Anonymous wrote:Did anyone feel that taking Latin as a foreign language made a difference on the verbal score?

Even back in the day thirty years ago taking Latin didn’t help much on the SAT. It only helped a bit in guessing at words you didn’t know. Unfortunately, many English words have Greek roots, not Latin.

The best prep for the verbal section is developing critical reading fluency and an extensive vocabulary through … reading.

I read 10-15 books a week starting in 4th grade. I’ve scored perfect 800s on the verbal section of every standardized test I’ve ever taken.

In my high school honors English track, we read 8-10 books per semester and had timed, in-class writing exams every week. These days, if kids read 3 books a semester for English, that’s a lot. Even at a Big 3.

Kids that are good at math and lifelong avid readers do well. No need for expensive classes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you throw money at tons of tutoring? Was your kid self motivated and used Kahn Acadeny or something else to prepare? Did they use AI? Was it be super they were always in private school and had that advantage? Or simply because they are super smart and hardworking and just took the test once or twice and got a great score of 1400 or above?

What is the true secret of success?

My DD got a 34 on her ACT, junior year, zero prep. She's just that smart.

If you want to brag, at least do it properly! My DD got a 36 on her ACT, summer after sophomore year, zero prep. She is just that smart

Bravo!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you throw money at tons of tutoring? Was your kid self motivated and used Kahn Acadeny or something else to prepare? Did they use AI? Was it be super they were always in private school and had that advantage? Or simply because they are super smart and hardworking and just took the test once or twice and got a great score of 1400 or above?

What is the true secret of success?

My DD got a 34 on her ACT, junior year, zero prep. She's just that smart.

If you want to brag, at least do it properly! My DD got a 36 on her ACT, summer after sophomore year, zero prep. She is just that smart

Anonymous wrote:Did you throw money at tons of tutoring? Was your kid self motivated and used Kahn Acadeny or something else to prepare? Did they use AI? Was it be super they were always in private school and had that advantage? Or simply because they are super smart and hardworking and just took the test once or twice and got a great score of 1400 or above?

What is the true secret of success?

My DD got a 34 on her ACT, junior year, zero prep. She's just that smart.

Did anyone’s DCs use apps to prep for the ERW sections? DC did quite well on the sophomore PSAT, and his math score continues to go up on practice SATs. His ERW score, however, is more variable. He is doing a regular prep class, but we may switch to a tutor in the Fall. Just wondering if anyone used an app daily for vocabulary etc.

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Anonymous wrote:My kid scored a 1350 on the SAT on the first try and is going to play a sport at an Ivy.

If true, and that is doubtful, it is in spite of the SAT score. Not because of it. FYI.

Of course it’s true. Athletes don’t have the same admissions process. It’s THE hook.

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Anonymous wrote:Not looking for perfect. Just high score. 1300 or above. But yeah it depends on the student and how motivated they are to do well, etc.

Holy Moly. Life is a breeze if you are not Asian American.

Omg...get your popcorn out ladies!

Anonymous wrote:My kid scored a 1350 on the SAT on the first try and is going to play a sport at an Ivy.

If true, and that is doubtful, it is in spite of the SAT score. Not because of it. FYI.

My kid scored a 1350 on the SAT on the first try and is going to play a sport at an Ivy.

Khan academy and being a smart and a good test taker. Took it summer before junior year, 1550 and done.

Anonymous wrote:Not looking for perfect. Just high score. 1300 or above. But yeah it depends on the student and how motivated they are to do well, etc.

Not saying this to be a jerk, but nothing under 1500 is a ‘high score’ these days. It’s not like when we were in high school.

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone feel that taking Latin as a foreign language made a difference on the verbal score?

Once upon a time, when the test was heavily vocabulary and analogies, it might have. But the verbal section now is so different; have you looked at it? I was dispirited to see that many of the reading comprehension passages are not literature but science narratives using data analysis (ie, "Two arctic researchers are studying ice eels and discover that after the eels reproduce their young have three flippers...."). Latin is great and all, but I would only advise taking it for its own sake.

Would recommend encouraging your child to read a lot, and read for pleasure. That helps.

Anonymous wrote:When should we start the prep? Is summer before sophomore year too early?

It’s best to start after Algebra 2, which most students have in 10th. Prepping the summer after 10th for a first shot at the SAT in August or early in 11th works best. If your kid is advanced a year or more in math, trying earlier might be fine, but typically starting to prep before 10th grade is too early.

When should we start the prep? Is summer before sophomore year too early?