@Mamelot
Does anyone know where the 8/23 date came from and whether there is there any reason to consider it to be definitive?
The info from @geothomas1 presented a range of dates for “sending out the list.” Time spent in transit would not affect the sending date(s), only the receiving date(s).
You sound like it is definite that all letters will be sent on 8/23. Is this known to still be certain?
Thanks,
SL
yes SL the 8/23 date was given to me by NMSC. They also confirmed that the Release Date is 9/14.
Does anyone know what the NMF-qualifying essay(s) were like in the past? Questions? Length?
A couple of years ago the essay requirement was just like a college application essay, with a prompt that was so general you could write about almost anything. S1’s essay was 1 1/4 pages double-spaced. I assume it will be about the same this time too.
D used her common app essay. She had to cut it down some, but she said it was easy.
This is a PSAT/SAT timing question…
Our HS recommends that strong students take the PSAT in 9th, 10th, 11th…and take the SAT for the first time Spring of 10th. Do you agree with that? Seems so early?
I prefer kids to take the real ACT or real SAT when they are ready, not 10th grade. Its preferred for your child to sit for a proctored practice test that testing companies often offer for free, then practice at home or using these companies, before sitting for an official test.
I agree with that. Taking the SAT the first time is more of a practice run than anything, so it’s a good idea to know where you are at early before you take it seriously. I took my first SAT this summer (going to be a junior) and will retake it one last time in December for NMSC, although my teacher recommended taking it in March.
Our school does PSAT 9,10,11 and they recommend the SAT in the Fall of Junior year. I really think it depends on your student and are the ready to take it. We did prep starting in August up until the test in November. We took it again in January. The second time her score was higher. I think taking it 1-3 times is helpful it is a unique test. The question you want to ask yourself is do you want to try and be done with Testing before the senior year. If so then you almost have to start fall of Junior year unless you can be 1 and done.
The other point I did not make was prepping for the SAT in the fall of Junior year helped with PSAT. Now we got thrown a curve since we took the NEW PSAT in Junior year but we felt it was the best way to prep. We did not want to just focus on PSAT but focus on what we had to take to get admitted.
D3 is applying to at least one top school that recommends she take her standardized tests beginning Junior year. They also require ALL scores be sent and they say they look at all your scores. We are very glad she doesn’t have a long string of ACT/SAT’s showing retake after retake beginning freshman or sophomore year. As it is she already has one retake on her top test which is ACT and I admit to being a little worried about that.
I’ve heard prep experts declare that they can’t believe kids aren’t taking more of the real ACT as practice and that they should take the test 5-8 times. I think ACT must have paid them to say that! If you know w/o doubt that you will applying to schools that don’t care how many tests you’ve taken then that’s a fine strategy. If there is any possibility that you will applying to an elite school, not so fine.
Our state now mandates a standardized test as a grad standard and they offer the ACT free-of-charge in all the public schools. That does NOT mean my kids have to actually TAKE that test on that day. My spouse and I have advocated for our kids to keep the number of retests at a minimum and to take that test which they are most confident about unless there is really good reason to do both tests. We know people in elite higher-ed institutions and there is no doubt that the fewer the tests taken/submitted the better the chances for the applicant - for a lot of reasons. Much better to do those 5-8 in practice (replicating real test conditions) and come fully prepared on Game Day. IMHO.
For the PSAT 2015 my D3 definitely used two of the new practice SAT’s in her prep - and she leveraged off her ACT prep as well. If the new SAT had been offered well in advance she wouldn’t have taken it for reals till she saw her PSAT score. (similarly, she avoided taking ACT till we saw her PLAN score). For us those preliminary tests are key to determining which test to take next and when.
@trublu SAT spring of 10th grade is too early. I scheduled my son to take the SAT in Nov and ACT in Dec of June year. My concern was medical reasons but the college counselors at my son’s school were also recommending kids take the old SAT in the fall of junior year because of all of the uncertainty surrounding the new SAT. My son did PSAT in Oct, SAT in Nov and ACT in Dec. This would leave him with an opportunity to retake SAT and/or ACT in Spring of Junior year or Fall of Senior year. We are very happy with his scores and he was done.
Our school does not have the 9th graders take the PSAT. They take the PSAT in October of 10th grade and the ACT Plan in the spring (April or May) and then tell the kids to see which test works best for them. Practicing in true test conditions the summer before Junior year helped my son. His ACT/ SAT tutor said it was all about replicating testing conditions which meant making him follow the exact same schedule as testing day. My son took the practice tests on Saturday starting at 8am and in a very cold. By the time he sat for the exams, the real test was just another walk in the park.
The November sitting of the SAT didn’t seem to have high attendance. Most seniors are done testing by then it’s on the early side for most juniors. The Dec ACT was quite a mob scene.
Edit: one more point, a couple of colleges (Georgetown, Rice) want test scores of all tests taken. I wouldn’t want my son taking a real SAT as a practice run. If other schools start requiring all tests taken in a couple of years, that could impact a current 9th/ 10th grader. It’s better to replicate testing conditions.
Great advice - thank you all!
DS is a good test taker.
I think we will plan on PSAT this October (10th) and next October (11th)
SAT next November (or spring?)
ACT sometime Jr Year
That is good timing, right? And saves time for re-take on SAT if necessary?
Are SAT and ACT offered in summer?
S1’s school does PSAT in 10th & 11th. Got a NMSF qualifying score on his 10th grade PSAT, so we figured that he was a good standardized test taker. Got the advice to take either the ACT in September of Junior Year or SAT in October of Junior Year (he took the ACT) so you had the summer to prep without other school work. If you got a good score the first time out, didn’t have to worry about prepping for ACT/SAT in spring during AP season since you had a solid score under your belt. Turned out to be good advice as he was swamped with 4 AP exams. Will now only take SAT for the first time in Nov. for NMF confirming score (assuming his 224 on the new PSAT is good for CT).
I believe there will be an SAT offered either Aug. of 2017 or 2018 (CB website should have more information).
Timing depends in part on what the school offers for the preliminary tests and what’s going on in your kid’s life. In my D3’s case, they offered the PLAN in 10th and PSAT in 11th so we focused on those results and planned the timing accordingly. I also knew that her ACT prep in 10th could help with her prep for the new PSAT going into 11th so that timing worked well for her. But had she not done well on the PLAN we would have held off all testing till 11th, let her take the PSAT then and then re-assess which test she should shoot for. We NEVER get results before Dec. or January so my kids tend to shoot for the spring tests.
Our counselors say they see the best scores from spring testing (~April, not may/june) of junior year. S took the June (post 11th gr) SAT, and while he scored well enough for our purposes, he didn’t do as well as he did on his previous Dec (11th) & April (11th) ACTs, or even on his Oct (11th) PSAT. I think he was the victim of finals/AP/summer burnout.
If you are planning lots of test prep for Jr PSAT, I recommend taking at least one Nov/Dec test. S scored very well on his (Dec ACT) with basically no additional prep beyond what he’d done for the Oct PSAT.
Since the PSAT and SAT are so closely aligned, it’s very possible to leverage off the PSAT prep for the SAT. However, keep in mind that CB has designed the SAT to reflect some average increase of knowledge from additional curriculum, etc. so it may have questions that are best answered in the spring of Junior year rather than the previous Nov./Dec. That all depends on the student, however, so if you are in advanced classes and you were rocking the SAT practice tests during your PSAT prep then you probably will do just fine with a back-to-back PSAT/SAT.
@trublu I recommend taking the SAT and/or ACT for the first time in the fall of junior year (Nov/Dec.) and then retaking again in the spring, if necessary. It is nice to have the summer before senior year free of standardized test anxiety.
I think every child is different. Our child did some overall PSAT/SAT prep in the summer before the October PSAT because she was advised to study a bit for NMSF contention. Right after the Oct PSAT she did a few full length practice ACT tests and then sat for the ACT in December of her junior year. got a 36—one and done. I can’t tell you how great it is to be done with the ACT BEFORE spring of junior year with all the AP tests and subject tests. And, fall of the senior year is to late in my opinion. Try for Fall of Junior year and maybe retakes in January or February to be done with either the ACT or SAT.
@hcmom65 Is she in NMSF contention based on the PSAT? If so, has she taken the SAT?