My dds only did the SAT, and for prep, they did not take any group courses. They studied using Khan academy and taking all of the old SAT tests we could find. There are the ones on Khan, and then we found some links to more exams on the SAT board for reddit.
eta: They also did the Critical Reader question of the day, because the reading/writing sections of the test were their weaker sections and we wanted to supplement for those. I have no idea if that was helpful or not. They both said just taking the old exams was the most helpful for them.
My son was not going to sit and do practice test after practice test. I know he could have done much better had he done that, but heâs just not motivated enough to do so. I really wish there was a class or tutor service near us because I would have paid for that and I think it would have helped a lot having someone to keep him on track. He did do the ACT app on his phone after I bribed him to do at least that and he raised his score 4 points doing just that for a few months.
Oooh there is an ACT app? That might be good for my daughter. Her twin brother is probably motivated enough to work on his own. Not so sure about her but an app might be good.
@mtemmd - ACT sells online test prep. I think it was $40 for 6 months of access and it charts where you need work and supposedly tailors new questions based on which ones youâd had trouble on in the past. My son never did anything with the computer part of it , but he agreed to use the app. It asks you to enter how many days you have until the test and then it sets up a plan for that time frame. It usually only took DS about 20 minutes to get through the days review.
We used a tutor via Skype that came highly recommended. She had my son take a full test (actual past ACT test) and went over which ones he got wrong. She realized that there werenât many questions that he didnât know how to do. So she told him not to worry about those and to focus on why he was getting the others wrong. He did four sessions with her, focusing on HOW to best take the test, lots of tips/tricks, and increased his score 6 points (26 to 32). Iâm happy to share her contact info if anyone wants it. Sheâs great, very engaging and affordable, in my opinion. Considering the merit heâs received, even with a low gpa, it was a great investment.
Any particular SAT and/or ACT book recommendations? They both seem to like the idea of the books with tests so I think that would be a good start. But there are so many! Which to choose?
@mtemmd D20 used Barronâs ACT book. She also used Khan Academy. She practiced for 30 minutes, 2-3 times/week, beginning summer before junior year and took 3 practice tests over the course of 6 months. She got a 35; no other test prep, but she was dedicated to practicing. Good luck!!
Iâm a big believer in one on one test prep with a quality tutor. Also, taking lots of timed practice tests seems to help most kids. IMO, these 3 hour tests mean a lot in getting substantial merit and/or into your match & reach colleges that the extra money you pay for private tutoring is well worth the investment.
We paid for the Kaplan unlimited plan that prepped for the PSAT, SAT and ACT. We were able to sign up during sophomore year during a âspecialâ that made the cost fairly reasonable (unlimited plan for just over $1k, good thru January of senior year). Our daughter did prep for all three tests.
For our daughter, we paid for a program that met in-person weeklyâŠshe needed a program to organize the time into her schedule for practice/review and I do agree with others who say if your child can self-schedule prep you donât need to pay for it. She tests well and exceeded her own goals; she was one and done with the tests.
Our family was on the hunt for merit money, and the merit offers she received were very generous (with automatic merit schools, as well as âholisticâ, competitive merit schools).
I am sure there is more than a little confirmation bias in our view of test prep; we did it, our daughter did exceptionally well on her ACT and it more than paid off in terms of merit money. If we had had a different result, we might very well feel differently about it.
Agree. For D20 we started with a Princeton review plan that met in person once a week, but also gave her access to online tests and resources. Her ACT score was extremely disappointing. I thought the money was a complete waste. They offered to let her take another course as part of their âguarantee,â but we decided to pass. A friend had great luck with a private tutor so we hired him to work with D one-on-one before taking it again instead. The tutor identified her weaknesses and strengths, and tailored his tutoring approach accordingly. It worked! The results were outstanding (a 4-point increase) and she reached her target score the next test.
Lesson learned. For S23 we will start with the private tutor and not even bother with the larger classes.
@mtemmd
my son used Princeton SAT Review book and that helped him out sooo much for the SAT and inadvertently for the ACT as well, which he took again after reviewing it. I think it was because the book doesnt just review the info, and have practice tests, but gives important tips on how to take the test.
He tried using kahn academy, and it helped some, and for the ACT we found previous year tests online to practice with as well.
D20 admitted to the Nurse Scholar Program at Michigan State today. Itâs their version of a direct admit that doesnât get a lot of attention here on CC. Not exactly sure where it lies on the list, but itâs another good option. As I mentioned, sheâs a big sports fan, and MSU would qualify.
I am not entirely certain USPS informed delivery was a good thing for me to sign up for. At 7:30AM I see that there is going to be something delivered from UMN Office of Student Finance today. Iâm 99% certain itâs something completely benign like a letter saying âHey, we got your FAFSA, Thanks!â, but now Iâm going to be wondering all day if maybe, just maybe, itâs a scholarship letter. Itâs going to drive me bonkers.
@cshell2 we got one in the mail late last week and it was just the âwe got your FAFSA, awards will be sent out starting in Februaryâ letter. There was a copy online, too, by signing into OneStop > MyU > Key Links > Student Center > Communication Center.
Iâm not-so-patiently waiting to find out if he got any scholarships and what our budget will be (or, how many hours Iâm going to need to pick up at work).
Our mail doesnât usually arrive until around 5pm, so I do like having Informed Delivery, even though the bigger envelopes donât show up.
My D20 did not do so well on the math section the first time she took the SAT so we printed out a practice test (math section only) and she went through it answering questions, seeing which ones she did not quite get and looking at the answers. Plus, she did Khan academy just a bit. Just with that little bit of âprepâ she went up 70 points in math and 40 points in RW.
@myrna97 - Thank you! Thatâs what it was. No hope of a scholarship letter when I get home, but at least I can focus on work now. Looks like we have one coming from UMD as well.
Anyone else have kids interested in studying International Relations? Where are they applying? I am trying to see if there are any colleges we may have overlooked. I canât believe the last of the applications will be in soon!
@mteemmd UofSC (Gamecocks)? My kids were not interested in the major, but I recall it being one of the best schools for IR when D17 was looking. Thatâs all I got.