<p>We have the Naviance password and info. S and I used it extensively so I’m familiar.</p>
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<p>D is taking Algebra II/Trig this year and Pre-Calc (Analysis) next year. I wonder whether she should do this year or wait until next?</p>
<p>^ D is also taking Algebra II/Trig this year and Pre-Calc next year. The Algebra II/Trig teacher told us in September that they have the option of taking SAT Math 1 this year; several posters on this thread pointed out that it would make more sense for anyone who wants to take Math to wait until after taking Pre-Calc and to take SAT Math 2.</p>
<p>mihcal1, I didn’t realize that registration is already open for SAT subject tests in June! D might take World History, which is one of her favorite subjects. She’s doing Chem this year but her Chem teacher said that it’s not worth her taking the SAT Chem since she already has SAT Bio.</p>
<p>And we got our 1st piece of college mail, from a college we’ve actually heard of–Bard College at Simon’s Rock. When I showed it to D she said that she heard that a couple of friends of D’s who are in Honors classes, including one who got 800 in the SAT Bio, had gotten mail from them as well. Even though I don’t think it’s a good fit for D, the line is appealing–“Apply to college NOW…”–and so bypass all of the junior stress and college decisions!</p>
<p>OHMOM, I’d suggest that she should take SATII math after she finishes precalc. People normally say one should take SAT II math right after precalc. I think for a fast paced student, taking it after finishing calc would also be okay. I don’t have direct experience. But watching my D. do her precalc problems, at times I find problems that will be a lot easier and takes shorter time if she does know calc. I suppose when she takes the exam, they don’t care which method she uses, as long as the answer is right. Often times when you have a broader knowledge about a certain topic, you have different options to approach a problem. When you take the test, you take the shortest cut.</p>
<p>Someone mentioned earlier that there is a lot of time before one needs to register for the SAT IIs. This is absolutely correct, but there is sometimes a risk that a test site will fill up and the student will be forced to take the test elsewhere. This varies by school, but I just want to mention it as it has happened to a friend.</p>
<p>I believe you can register your child now w/o having to indicate which subject tests he intends to take. He makes that decision when he arrives at the test center. I also think there is a way to add a second or third test at the test center, although am uncertain about payment collection.</p>
<p>Good point about the test sites filling up! That happened last spring with D’s SAT Bio. Some of her friends had to take the test over an hour from home. She ended up taking the test in an unfamiliar high school around 25 minutes away. When she came out, her major complaint was about the school’s team name, the Mules, and the kid in front of her with the team logo, a big grinning mule, on the back of his shirt.</p>
<p>Does anyone know much about the World History–how tough a test it is, what the scoring is like? Our state curriculum is World History in grades 9 and 10, and D has had demanding teachers both years so hopefully she’s prepared for it?</p>
<p>It <em>is</em> early to signup for June SATs. I jumped on it now because
(1) y’all were talking about it and reminded me
(2) the test center nearest our house has few seats and tends to fill up early
(3) I wanted to use up the credit that my D2 had with College Board (from signing up for Bio subject test last year, but then canceling, because she didn’t feel her H.bio class had prepared her sufficiently.) </p>
<p>In terms of how many tests to take: It’s unusual for colleges to ask for more than two subject exams. However which two varies by the colleges/programs you’re applying to. My D2 is currently thinking about becoming a science major, so her colleges will probably want to take have taken a science subject. But Engineering programs and some science programs specifically want a math subject. Additionally, some colleges want to see one in a math-or-science area and one in a humanities area. If my D2 takes all three (M2, CH, WH) she’s covered for almost any scenario.</p>
<p>I’m not sure whether D2 will actually take all three tests this June. Definitely M2, because she’ll have just finished H.pre-calc. We’ll have her do practice tests for the other two and see whether she feels prepared. It’d be great if she could get all three done this June, with sufficiently high scores, because then she won’t have to worry about taking any subjects tests in Jr or Sr years.</p>
<p>If D2 is willing (and I think she will be), we’ll have her follow the same prep as my D1 did. My D1 started with practice tests from the CB Subject Test book. For M2 she found her H.pre-calc class covered pretty much all the material but self-prep practice helped her to work faster and more confidently on the test. However, in Chem and WH the practice tests revealed that her H.Chem and H.WH classes had left significant gaps from what’s covered on those SAT subjects. So she had to fill-in with self-study. For CH she used [Barron’s</a> Chem](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Barrons-SAT-Subject-Test-Chemistry/dp/0764138812]Barron’s”>http://www.amazon.com/Barrons-SAT-Subject-Test-Chemistry/dp/0764138812). For WH she used [Barron’s</a> WH](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Barrons-Subject-Test-World-History/dp/0764136917/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358493509&sr=1-1&keywords=barrons+world+history+sat]Barron’s”>http://www.amazon.com/Barrons-Subject-Test-World-History/dp/0764136917/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358493509&sr=1-1&keywords=barrons+world+history+sat), plus her little sister’s junior-high history text to read-up about the parts of the world (mostly S.America and Africa) that weren’t well-covered in the high school class.</p>
<p>The College Board is pretty flexible about letting you decide on test-day which SAT subjects you actually take, except that for some of the language ones you need to notify CB in advance so they can prepare the listening equipment.</p>
<p>Crepes – the D of a close friend left HS early, at 15.5yo, and did her first 2 years of college at Simon’s Rock. It’s a unique place, sort-of halfway between a boarding HS and a regular college. It is an option worth considering for kids who are not thriving at HS, alongside other alternatives such as concurrent enrollment, transferring HSs, or GED+CC (which might be much less expensive!) Despite being on the verge of failing out of HS, my friend’s D did well at Simon’s Rock. Two years later, she seems to have been well-prepared for transferring. She is now an upperclassman at a flagship public U, aiming to finish her BA before her 20th bday.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. Math 2 next year then, plus whatever else she decides to take.</p>
<p>D2 still home sick. Taking her to the docs this afternoon. </p>
<p>I would not recommend taking 3 SAT subject tests in one sitting. D1 did that, and even she agrees it was not a good idea. D2 will sit some subject tests- at this point she is looking at the state flagship which does not require subject tests. I want her to have options so encouraging her to take them.</p>
<p>I made the same mistake with d2 as I did with d1- booked her flight to Europe without checking the SAT test dates. She flies June 1 which really should be the date she sits the World Hist subject test- drat!</p>
<p>We are planning the D2 will sit the SAT in May. D1 is convinced that the test in May has a more generous curve. " The smart kids are studying for AP exams". This will give d2 a good idea where she is and we can determine if she requires any test prep coarse. No pressure on her, just a try and see. Fall is a hard schedule for her with school softball. </p>
<p>Our goal is to have testing done and dusted by the end of Junior year. D1 was glad to focus on applications senior year without scattering to get testing completed.</p>
<p>Have a good weekend, stay warm and dry!</p>
<p>Sally22 – WH isn’t offered on the May sitting, only in June. Ditto some of the languages. </p>
<p>OHMomof2 – your D might consider doing other subjects this year, e.g., history or whatever science class she’s taking. She is unlikely to specifically need a math subject unless she’s aiming for engineering. </p>
<p>From watching my D1 and her friends, it’s really nice if they can clear some of the testing out early. That way you get an earlier indication of what level they should target, which helps to narrow down the list of colleges to research. Also, it gives them more breathing space when Jr spring gets very busy with APs and ECs, and Sr fall with writing applications.</p>
<p>mihcal- yup I know… she will be on a plane for 6 weeks in Europe : )
The May sitting she will take the regular SAT not the subject tests. Sorry, if I was not clear.</p>
<p>Here’s just a little fyi info that may be of use to someone. (or not)</p>
<p>If your student took SAT IIs in 8th grade, check with the colleges to be sure that they’ll still take those scores. I know you’re talking about 10th grade scores, but some of you have had kids who took scores in 9th and maybe even in 8th.</p>
<p>All the schools on my 2012er son’s list were fine with his 8th grade SAT IIs <em>except</em> Caltech. He had to retake the physics SAT II in January of his senior year even though he’d gotten an 800 on the same test in 8th grade. 
What a bummer to spend (waste?) $35 more on a test. (And he didn’t even go there. Oh well.) I think Caltech wanted scores that were no more than two years old.</p>
<p>Not that you know what schools your kids will be applying to, but it’s probably good to know if your kids have older scores.</p>
<p>Another thought- consider whether your child is truly prepared for the subject tests and likely to score well because some colleges require that you submit all test scores. I had my D13 take 3 tests at the end of her sophomore year just because I wanted to know how much she had learned about those subjects. She scored in the high 500s which I thought was alright until I saw how low the percentages were. I didn’t realize how competitive they were. I regretted her having to send those scores with her later, better scores.</p>
<p>My son took three Subject tests the same day since we were clueless about this area-I agree with others no more than two.</p>
<p>I hope my daughter is able to get the bulk of the testing done before Senior year-it was very hard for my son trying to get these Subject tests done in addition to the SAT testing-we knew nothing about Subject tests until summer before Senior year-we never heard a word about them from our GC as we don’t send our kids to “those kind of schools” and we also do not have Naviance. </p>
<p>Many of the schools that want these tests do not have the option to pick which results go-all of them do-so Apollo6 is very right-better to not sit for them as a practice or a gauge of where they are since the school may see them all-they say they only look at the highest but I prefer not to give them the temptation!</p>
<p>Midterms begin today and the day got started off on the wrong note with a bit of a dustup here-</p>
<p>Just FYI, here’s the list from College Board that explains the score reporting policy of each college. The only ones who require that all scores be reported are marked “All scores.” </p>
<p>Also, I believe that College Board allows you to pick and choose which subject tests you send with one exception: if you take the same subject test more than once, you have to send all of those tests if you want to send one. Example - if you take the math 2, physics, and biology subject tests one day, and the retake the biology test again a couple months later, you can choose to send either math 2, physics, bio (one of them, two of them, or all three of them). But if you want to send either of the two bio tests you took, you must send both.</p>
<p>Exam week for D (her school has kept the tradition of exams mid-January, after the Holiday break).</p>
<p>Casa Three’sDad has been a virtual library the past 10 days with D preparing. My wife & I have been hiding downstairs so D can concentrate on her studying. Language Arts (English) & Chemistry today, History tomorrow, then Algebra II & Spanish Thursday. Friday is reserved for make-ups due to illness or conflict.</p>
<p>The D will be thrilled when this weekend arrives and she is back to her regualr schedule.</p>
<p>PN - would love to see the CB list but I think you forgot to add the link. Or maybe it’s embedded and I can’t see it?</p>
<p>Pepper and Threesdad, good luck to the kids this week! (Pepper, I hate when I have a bad morning with a kid. Weighs on me all day.)</p>
<p>I’m back to debating when D should take the SAT IIs that she could take at the end of this semester. I’m considering having her push one or both into the fall (November), but I’m afraid she’ll be burned out with studying for the SAT and PSAT which are in October. She doesn’t really understand (or agree with?) the importance of these tests so I think she’d use her energy studying for the AP in USH at the end of the year, along with her other classes. </p>
<p>Does anyone know if the AP and SATII tests for USH are similar or different? Would preparing for one cover the other? Also, for Math II, is that sort of like the Math section of the PSAT/SAT?</p>
<p>Suzy100 – The standardized tests are all really different tests! </p>
<p>There is typically a pretty good overlap in the subject material covered in AP and the corresponding SAT subject. But the overlap is not complete, and each test will have material on it that wasn’t covered on the other test. There is a whole test-prep section of CC devoted to this topic. But it’s probably quicker and less confusing to go to your local bookstore or library, grab some APUSH prep books and the College Board SAT subjects book, and flip through their respective tables of content.</p>
<p>More importantly, the test formats are really different, e.g., the AP heavily weights essays and/or long form problem-solving, whereas SAT subject is all multiple-choice. My D1 benefitted from doing separate preps to strengthen the disparate skills. </p>
<p>The SAT subject M2 and SAT subject M1 are both pretty different from each other, and also different from the SAT math section. Again, I suggest searching the CC forum on test prep, or flipping through the prep books at your local bookstore or library.</p>
<p>The PSAT and SAT are pretty different, too. Most kids are probably better off just studying for the SAT and skipping the PSAT entirely. Taking the PSAT only makes sense if the kid has a reasonable shot at National Merit (say, above [url=<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>Your PSAT/NMSQT Score Report Explained - SAT Suite]~95%ile[/url</a>] on each section as a sophomore or in prep tests). For kids at that level who want to make a serious go at National Merit, I’d strongly recommend preparing for the PSAT separately from the SAT.</p>
<p>D’s asked me to go to an info night this week for our HS’ “Alternative Spring Break”. This year it’s in New Orleans, presumably for Katrina-related cleanup/rebuilding.</p>
<p>I haven’t been to the info night yet but it’s chaperoned (teachers) and her friends who have gone before have really enjoyed it. I wonder if I can follow the van and just hang out in NOLA while they work? :D</p>
<p>Thanks Mihcal, that’s really good advice. I have been operating under the impression that preparing for the SAT would more than prepare a kid for the PSAT because if I recall correctly, that was the conventional wisdom 6+ years ago (!). I’d been hoping that D could take the SAT in October at roughly the same time as the PSAT but I may rethink that now. The thing I’m really trying to avoid is a rush of AP exams, SAT subject tests and SAT I testing all at once. </p>
<p>Good luck to those taking midterms this week!</p>
<p>*Thanks Mihcal, that’s really good advice. I have been operating under the impression that preparing for the SAT would more than prepare a kid for the PSAT because if I recall correctly, that was the conventional wisdom 6+ years ago (!). I’d been hoping that D could take the SAT in October at roughly the same time as the PSAT but I may rethink that now. The thing I’m really trying to avoid is a rush of AP exams, SAT subject tests and SAT I testing all at once. *</p>
<p>I second this, but this was NOT what I wanted to hear about PSAT/SAT prep! Now I’m rethinking everything, and my D’s GC is of no help whatsoever. <em>sigh</em></p>
<p>*I wonder if I can follow the van and just hang out in NOLA while they work? * OHMomof2, maybe you can stop and get me on the way down! :)</p>