Risk of ACT/SAT score jumps
inthegarden
1189 replies24 threads Senior Member
I've been cautioned not to let my daughter take the ACT cold/unprepped because of the risk of being accused of cheating if there are big score jumps in subsequent tests.
But what about the SAT? Has this issue been as problematic, with College Board looking askance at big score differences?
I'm asking because my junior daughter is suddenly thinking she should register for the December SAT (most of her friends are) and she has only prepped sporatically with Khan Academy. I'm telling her March is early enough, but she doesn't want to delay. I don't mind spending the money for the test (if it helps her to get serious about prepping) but I worry she won't have enough time and may have later scores forfeited if she improves a lot between tests.
It may be a moot point, anyway because she took the PSAT (and the PSAT 10 last year) so college board already has those baseline scores for her. I'm a little afraid because she did quite well in ER last year (for tenth grade) but really bombed the math section (almost 200 points lower!) While math is not her easiest subject, the score did not come close to her ability (high "A"s in honors math, now in pre-calc/trig) and I think she is a student who really needs to prep for math in order to do well.
Thanks in advance!
15 replies But what about the SAT? Has this issue been as problematic, with College Board looking askance at big score differences?
I'm asking because my junior daughter is suddenly thinking she should register for the December SAT (most of her friends are) and she has only prepped sporatically with Khan Academy. I'm telling her March is early enough, but she doesn't want to delay. I don't mind spending the money for the test (if it helps her to get serious about prepping) but I worry she won't have enough time and may have later scores forfeited if she improves a lot between tests.
It may be a moot point, anyway because she took the PSAT (and the PSAT 10 last year) so college board already has those baseline scores for her. I'm a little afraid because she did quite well in ER last year (for tenth grade) but really bombed the math section (almost 200 points lower!) While math is not her easiest subject, the score did not come close to her ability (high "A"s in honors math, now in pre-calc/trig) and I think she is a student who really needs to prep for math in order to do well.
Thanks in advance!
Replies to: Risk of ACT/SAT score jumps
That said, I am not a fan of taking either to establish a baseline; that's what practice tests are for, IMO.
Don't expect her to be "one and done" but testing once might make her take prep more seriously for the March test. Hoping to be able to test only twice, max three times.
I don't think it's too early to start thinking about this. Ideally, your daughter could be done with testing before the conclusion of Junior year.
Really hope to be finished before senior year. Don't plan for her to be taking test after test in the hopes of getting it ever-higher (not looking at T20s). At least one of her favorite targets is test-optional. It would be a shame though, for her (likely) solid ER score not to be seen because of a lower math score, especially as she won't be majoring in STEM.
She asked the GC for old paper tests to practice on but was told just to take the online practice tests.
If math is the issue, that's good news. Tips, tricks, and formulas go a long way here, nothing subjective. There's a Kahn academy study course that might be a good option. I would suggest getting a baseline and then creating a spreadsheet on what kinds of problems she's getting wrong. The more practice tests, the more data and patterns will emerge. This way she can study smarter by just practicing in areas where she has trouble. The "blanket approach" isn't very effective and can lead to study burn-out. No need to go over what you already know.
Good Luck!
The spreadsheet is a great idea. We'll try a practice test this weekend. She's done consistently well in yearly state and PARCC testing (even in math) and does fine on school tests, so she doesn't have a real testing disability. I hope the PSAT10 was more of a fluke than anything. However, I do think she has a hard time when many different math problems/concepts/formulas are thrown at her all at once, since she isn't intuitively a math person. She really has to put her mind to reviewing everything again that she learned in school. She HAS always been intuitively verbal (taught herself to read at age three) and a voracious reader.
The correct and only answer is to take a practice test at home under timed conditions and see how she does.
This is where the target practice comes into play. The more of these problems you do, the more familiar they become. When she sees them the day of the test she'll say -- oh yeah, I remember this kind of problem, I know this. This is what's so promising, if you will, about an initial low math score. There are only so many types of problems, a specific amount of formulas, certain knowledge covered with clear answers. Not so in the reading portion of the test.
It's great your daughter has initiative. She's starting with enough buffer to give even the most stubborn math learners enough time to not only master the math but the topography of the test (which frankly is most of it).
5 points seems to be the magic number for ACT.
For admittance purposes only, however, I wouldn't worry too much about it, especially if you're full pay or nearly so. I haven't heard of anyone whose acceptance has been rescinded over a disputed ACT score. Scholarships and possibly athletic eligibility, OTOH, have been put at risk for some students. Plan accordingly, and when in doubt, prepare for the test ahead of time. There's lots of time and money savings to be had for getting a "one and done" score.
I guess there’s no point for me or anyone else to add anything based on our experiences...
However, there are other reasons for the CB reviewing an SAT score.
https://www.collegeboard.org/membership/all-access/counseling-admissions-academic/clarifying-college-board-s-score-review-process
Well, that settles it then. Because the CB has never been anything but straightforward.