Thanks to all who responded about VPN. And congrats for lots of great scores! I was able to see DS score using Tunnel Bear. I’m so glad I did because it gives me time to get my game face on (so that when he looks at it tomorrow I can be encouraging). DS will most likely get commended but has the exact same score he got last year on PSAT not PSAT 10. He’s going to be really disappointed. I was kind of expecting that he would go up at least some but he took the Oct 24 test…apparently the curve was brutal. I don’t know about Reading and Grammar but looks like -1 on Math is 710!!!
I’m not disappointed but hate it that he will be. On the bright side, I bet he will look at the SAT review books now
Hope all of you still waiting for PSAT scores and those waiting for Dec SAT scores get good news.
DD20 missed same numbers on same parts as her sister DD18, Selection is 10 points lower this year. probably commended but not quite what she was hoping for. She still will have many fantastic options and is hoping did well on Dec SAT so she can be done with testing.
DS20 got a score at the commended level because the state we live in requires a notoriously high score to become a NMSF. He was a bit upset. I tried to reassure him that he was doing other important things - like a summer internship and a lot of extracurriculars - rather than prepping for it.
D did not even ask about NM stuff, but was happy with her score (which will not be commended). @txsparty is your D still considering Nursing? I think I saw you on one of those threads as I was doing some research for my D…
My daughter came home today and said they were told their scores would be out tomorrow. NJ was supposed to be today but now it’s tomorrow. Anyone in NJ get scores? Apparently lots of kids were logging in looking for scores all day. Our cut off is really high but she’s really hoping for NM so we will see. She does better on math so I think it will be rough. More waiting
Can I ask how all of your kids did so well on the PSAT’s? Did they do a lot of prep work or are they just super smart? My D20 goes to a top public high school and gets pretty much straight A’s and her score was under 1200. She’s generally a very good standardized test taker (does get on our state MCAS). She did well in english (660) but not so great in math. She did absolutely no prep but I thought most kids don’t prep for the PSAT’s. Have most of your kids taken it in previous years? I also have a S22 so wondering if we should start earlier with him.
@MAmom111 Both my kids (D17 and S20) first took SAT in middle school ( for Summer CTY). I think they get good experience and confidence knowing the format of the tests earlier on. They didn’t prep for the test officially but did do a couple of sample tests using the blue book before the real thing. S20 took PSAT last year at school (required) without specific prep. But since he did prep for Math2 over the summer, he was well prepared for math. 10th grade PSAT told us that he just need some work on Reading & Writing. He prepped with an online tutor (focusing on R&W) for June SAT and took both SAT and ACT in June. Even though he didn’t prep specifically for PSAT, his other tests related work should have prepped him well. This is our strategy, don’t do extra prep but leverage as much school work as possible. He plans to take another Subject test (Physics or Bio, or both) in June next year leveraging the AP class work.
@MAmom111 My DS20 is not the SUPER high that some of these amazing kids are scoring, but he is in Commended range. Our schools start giving the PSAT 8/9 to every 9th grader, last year he should have taken the PSAT 10 (but was in patient at the time due to mental health issues) and then took this PSAT. He has looked at Khan Academy some, mostly to refresh the math. He’s always been strong in English, so in this case the scores benefit kids who are naturally strong in English, IMO. Honestly, I don’t know that I would prep too hard for PSAT, but a lot of the SAT prep carries over to the PSAT so it doesn’t hurt to refresh the math or even look ahead if they are in Alg 2 now. My son hasn’t taken the SAT yet, but given his score on the PSAT he wants to try the next test, so registering him tonight.
I’ll also say, he’s always been a strong test taker. He doesn’t really get nervous about them and it seems like he just innately understands test-taking strategies. I teach middle schoolers and I know a lot of kids who need direct instruction in how to take a standardized test, but he seems to have just picked it up.
@mamom111 Many kids took the PSAT 10 which means they did a practice PSAT in 10th grade. If their score was within reach of National Merit, they probably studied/practiced/prepped for the PSAT in 11th grade in the hopes of getting NM. If not then there would be no reason to prep for the PSAT.
@MAmom111 Heck yes, many/most of these parents’ kids prepped for the PSAT. Prepping comes in all forms, but some kids these days prep a ton, shooting for national merit. It’s been a ‘thing’ for a while. Look at your D results closely to figure out where she can get the most bang for her buck, and good luck on her future tests!
My oldest wasn’t close to NM on the PSAT 10 so didn’t prep for PSAT/NMSQT. He just took it as it is intended - a practice for the SAT. Since the SAT was new that year, he prepped for and took the ACT in April of 11th grade. The SAT was originally meant to be an assessment taken in Fall of 12th grade. There is a trend for the tippy top kids to take it earlier and earlier but I believe the majority of kids aren’t ready to take it early and take these tests towards the end of junior year/beginning of senior year.
@MAmom111 My daughter had taken an ACT test in September and prepped some for that. I think it helped her. She also did portions of the two official PSAT tests to refresh her memory on the differences between the two tests. Our school did the practice PSAT in 9th grade and also 10th grade so I’m sure that helped too.
@MAMom11: I wondered about who preps and who doesn’t as well, but moreso regarding my kid’s classmates than here at CC.
We don’t prep for tests which are considered preparatory. We could re-think it, but, too late - this is the last kid. We figure if the kids get a real idea of their baselines, they can take it from there and work on what needs to be worked on, and fret over the areas which are troubling them if they want to improve.
I’ve come to have a real appreciation for taking it easy as the kids go forward, until something substantial is on the line.
Years ago one of my kids tested for a boarding school at one of the premier day schools in our region. So many of us parents were really trying to square the kids up and get them in ready mode for the hours-long testing ahead of them. One parent, a dad, stood among us all when the doors opened and the kids left our side, cheering his daughter on with “Have fun!”
I so loved that sense of ease and mirth with which he approached the whole laboratory of testing that I had to approach him and speak with him. He was interesting, and his life was rather fantastical in some aspects.
Since then I’ve been able to let the kids find their way, and offer guidance when I see it is needed. (But I do still marvel at people who have the whole study regimen/tactical approach down to something manageable to them.)
@MAmom111 I think that means she was in a fairly good place to take the test but look over her detailed score report and see what she missed. Lots of kids need to refresh that was a while ago (geometry, etc).
