<p>historymom, my D hated her trial SATs (math looked too confusing to her) and chose to take the ACT in June right in the middle of her finals, etc. She did great even in the math section with minimal prep (a couple of timed trial tests from the red ACT book, that’s all). She is yet to hear from Scripps RD, but another college just sent her a likely letter, and she got into all of her safeties, too. Over the summer kids’ brains can get a little “rusty”, and September and October of senior year are usually very busy, so in the hindsight, the June ACT was the right way to go, and D is very glad she took it.</p>
<p>Make sure your D is very familiar with the science format. I can be very confusing, and kids tend to overthink it.</p>
<p>As for the unfamiliar place, my D took her test on a community college campus an hour drive from our house. It was probably no different than taking the test in another state. A lot of D’s friends who travel for sports competitions took their SATs out of town.</p>