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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]That’s interesting. The ACT rewards speed, so it makes sense that it would reward those who read a lot (more than just what’s required for school).

Anecdotally, my DC did better on the ACT, which surprised me a bit, since [b]math is not his strong suit, and I thought he’d benefit from having more time there.  But it wasn’t even close[/b].

My DC does conform to the hypothesis. He is a voracious reader — he’s currently reading a book on the history of the Ottoman Empire for fun, and knows as much about current events and politics as just about anyone I know (and I worked on Capitol Hill). He’s near the top of his class, but he’s not going to waste his time studying stuff he’s not interested in any more than he has to, so his grades aren’t perfect. That said, his teachers give him rave reviews, because “he’s always got something interesting to say.” I think he’s going to blossom in college when he gets to focus on things that he’s passionate about, and he’s going to be one of those kids that professors enjoy teaching.

So, one anecdote in favor of the theory, I guess.  [/quote]

Would you mind sharing a little more about this? What level of math had he completed when he took the ACT? And how big was the difference in his score between ACT and SAT?[/quote]

DP here.  [b]Look, another poster's experience on this really isn't helpful to yours or anyone else's.  Just have your kid take both the SAT and ACT and see what the results are.[/b]  They're often unpredictable.

Example.  We had three kids take both.  One got a 600 on the SAT verbal, a 710 on the math -- but a 34 on the English section of the ACT and a 30 on the math.  Another got a 770 on the SAT verbal and a 660 on the math, but only had a 24 composite on the ACT and didn't crack anywhere near a 30 on any subject.  The third got virtually identical scores on both.  And for what it worth, the one who got the 770 on the SAT verbal was a voracious reader, and the one who got the 34 on the English ACT was not.  Not even close.

[/quote]

Look, my kid has anxiety and hates standardized testing, so I’m trying to help them avoid having to take any more tests than they have to. Interested to know what “math is not his strong suit” meant in this context. But thanks for sharing your experience (immediately after noting that “another poster’s experience on this really isn’t helpful to yours or anyone else’s, LOL).[/quote]

I’m the pp who described their kid, and I don’t remember the SAT math score, but the composite was 100s of points lower (comparatively).  The tutor we hired said that he should absolutely focus on the ACT. DC was just finishing geometry when he took the SAT.  What I mean by “not his strong suit” — he’s a straight A student, except for Bs in one math class, and he is in honors math, but not the top tier “AP” math track (we made the decision that he would be better off in the long run being more comfortable vs. struggling in the higher track).  He had a 36 in Reading the first time, and after some tutoring, brought his math up from a 25 to a 29 and his science up from a 33 to a 36 (English was a bit lower the first time, but I don’t remember the exact ##).  Anyway, he ended up with a composite of 34 (29/36/35/36), which is great (I’m very proud of him), but still pretty unbalanced.

I do agree with those above who point out that “speed” involves processing speed, as well as reading speed. Also agree that every kid is different.

FWIW, my kid has pretty severe test anxiety (nausea, the whole bit), and taking the test multiple times was a good thing. One really helpful thing that the tutoring did was force my kid to take timed practice tests. Obviously, a motivated kid can do this on their own, but a kid with anxiety is less likely to do it voluntarily.  He learned a lot of substance and test-taking strategies from the tutor, but it was also a form of anxiety “exposure therapy.” By the time he got to the second ACT, he was so much more confident and “desensitized,” for lack of a better word.  [/quote]

Thanks, very helpful.[/quote]

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