<p>Our report: Ds wanted me to drive him to the test rather than drive himself, so I did. Huge crowd. The test wasn’t at his HS, but he immediately recognized kids milling around outside and barely let me stop the car before getting out.</p>
<p>He decided to add Physics. After the band showcase last night, we stopped by a bookstore, he answered the first 12 questions on a practice test while standing in the aisle, got 10 of them right and so he decided to add it. Unfortunately, he flew out of the car so fast this morning tht I didn’t give him my credit card. Was I supposed to do that for the extra $9 charge? Hope not. </p>
<p>My son has been in a panic all week - last weekend he was reviewing for Math2 - unfortunately although he’s in precalc and they started on the Calc book in February - the exam seems to cover a lot of things he’s never seen or at least doesn’t remember seeing (matrices, volumes of cones) or knows he’s seen, but can’t remember (formulas for perpendiculars to a line). He got around a 680 on a practice test which I assured him was a perfectly decent score. But I think he really hates going in knowing he’s probably going to have to omit some questions.</p>
<p>His practice scores for both US History and Biology have been higher - so I wish he’d calm down. I’m not sure he’s applying to any schools that will want three scores anyway. He was still wavering a bit between ecology vs molecular on the Bio. His teacher say historically kids from his class have done better on molecular, but he knows the ecology stuff better since he’s studied it for Science Olympiad. </p>
<p>His current plan is to retake the subject tests in June - I thought he should retake SAT1 in June, but agree that if he doesn’t like the subject test scores waiting till October wouldn’t work at all. He’d never remember the material. Unfortunately by the time he gets the scores from the May test it’s too late to change the June test if it turns out he’s done well.</p>
<p>DD is taking just one SAT II today - US History. Since her teacher had the final in that class this Thursday and Friday and since the ap test is next week, I don’t think she did any SAT specific prep work but has generally been studying hard anyway. </p>
<p>When I called College Board (since I could not figure out how to add an extra SAT II test for June on line) they told me they will just bill you for any extra tests. Makes sense to me. You don’t pay, you don’t get the test result. She said the student just needs to tell the proctor which test(s) they are planning to take, up to 3 tests. </p>
<p>If I recall correctly, some of the language listening tests are only held on certain SAT tests days. My S will just stick with his 5 on the AP Spanish Language test last year. He’s taken SAT II Math 2 and will be taking Physics and US History, which match up with the two AP classes he has.</p>
<p>S2 took SAT-II Lit today. Took the Blue Book practice test last Sunday and did very well. Said today he felt a bit more rushed, but thinks it went well. No prep otherwise except for the kind torture of the IB English department for the past three years.</p>
<p>This should be the last SAT-II, and then he is retaking the SAT next month in hopes of getting his CR closer to his PSAT CR. No testing senior year. He would also like to add some more points to math.</p>
<p>Mathmom – S2 was in the upper 600s on the practice Math Level II, but on test day he scored 100 points higher. He kept refreshing the page thinking it was a mistake, because he said, “There is NO WAY I made the same score on Math as I did on USH!” I’m sure your S2 will be just fine.</p>
<p>FAP – Langauges w/Listening are administered only in October.</p>
<p>DD has returned from the SAT’s. Feels she did a lot better on the verbal and writing than the Math. Her brain is fried, though, and she’s looking forward to some fun activities with friends & BF this afternoon and tonight.</p>
<p>Kaplan told them to listen to classical music (preferrably Mozart) before the test, and to read something - the newspaper, anything - before they go to get their brain warmed up. She said she knows why they said to listen to classical - because the last thing you hear gets stuck in your head, and who wants rap screaming in their head when they’re trying to concentrate? lol</p>
<p>My D finished her SAT IIs hours ago and she seemed - uncertain - over how she did. She took Math 2 and didn’t finish it - ended up leaving the last 5 blank. She was noncommittal over how she thought she did otherwise. She finished US History, but didn’t say what she thought of it. She was a little upset with me for not buying the review books, but she honestly had no time to prep. She said she would have prepped last night - but how much could she realistically have covered for the two tests in the 2 hours that she had available for studying last night? Probably not much. I wasn’t overly concerned because she had gotten a 760 on the Math 2 practice test and a 790 on the US History practice test from the CB SAT II Test book. Crossing my fingers that I didn’t make a mistake.</p>
<p>CD - glad to hear the SAT II went well for S2. We’re hoping to be done in June too - D is retaking both the SAT and the ACT. She’s trying to raise her CR score too. While that probably won’t be a problem for your DS, my D seems to have a mental block when it comes to that part of the test.</p>
<p>Lafalum - wish that my D had heard that advice (about the classical music). I think the last song she heard before going into the test was Poker Face…lol. Imagine that song going through your head while you’re trying to concentrate. D is looking forward to a fun night with friends too.</p>
<p>S2 thought he did much better on the SATs today than in January. He said that the extra 4 months of math and physics actually helped with the math portions; he said that the math sections seemed easier than in January. But he was really excited about the essay and said he definitely scored a 12. Big deal, I thought. Is any college really taking the W score into consideration on an equal footing with M & CR?</p>
<p>Now onto SAT IIs in June and then an ACT retake in June (I think this is during his finals week). I bet he’ll be happy when summer comes.</p>
<p>My son did well on his writing section. I can’t help but thinking that if he is on the fence, that the essay score will make the difference in admissions. Some schools do consider it equally, but it does not seem like many do. I noticed one school said that they use it to compare this writing sample with the admission essay. I already forgot which school it was, but I know it was a LAC.</p>
<p>We wondered what the turn out would be, but according to H and S, they didn’t see any evidence that the swine flu kept anyone away from S’s testing sight. In fact, when S came home he said that the kids were referring to the first half of the day as the “incubation portion” because the AC was broken and so they were all together in a hot room! </p>
<p>S feels like he did well. Nothing has motivated this kid about standarized testing like the “one and done” concept I first heard of here. Once he found out that if he did well, he’d not have to do the tests again during Senior year, he’s been very serious about them. </p>
<p>scualum, That is my S’s plan as well. The three AP tests he taking are the same SAT IIs he is taking. I agree that studying for the AP should suffice for the SAT II. </p>
<p>Best of luck to everyone who did testing today!</p>
<p>Son wasn’t happy, but he usually does better than he thinks so we’ll see. Math had problems of types that weren’t in the SAT study guide, the US History had too many questions about Native Americans, and bio was bio - always stuff he should know, but can’t remember. I was surprised that he didn’t know want period Antebellum refers to! </p>
<p>I always hear “Life is just a tire swing” when I hear that word.</p>
<p>I remember the smell of the creosote plant
When we’d have to eat on Easter with my crazy old uncle and aunt
They lived in a big house, antebellum style (antebellum)
And the winds would blow across the old bayou
And I was a tranquil little child …</p>
<p>D took the SAT for the second time today, hoping to bring up the verbal score. She seemed pretty defeated…the math went well as expected, but the CR, once again, frustrated her. So that is it for the SAT…we’ll just go with her ACT. Glad this chapter is over.</p>
<p>Picked up DD from the SATs and she was calm and said she was “zen.” I think her snack choices (a diet coke 1st break & a high protein South Beach bar next break) helped her stay pretty focused. She thinks she did pretty well; said the writing prompt was an easy one to form a coherent essay around, and that the math section was much easier than the practice tests she’s taken. She thought that the SATs were “easier” than the ACTs, because the subjects were broken up. So we’ll see on May 21st now, won’t we?</p>
<p>RobD - glad your D is pretty confident about the SAT - sounds promising. </p>
<p>scualum - your D actually looks at the Fiske Guide? I leave our copy out all the time, but I think I’m the only one who’s ever looked through it.</p>
<p>mathmom - I’m impressed that you get that much info out of your S. I thought girls were supposed to be the talkers, but my D just shrugged when I asked what she thought of the tests.</p>
<p>DS seemed slightly more optimistic coming out of USH and physics today than he did Math II in October so I hope that’s a good sign. I’d be very happy if he met his Math II score in either of those subjects. But on the way home he asks whether he should retake Math II. Ugh. I told him I was sure he was fine, but I think after a year of BC Cal and differential equations, he feels like he could get an 800. Not worth the headache if you ask me. And he did. :)</p>
<p>June is the second and, hopefully, final SAT, and he’s done. I am soooo glad I found cc and learned to accelerate testing in junior year. Thank you, all!!!</p>
<p>He and his dad are off picking up the new suit and a shirt and tie. Tonight, I’m sure we’ll all watch whichever Harry Potter movie is on ABC.</p>
<p>S looked less dazed from his second time through the SAT. He’s going to chill out with friends and see the movie “X Men.”</p>
<p>He felt better about the essay this time, and said he incorporated references to “Slaughterhouse Five.” He also noted he was surprised at how hard some of the math problems appeared … not hard to him, but hard to many test takers, as compared to the March test.</p>
<p>Hopefully this is the last for SAT. Next up, four AP exams, followed by two SAT II in June.</p>
<p>1) Ds, once again, thinks there was a bad question, this time on the physics test. Oh brother. He is SURE that one question simply didn’t have the correct answer listed. But he answered all of them and felt pretty confident.</p>
<p>2) He omitted several questions on USH. He didn’t mention Native American questions, but I’m glad to see mathmom say there was an Antebellum question as the teacher covered that this week in the APUSH exam study review!</p>
While that probably won’t be a problem for your DS, my D seems to have a mental block when it comes to that part of the test.</p>
He is SURE that one question simply didn’t have the correct answer listed. But he answered all of them and felt pretty confident.</p>