I get it. Many families in our school district don’t have the kids take the tests until middle of junior year. I just worry that he may need more than one shot and will have three AP tests to take spring junior year. Better to study over the summer and knock out ACT or SAT early as long as student has had enough math!
My S will only take SAT if he does well on PSAT. Already 34 on ACT, so may be all done before junior year even starts.
@homerdog My DS14 took both SAT and ACT junior year. He took SAT twice and scored 2140 both times. Thought he’d give the ACT a try to see if he could so better, scored a 34 and was done. He didn’t do any prep for either test so there wasn’t that time crunch.
Hoping to replicate that with Dr but she might need more prep on the math section. We’ll just have to see. We are not shooting for NMF so I don’t feel the need to shell out 4K for a class. Maybe some targeted tutoring which should run me about $500.
DD’18 just finished up her first week of school. She is busy with her fall sport. She will take the PSAT in October and the SAT in January. Happy Junior year everyone!
My S16 took both the SAT and ACT, and ended up preferring the ACT. D18 took the ACT in June and the PSAT last October. She did better on the ACT and will probably take it one more time - probably in February.
Our DD has said she would like to try the ACT. Told her not to worry about practicing it until after the PSAT in October. There is just not enough time to do everything.
@gildo just has the same discussion with DS18. Told him not to even think about ACT until after the PSAT!
My DD’18 did just couple SAT practice exams and didn’t do well (around 1200/1600) because she is slow test taker so ACT will not suit well for her (she tried ACT practice test and didn’t like the time crunch and science portion).
Her HS will start on 8/29, so we will be taking a week long vacation next week. However I am really concerned for her summer homework, which included AP Eng Lang with 100 vocabulary (test in the 1st week), 8 chapters of AP US History homework, over 15 pages AP Calculus AB homework and AP Physics homework.
@jjkmom I can see where you are coming from. I had summer hw for AP Chem, AP bio, and AP USH. Although Chem and bio weren’t bad APUSH was immensely time consuming. I had to outline 6 chapters do who/when/where/why for each vocab term given and summarize primary sources for each chapter.
D18 starts HS next week. On her schedule: APUSH, AP English Comp, AP Physics, Honors Psych/AP Psych, Honors Pre Cal, Latin III, Varsity Cheer. Interesting to see everyone had quite a bit of summer work for their APs. D18 only had to read Into the Wild for AP English.
She took a practice ACT test last week and did fine with finishing on time. She scored well on the science and right where I expected on the english/reading but her math score was lower than expected. She said the math seemed to get progressively harder. Which was apparent when I scored it she missed 0 for the first 32 problems in fact I stopped and asked if she “cheated” and then she started missing a few and by the last problems missed a bunch in a row. Bit worried about the math. She will be taking both the SAT (JAN) and ACT (FEB) and then both again in April/May and again in June if necessary.
Sorry if this has been asked & answered – my DS18 is taking the ACT in Sept for the first time. Wonder if there are any good resources for practicing the new types of math problems that apparently have recently been added to the ACT? We have the Official 2016-17 ACT Prep Guide - red book and the previous one. Also, anyone’s DC find the online ACT practice helpful? http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/act-online-prep/about-act-online-prep.html
thanks!!!
@labegg The ACT Math Test does become progressively harder as you go. A tip that I heard is to start with the harder questions first and then work to easier questions. That way, you’ll have more stamina and less likely to get testing fatigue.
Also, DD read Into the Wild for her Summer AP Lang assignment? What a coincidence, so did I. I finished it back in early July. It was such a great book! I had to write a chapter-by-chapter analysis of the book as well as examples of figurative language and imagery used. I will be required to write a timed essay on the book during the first week.
Our rising eighth grader read Into The Wild this summer on the recommendation of everyone in the family (we have all read it and loved it). He’s excited to start Into Thin Air when he returns from camp.
DS18 is at Philmont Scout Reservation right now and has been for over a week. He is doing one of the big backpacking treks with some boys from his Scout troop. He is planning to complete his Eagle Scout project later this month if everything goes well.
This summer was great for DS18 in terms of summer work required. His IB Math class just had a two-page document of problems to do to make sure the kids are ready for the challenges of IB Math and that was it! We actually inquired of the IB teachers if there was required summer reading as he has had required books to take critical reading notes on every summer. Not this time - the teachers said kids in the IB Literature courses are typically very motivated students who read a lot on their own and they want them to read whatever they want over the summer. What a breath of fresh air!
Our DS18 is currently reading Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. He is really enjoying it.
@kassh4, heap, my DD has been spending time at the library to work on her APUS homework for the last few nights, besides creating table of who/what/when/where/how, she also need to answer average 25 short essay questions per each chapter and there will be test on the first week of school which will be 8/29!
DD’18 registered today and got her schedule, she was sad to see the first period is the hardest class APUS, then Chinese 3 Honor, AP Physics, then AP Cal AB, then AP English, then final period is for athletes (she is in golf team). Can’t believe it’s almost over, time to take a break and recharge! This supposed to be the toughest year… I’m concerned!
DD got home from Camp yesterday…she has been gone all Summer…first she was in Israel for 5 weeks with her Summer Camp, then she was home for a few days and then went to Camp for 2 weeks as a CIT. So happy to have her home as DS14 flew back to College today. Thank goodness I have her laundry and work to distract me! Although it gets easier to have him be away I am particularly sad today as I think that this was the last Summer that he will be home. He has an Internship lined up for next Summer that is not local and now we really are coming to terms with the fact that he probably will never live at home again for an extended length of time! It is all good…but I still get teary if I think about it. Now I feel like we are ready to start this process again. DD is about to start tutoring for the SAT and right now is taking her first practice test that has to be done prior to the first session. Before she left she was trying to talk me out of doing any formal SAT tutoring but I didn’t think that was a good plan for her. So I was happy that tonight she asked where the prep materials are and said “let me do the test now”. Finally some interest in this “college stuff”. Feels like Summer is over! School starts in just under 2 weeks…XC practice starts next Thursday…and she has tons of AP Summer work to get done! Good luck to all of the kids starting school in the next few weeks. I will say from experience that it all really goes by quickly. College is going by even faster than HS did!
Going on my first college tour tomorrow to George Mason University, then going to Virginia Tech on Monday! 
Really excited, and also really nervous! I have a ton of questions I feel I should write down.
D18’s reading of Into the Wild has her questioning her thoughts in a possible major of Anthropology. I have not read it… but she says “Why does it seem like it’s the Anthropology majors that go off the deep end?”.
My DD’18 just got her schedule:
AP English Language
APUS History
AP Calculus AB
Chinese III Honor
PE/athlete-Golf
And AP Physics 1.
Some of her friends are taking AP Physics C… She heard AP Physics C is the hardest class, anyone have more insight on the difference between these two?
I believe AP Physics C is calculus based. AP Physics 1 is algebra based. At our school, you have to take AP Physics 1 and AB or BC Calc before you can take AP Physics C.
DD is at an IB school so I don’t have a description from her course catalog. But here are the course descriptions for each from my older child’s school:
Physics 1: Physics 1 is a non-calculus based conceptually and mathematically rigorous first year university preparatory course. Laboratory-centered, the course exposes students to methods of scientific inquiry and elementary error analysis. Course design requires students to develop a solid background in the conceptual basis of physics as well strong critical thinking and problem solving skills. The course is a comprehensive treatment of the topics of mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and waves and oscillations. When time allows, other topics in thermodynamics or modern physics may be treated on an instructor-specific basis.
Physics 1 Honors introduces the most central concepts of physics, including the dual wave-particle nature of light, kinematics, dynamics, the conservation laws (mass, energy, and momentum), electricity, magnetism, and waves. This course is laboratory-centered and employs the methods of scientific inquiry. Students will be involved in an externally-moderated experimental/research project, either independently or in teams.
AP Physics C: Students study a mathematically substantial formulation of Newtonian mechanics (first semester) and electricity and magnetism (second semester), including vector and calculus-based treatment of particle kinematics (motion), Newtons interaction model, energy, linear momentum, angular momentum, systems of particles, oscillators, and Newtonian gravity in the first semester. Topics covered in the second semester include electromagnetic fields, superposition, electrostatics, magnetostatics, induction, electric currents and elementary circuits, Maxwells equations in integral form and the Lorentz force law. Students should allot time to complete at least seven hours of quantitative problem solving homework per week to attain mastery. Students are thoroughly prepared to take both the Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism sections of the Advanced Placement Physics C examination.
Advanced Placement Physics is a second-level course which surveys a broad selection of physics topics at a level above Physics 1. It is designed for students who have completed a core science curriculum and are now ready to pursue more advanced and specialized studies in mechanics, electricity, and magnetism. AP Physics C serves as the foundation in physics for students who wish to pursue physical science or engineering degrees. Students are required to take both the Mechanics Advanced Placement exam and the Electricity and Magnetism Advanced Placement exam and may be given college credit and/or placement if a qualifying score is achieved.
AP Calculus BC is strongly recommended as a prerequisite but can be taken concurrently. 10th graders taking AP Physics may not ‘drop back’ to Physics 1 as 10th graders.