Our son is a junior and in general, is a pretty anxious kid. He has taken the old SAT twice. The first time, he did not sleep at all the night before the test and scored a 1900. The second time, we had him start going to bed earlier a few days before the test, and he scored a more respectable 2040 (superscore 2080). He is not interested in taking the new SAT or ACT, but we are concerned that his score is not high enough for some of the schools he is interested in (mainly UC’s). He has a weighted GPA slightly over 4.0. Should we push to have him take the new SAT or ACT? He says all the testing is “stressing him out.” He is scheduled for 2 AP tests in May along with subject tests which means if he takes the new SAT, it will not be until June.
Have him take an ACT and SAT at the beginning of next school year. He can study over the summer, and school shouldnt be too stressful in the beginning of the year.
@sleeplessmom1 I agree with that. Also, maybe your son should apply to test optional schools. There are many now. I just read your other post, and your son doesn’t seem to be coping that well with all these stressors. Regarding AP tests, is he aware that if he does badly on them, there is no need to report the scores. They self-report APs anyway. So that should take a little pressure off. I also suggest you both start looking for colleges in which his SAT score will give him a good shot at getting in. My understanding is that the UCs can be difficult. His score is good, but it probsbly won’t make him a really strong applicant. Ideally he needs to have a score in the 75th % for a college to make it a safety or low match. He should aim for three or four schools in that range.
He should consider that college is going to be tough and even more high-pressured. If he gets into one of,his reach schools, will he be able to handle that, and does he really want that environment? Just be sure his college list is balanced and that he has enough realistic choices come application time.
If you are going to keep testing, it might be good to at least explore the ACT.
And i agree with @Lindagaf – finding a couple of good test optional colleges that she liked was a big help to my D and I think helped her to relax and become more focused for her second go-around for the SAT (and her scores did improve).
Yes. We mentioned to him that it would be a good idea for him to take a practice ACT. He knows that his grades and scores will make it tougher for him to get admitted into the top UCs ( Berkeley and UCLA).
I didn’t realize that you didn’t need to report AP scores. Won’t the admission committees question why you are not reporting the scores if you have taken the classes? Also, do AP results factor into the admission process?
That’s the six million dollar question. Generally admissions officers *say *that they are much more interested in the fact that you took the most challenging curriculum available to you than what your scores are. I think they recognize that some schools cover the course material poorly and that because it’s one exam on one day with basically no chance for a make up, you could miss the exam due to illness or other circumstances beyond your control. Top scores certainly aren’t going to hurt you and there is space on most applications to self-report the score. (The official score report will only go to the school you decide to attend.)
If it were my kid I’d be dealing with persistent anxiety first and worrying about AP tests later (if at all).
I understand a kid having butterflies the morning of a test. But anxiety that might actually be crippling his performance is the problem- not the test scores.
Treat the problem, not the symptom.
Here is a great list of test optional schools: http://fairtest.org/university/optional The list includes many top colleges. However, for merit aid scores are sometimes required.
His scores seem fine to me though. Very respectable. I don’t think the extra stress is worth it. But if he himself wants to retake or take the ACT, that’s fine.
As for AP, does he get credit for the AP classes if he doesn’t take the exams? That would be something to check or maybe someone here can tell you. If he can avoid some of the AP exams, all the better.
I’m with blossom on this one. Work on the underlying anxiety issues is much more important than raising the test scores. He needs to be able to succeed in college once he gets there. Too many of us have seen what can happen with anxious kids when they get to college.
Yes. We will also be looking at test optional schools, and we have already mentioned to him that if his anxiety is making it difficult to cope we will look into counseling for him.
Re AP scores, there are also kids that simply can’t afford them at nearly $100 each. Of course it is best to submit 4s or 5s but I don’t think it is necessarily a strike against you if you don’t self-report.
I second composing a list now that fits his current stats. He may balk because he has his sights on a reach, so initially this may be a difficult search. The purpose of the search is to discover more attainable schools that intrigue him; they are out there but it takes the time and effort to find them. Test optional schools are also good if the child has a high GPA relative to the school’s middle 50 percentile; but they’re not really an option otherwise. The good thing about doing the college list now is if his scores and grades improve, his current matches may become close-to-safeties and his safeties may become merit schools (I discovered that kids like being offered lots of money from colleges with their acceptances).
I also say, back off testing for now. Ask him if he is interested in the ACT or new SAT. I would hold off until next fall just to give him a mental break from all these tests. I had to do that with my daughter when she was a junior (she took the SAT and ACT in October of her junior year, didn’t improve her score; I backed off and she didn’t take the ACT until June). If he says he’s done with testing, then great. (2050 is a respectable score). He still has his list.
The idea is to show him he has options with his current stats. Yes, higher numbers are always better but often these kids are told (subconsciously) is they always have to do better - they’re never quite good enough. Junior year is when this message is loudest. Sometimes, parents need to mute it, especially if the child is showing signs of serious anxiety.