Unfortunately if the first score is very high, the second one is likely to be lower.
“There’s a kid here on CC who had his test handscored after a misbubble incident, and his scores went down precipitously.”
I don’t get that. Its either machine scored, and the machine is always accurate - or its not. How accurate are these machines? Do you mean that in that particular case his score went down because his misbubble actually gave him better (random) answers than his real bubbling?
It almost sounds like the cb mixed up his test with someone elses. In your place, I’d be asking my son about how he filled out the personal identification portion of the test
iMO, your description of your son as smart, meticulous and reliable is at odds with his decision not to prep for the test. Coupling this decision with his insistence that he has a perfect math score perhaps points to some youthful overconfidence?
Good luck!
@quietdesperation we just checked the score report and it looks like the test was scored properly. He was -3 on M, -10 on CR and - 9 on W. Going from -1 to -9 on writing is a pretty huge drop. So, it looks like carelessness/overconfidence with the lack of prep was the cause of the big drops across the board. A big surprise for a kid who always scores in the 99 percentile.
DS doesn’t think people should prep for these test. So, he chooses not to prep while most others do. He is not interested in outscoring everyone or getting a 2400. He just doesn’t care about standardized testing. Of course, we have pointed out to him that most of the kids competing for spots at Caltech & MIT are prepping furiously but we can’t sway him. Sometimes you have to play the game. It’s best he learns that lesson now.
Having a kid with an IQ in the 99.9+ percentile can be quit challenging. As grandpa says, “” Know-it-alls don’t always know it all."
The drop in math is reasonable but the drop in cr+w doesn’t seem likely. I’ve helped prep all three of my kids and, over the course of about 20 practice tests between them, I’ve never seen a drop like that in two subject areas. In your shoes, I might try to get a little more color from my s about what happened and how he plans to improve before the next test.
I find the reading section score particularly disturbing…how can reading comprehension drop so precipitously?
anyhow, good luck, if he’s as smart as you say he is, he’ll figure this out!
Reversion to the mean is a real thing.
@suzyQ7 : No, the student’s scores went down precipitously from his prior test scores, much as has been mentioned here in this thread.
The student realized immediately that he had misbubbled and requested the handscoring option and submitted the payment of the $55.00 for doing so within three days of taking the test. I believe the handscoring was in lieu of a machine scoring altogether. Student explained that he had skipped a line, could identify the line number in the section, and waited for the SAT people to adjust for the empty line, moving everything either up or down, as the student directed.
OP - Try not to get overly stressed. MIT and CalTech are a longshot for all… .with or without top SAT scores.
“So, he chooses not to prep while most others do” - Maybe students on CC prep a lot for SAT/ACT. But I think there are plenty of students (even those with high scores) who don’t prep much at all. It’s still a good idea to at least do practice test(s) to understand test format / timing.
One example - I begged and pleaded for DS to do timed practice SAT subject tests his junior year, but he was crazy busy with homework and music. Finally he sat down in the dining room for 2 hours with a kitchen timer and did practice Math2 and Physics subject tests. He got 800 on both and said, “now can your relax?”. He was an IB student with stellar SAT/ACT and near perfect GPA who still got rejected from MIT (as expected - only 9% acceptance).
@colorado_mom DS has taken AP Statistics so I know he understands what a long shot MIT and Caltech are. We were trying to convince him that scoring in the top 25% may not help him but it definitely wouldn’t hurt him. Scoring in the bottom 25% could possibly hurt him.
Going to MIT or Caltech would definitely hurt financially. Being from VA, we would prefer he chose UVA or William & Mary. DS currently goes to a UVA feeder school and he does not look forward to “13th” grade with many of his current classmates. He wants to attended a school with “his” people. It’s exceedingly difficult to find more than few of his people ever gathered together in one spot. We took a tour of MIT and he seemed to blend right in. I think Caltech has even more of his people but we haven’t been able to visit yet. If he can get in to MIT or Caltech then we would find a way to make it happen for him. It’s only money, right???
To his credit he is focusing on a NASA based project to design and present a mission to Mars. I think his essays and interviews will be the key for him. He is a divergent thinker who finds creative solutions to difficult problems. We have always had to tell him that he needs to spend some time inside the box because he lives outside the box.
OP: Sorry this happened, but I doubt that prep would have made any real difference. He did great the first time with no real prep. Clearly he misunderstood or misread something on the CR which dropped his score.
What about other engineering/techy schools like Rensselaer or Rose-Hulman that may have his “people”? I have a friend whose son is at UVA engineering and does not find it remotely like HS, even though his HS was nearby. He has definitely found his people there. Not a bad choice for your son.
It is not “only money”. Do not fall into the trap of thinking life will be perfect for your son if he goes to MIT and not good if he goes to UVA. One of the best gifts parents can give a kid (IMHO) is their own financial stability. Make a budget and stick to it. I know you didn’t ask for advice, but it is better to think about this now, rather than next April when the costs become real. I know a kid who has to move back home because the parents under-estimated just how expensive it would be for her to go OOS and now can’t afford it.
OP, 2230 is good enough already. Well, math score may not be the best for MIT(since vast majority of MIT applicant gets 800 or close to it), but still enough for many other good schools.
OP if you or your son remain dissatisfied with his testing results to date, he really has nothing to lose if he sits for the January 23rd test or even sits for the new SAT in March and beyond. You can choose which sittings to send to MIT as they do not require the reporting of all scores.
As you pointed out, he can only superstore the January 23rd test with his 2230 as they will not superstore across “versions” of the test. So that January test is really the last chance to buoy the 2230. But the new test is an “unknown” and he might just outperform his results on the old version. They say the new test is more akin to the ACT which my math oriented S did much better on.
Did he take his SAT ll’s in a math and a science? I believe MIT looks at those scores closely.
I am also thinking that a proper presentation in his application of his NASA project might go further than an increase in the SAT score.
I’d focus on this more than test scores… The NASA project is more likely to get your son admitted to MIT than his 2230 SAT I or 770 Math score will keep him out.
Which may explain the very very low acceptance rate (single digits for male applicants). Maybe the kids who are “prepping furiously” are more likely to be among the 90+% who are rejected than accepted?
Your son is fine.
We can afford full pay but our kids needed to demonstrate why their choice was significantly better than our state flagship. That would be a very high bar if we lived in Va., a bar I don’t think either son would have cleared. I’m sure my kids would have found “their people” at a school the size of UVA.
I agree with the other posters, if you haven’t done so, let your son know what you can and can’t afford and let him apply where he thinks he can meet those parameters via merit or cost (state schools, perhaps McGill). My Dad waited until I was accepted to an Ivy to let me know he wasn’t going to pay anything and here I am, 35 years later, still annoyed!
Oh… is he still a junior? There are LOTS of great engineering schools where he can find his tribe. For example, Rose Hulman and RPI (mentioned above) would probably give a decent scholarship. Olin gives half tuition scholarships to all, but it is too teeny/limited for most students.
Here’s a good list. Also check out the Engineering threads for more ideas. http://www.theaitu.org/all_news.php