<p>DS is a sophomore now. He is a good student but not in the same level as his sister. Even so he has a 4.0 GPA now, we expect him to get a couple of Bs in AP classes. </p>
<p>His SAT I at 8th grade is in the 1900th and his PSAT is equally around 190. </p>
<p>Unlike DD, DS may want to take some test preparation classes. He himself mentioned to me yesterday - other kids at his classes already started taking some classes. </p>
<p>I think this is a little too early because he has not really done any hard math yet. I think we will get him some PSAT classes next summer and then SAT or ACT preparation in the spring of his Junior year. </p>
<p>All comment are welcome and appreciated.</p>
<p>PS. The title should read “When to start … …” instead “why to start… …” sorry about the typo.</p>
<p>Dad II,
D had PSAT score like your S in 10th grade, D used the old SAT tests for practice in the summer of rising Junior, and scored high enough in fall of 11th grade to qualify for NMSF and also scored high enough on SAT I that she is top 1% with perfect score in SAT I Math. She is not even good in Math and I’m not being modest. So my advice is not too worry but to use real SAT tests(the Red book) for practice in the summer. At least your S is keen on prepping, D was not. If I told D to prep for the PSAT she would have thought I was completely crazy. I suggested she prepped for SAT I so she can take the test in Nov of her Junior year, she took the PSAT in Oct, and her SAT I in November. That strategy seems to work for her.</p>
<p>The math required for the SAT is not very advanced. If he is in the college track of math courses (i.e. Algebra II or greater in 10th grade), then 10th grade math is sufficient for essentially all of the SAT math questions, and any remaining math concepts can be learned failrly easily on one’s own (for someone such as your son who is definitely significantly above average). Why not get him a book such as “Ten Real SATs” and let him see how he does? He could possibly make significant progress on his own, and then if he is still interested he could take a class at that time.</p>
<p>My kids both took an SAT prep course (offered by our school system) during the summer between their sophomore and junior years. They were pleased with the results. Both of them took the SAT as juniors and did not retake it as seniors, so waiting until spring of junior year would have been a little late.</p>
<p>Your situation mimics ours. DS follows his sister - he is a sophomore, grades exactly the same as yours. We know from experience that the test scores can mean $$$- he will likely be taking the ACT since most of the schools in our area prefer ACT. He took the PSAT and PLAN a couple of weeks ago, will take an ACT prep class this summer as well as start online practicing. He will start taking ACT probably Dec. 2008 and we’ll take it from there. </p>
<p>With scores this high, I don’t think your son needs classes. A practice test or two should be more than enough. He can use his time doing schoolwork, reading good books and/or participating in an EC activity. Not everyone needs test prep classes. Why to start–not WHEN to start–was the proper question.</p>
<p>My advice is to mosey over to the “SAT Preparation” section of this site, and read up on the “Xiggi method.” My kids all tested better than I expected, without doing any prep work to speak of. The only thing that didn’t work for my kids was prep classes. After I popped for a PSAT prep class for one of my sons his score went down. I think the classes probably help kids who are in the 1800 range as juniors; a sophomore with a 1900 probably won’t be aided by attending test classes.</p>
<p>My kid took a prep class with the hope of improving his writing score. It didn’t budge. CR stayed the same. Math went up 10 points. He had excellent scores, but a better writing score (10 more points) would have put him in line for scholarship money in at least one college.</p>
<p>My son took the Kaplan course. The teacher was new and did a terrible job. His scores really didn’t improve and they actually refunded our money. BTW, the refund is only possible if you did ALL the homework. It was a lot of wasted time!</p>
<p>If you asked my DD about studying or classes for standard tests, she would tell you that is the biggest waste of time and money. We will see if she is right on Nov. 14th when she gets her 2nd ACT results.</p>
<p>However, DS thinks a classes or two may help because some of his classmates have started classes. </p>
<p>Based on the reponses here, I would suggest DS to do a couple of practice tests. May be it is just he is not as confident as his sister.</p>
<p>The best test prep is to learn the material taught in his classes. That will also give him the fundamentals to do well in his college courses. Have him do the free materials as suggested above, he may change his mind after that about paying for a course.</p>
<p>Each of my kids took a PSAT prep classes at the end of the summer/beginning of the fall semester of their junior year. The fall of senior year was just so grim with a difficult course load and application deadlines looming, that it was good to have test prep out of the way. One of them did very well on the PSAT so her prep class teacher suggested that she take the SAT in January of her junior year, something that wouldn’t have occurred to us… She took it and was happy with her score. It was a big relief to have one piece of the application puzzle finished.</p>
<p>Rumor has it that it’s easier to get a better score in Jan than Mar or Jun, because most Juniors take it in Mar or Jun. My daughter had private tutoring because of her dance schedule. We timed it to have finish it a week or two before the test, but we had to sign up for it Sep of Junior year. She didn’t get tutored for SAT IIs or APs.</p>
<p>Oldfort, the rumor does indeed exist. However, as it is typical with rumors about “gaming” the SAT, it would be hard to reconcile the truth and the … idle speculation. The reality is that the test is not graded (of course) nor curved to scores of the people who took THAT particular test. The difficulty of the test and the relevant “curve” are established before the precise administration. In other words, one student could take the test with 1000 monkeys or with the entire admitted class of HYPS and see no difference in his or her score. </p>
<p>Dad II, for starters not all “courses” and “classes” are the same. Inasmuch as some courses have earned a good reputation, most of the big names (PR, Kaplan, Sylvan) are totally dependent on the instructor they are able to attract and recruit. Please be aware that the minimum qualifications to “teach” the classes are equivalent to passing the class they are expected to teach. Fwiw, please also note that students who are able to ace the test are NOT necessarily great teachers. If it would be that simple, would you not simply have your daughter teaching her younger brother over Christmas and next summer? </p>
<p>Accordingly, I would check and doublecheck the “teachers” of your SAT class, and stay away from two types: well-established national companies and classes taught by HIGH SCHOOL teachers. While I could explain why in greater details, it be easier for you to trust me on that one and believe that those two groups won’t offer you and your son much help. Good teachers and good tutors won’t mind the scrutiny and offer references. Again, having taught hundreds of high schoolers is NOT a reference as the manner to approach the SAT is hardly part of a HS curriculum.</p>
<p>Since you mentioned self-confidence, please note that the best way to acquire this is via … self-preparation, especially in the first phases. Building blocks of confidence is easily accomplished by working on past tests with diligence. With the availability of past tests and sales of the various Red Book and Blue Book (the latest version) finding the material should be easy. In this vein, I would recommend to sign up for the online course offered by The College Board for easy access to explanations. Of course, one of the very best tools available to your son would be to participate in the SAT/ACT preparation forums at College Confidential. </p>
<p>If problems persist during your son’s Junior Year, you should be able to use the money you saved on avoiding the waste of the group class for a couple of hours with a private tutor. </p>