<p>My experience with my son and other students I have worked with is that taking the SAT II subject tests in May is very helpful. With all the reveiw for the APs, a student should be prepared for the subject tests. For some students the subject test can point out gaps in their preparation for the AP like a certain time period on the US History. Many students have said that the Biology and Chemistry subject tests were helpful before the APs the next week. </p>
<p>As far as the Math subject tests, the 08 PSAT math score will give you a good indication of which test will be better versus basing the decision purely on the math taken in school.The level 2 math is hard and a student should score between 68-80 on the PSAT or a similar score on the SAT before deciding to take it. </p>
<p>With all of the SAT II subject tests, the College Board has review books with practice tests that the student should use to prepare.</p>
<p>yay for archiemomās S2! D1 is currently taking driverās ed and then will hopefully get a dry-snowless day to take the road test during winter vacation. </p>
<p>first term ends next week, the workload seems manageable, but thatās because there are no sports right now and weāve had some extra days off for elections and veterans day.</p>
<p>My D is also taking driverās ed now, but she wonāt be finished until January. Sheās already gotten her certificate which means sheās able to take her road test, but Iām in no rush. She canāt drive alone until sheās 17 anyway, and that wonāt be until summer.</p>
<p>jackief - your D is lucky to have a little downtime right now. Although my D also had off for Election and Veterans Day, she has been endlessly busy - and her sports season is also over, and the new one doesnāt start until next week. She just never seems to have any free time these days.</p>
<p>My D is over-scheduled as usual. She has rehearsal after school every day until the middle of December (sheās in 2 plays). We had to cancel her guitar lessons for the next 3 weeks because there is just no time. She is not interested in driving at all, and I do have an old clunker for her that I have not sold yet, because I thought she would want it.</p>
<p>My S will be taking his driverās license test in the spring, at which time weāll have to pony up the $$ to fix the tranny on the '00 BMW and heāll be in business. Well, he will be once he learns how to drive stick shift, which we havenāt got to yet.</p>
<p>He came down with a nasty chest cold after last weekendās final water polo tourney, and missed a couple of days school this week. Luckily, one of the dayās was the holiday. Itās so nice the homework assignments are accessible on line, so he pretty much kept up with things. Best of all, he was better enough on Thursday to attend school, so he was able to attend the Mock Trial competition at the courthouse in downtown LA. They find out today if they (prosecution side of the team) won. He said the competition judges (all attorneys) liked his presentation. He was a witness, and said, āI owned that defense attorney during the cross (examination.)ā Still coughing today but more happily so.</p>
<p>Well, as for a carā¦we purchased a new Honda CRV last spring when I took a new job with a 90 mile-round-trip commute as well as local travel. My husband still drives a 1999 CRV with 120,000+ miles on it. And we kept the old Honda Odyssey (1998 and 250,000+ miles) for S1 to use when home from school last summer, also thinking that S2 could use it around town when he got his license.</p>
<p>H & S2 were on their way to the DMV for the test this morning in the newest CRV and I was driving the old CRV to work when the transmission blew. I mean blew. AT 65 mph on the highwayā¦a big bangā¦and then nothing. H pulled up behind me to wait for AAA and I ended up taking S2 to the test. Then later in the morning as I was leaving home again for work (3 hours later) we discovered that the new CRV had a flat tire from a big nail struck straight into the tire (where do those come from???). I wasnāt going to do the usual commute on the teeny spare tire, so here I am working from home today. And NOT getting into another car until tomorrow.</p>
<p>SO he has a license, but we are likely down to 2 carsā¦good for the insurance. Not so good for the scheduling of everyoneās activities. Thank goodness we donāt have four drivers at home right now.</p>
<p>Congrats, archiemom! S is having a hard time fitting in the practice hours (50 are required here) to get his license. He got his permit in April, but then was away for much of the summer. Where we live, everything is just a few minutesā drive away, and 10 minutes here and there take a long time to add up. He and H have been taking longer drives on the weekends, but heās still only up to 20 hours.</p>
<p>When S got his license 2 years ago, we bought me a new Camry and gave him the 1997 Camry. DH is very attached to his SUV. Somehow last winter we ended up with 3 cars in the garage/driveway, but only one being driven! S was away at college (no cars on campus for frosh or sophs) and H works from home. Iād look at the insurance bill and cringe, it seemed like such a waste, but I knew weād eventually need all 3 cars again. </p>
<p>D (hs class of 2010, hence this thread!) just got her license a month ago, so sheās currently driving the 97 Camry. But S wants to see if the college will let him have the old Camry on campus next semester, he needs it for his club sport. If that happens, D is not getting another car, she can just drive Hās SUV, since H works from home. </p>
<p>And for a āreliableā car, the 97 is showing itās age. This fall it needed completely new brakes, rotors & calipers; a new exhaust pipe, and a new O2 sensor. It only has 90,000 miles, but theyāve all been here in the northeast with our salty-road winters. Iām sure the body will die on that car before the engine willā¦</p>
<p>Why is it that car problems tend to come in pairs?</p>
<p>Booklady:</p>
<p>We have the same issues here in getting in drive time (50 here in CA, of which 10 are to be nighttime and thatās the harder part.) I keep a little notebook and log in each 10-15 minute increment and tote them up at the end of the month. It takes awhile, but I think weāll make the 50 by spring, especially if we decide to take a drive for a ski trip to Mammoth (which will depend on what the pocketbookās looking like.)</p>
<p>Here in CT the driving time was just increased (Aug 1) to 40 hours. But since S2 got his permit last May, he was only required to complete the old 20 hours. When S1 got his license, only 8 hours was required (hard to imagine)! 20 hours is nothingā¦so we will restrict his driving to local trips and increase the range as we become more confident with his level of skill and responsibility. Thank goodness he cannot drive with anyone other than a parent in the car for one year.</p>
<p>We also kept a running list on our refrigerator calendar. And it was hard to accumulate the right experience in 10 minute chunks!</p>
<p>Driving time here is 20 hours - but we have the same problem some of you have - everything is so close that itās hard to accumulate hours in 5-15 minute bits of time. Still, Iām not really cut out to be driving around as the passenger with an unlicensed teenager, so thatās about all I can take at any given time.</p>
<p>BTW, you guys are all so good - keeping track of time. Weāre just keeping track in our heads, and I think Dās only accumulated about 5 hours of practice time - weād better get moving since Iām sure sheāll want to take her test in the spring.</p>
<p>I found I wasnāt cut out to be the passenger/teacher of an unlicensed teenage driver either. If the only job I could have was as a driving instructor, Iād be either unemployed or someone with a mongo sized ulcer. This, despite my Sās cautious approach.</p>
<p>Yes, it is a strange feeling putting your life and your childās life into your childās hands. </p>
<p>I have a friend who had his own way of measuring driving time. Although the state requires 40 hours (plus classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction), his family tracked their kidsā driving in miles. The dadās rule was that his kids could not go for the license until each had driven 1000 miles. Took longer than any of the stateās rules!</p>
<p>D got her learnerās permit this week and I asked her if she wanted to drive the car back from motor vehicles. To my relief she declined! Our goal is for her to get her license by next summer. </p>
<p>So many milestones to cross in the coming months!</p>
<p>DD has had her permit for about 4 months but has just now started to do the hours. I was not going to push it - and so it just wasnāt happening. The turning point was seeing her friends get their licensesā¦ so now she is more eager. As for now, I want one of those brakes on my side!!!</p>
<p>We are planning to go to LA next month to visit colleges - a 5 hour drive each way - so I am hoping she will be ready for taking on part of that drive - at least the lightly traveled portions. (For those of you familiar with CA - I am thinking 101 from Salinas south to San Luis Obispo)</p>
<p>Youāre braver than I am! My DD has had her license for 3 months and Iāve yet to ride with her on the freeway. Sheās actually a very cautious driverā¦but Iām still not ready for the highway with her! And sheās only driven on it a couple times with her driverās training teacher and grown sister.</p>
<p>Scualum wrote: #978</p>
<p>DD has had her permit for about 4 months but has just now started to do the hours. I was not going to push it - and so it just wasnāt happening. The turning point was seeing her friends get their licensesā¦ so now she is more eager. As for now, I want one of those brakes on my side!!!</p>
<p>We are planning to go to LA next month to visit colleges - a 5 hour drive each way - so I am hoping she will be ready for taking on part of that drive - at least the lightly traveled portions. (For those of you familiar with CA - I am thinking 101 from Salinas south to San Luis Obispo)</p>
<p>Yikes - we havenāt even taken D on the highway yet. Sheās driven on a few highway-type roads (one even calls itself a highway), but they all have traffic lights. I donāt believe her driverās ed teacher has taken them on the real highway yet, although I know heās supposed to soon.</p>
<p>Iām glad to know Iām not the only parent whoās afraid of being a passenger/teacher for our teens. And yes, scualum, Iāve often wished for one of those brakes on my side of the car (sometimes, even when my H is driving me ).</p>
).</p>