Arms has to meet the DC threshold.

[Anonymous]

That is correct pp.

[Anonymous]

You and your child know her needs best concerning test preparation, so if you think she needs it then you should definitely go for it. Personally, I’m not sure if tutors are effective for everybody; they tend to follow a set pattern and don’t really cater to a child’s particular needs. My kids both used Shmoop for extra PSAT preparation and found it really helped. Firstly, they could work on the areas they knew are weakest, that too on their own time and whenever they were able to focus the most. Also, Shmoop has PSAT test-taking strategies, interactive modules, practice drills and exercises, explanations and instruction on concepts, full length practice tests, etc. I think it really helped their scores, and saved me a lot of money in the bargain.