Tests, Tests, Tests

QUESTION: Tests, tests, tests. When should my child take the SAT or ACT

ANSWER: Well, the simple answer is, when they are ready. But we all know that the simple answer is not always the best answer, so what should be considered in planning for standardized tests?. First, bear in mind their schedule. Does she play a sport or have major time commitments at some particular point during the year?. Individual schedules should be considered when planning a testing schedule. Your child should have sufficient time to prepare and focus. Second, can your child handle standardized tests at the same time as high school final exams?. If not, she might want to consider taking exams for the first time in the earlier spring, before the June rush, using the fall test dates senior year as options for retake opportunities. Third, will your child need to take SAT Subject Tests?. Factoring Subject Tests into the schedule may also dictate when it is optimal to take the SAT or the ACT. Students cannot sit for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests on the same test date. Finally, go back and ask yourself the initial question, when will my child be ready?. When will she be sufficiently prepared to give the exam her best effort?. This raises an even more preliminary question. When should your child begin to prepare for these tests? That too, depends. Will she take a classroom-type course, be tutored privately or study on her own using the many test prep books available?. Most courses for spring test dates begin in January, whereas students tutored privately may have more flexibility in their preparation process. These decisions, like most associated with the college application process, should always be made based on your individual child’s needs and best interests.

Leslie Berkovits, Collegistics

Collegistics LLC provides comprehensive services to students and parents who are embarking on, or in the midst of, the college application process. Providing families the benefit of seven advisors, Collegistics uses a team approach, offering the kind of practical and emotional support that results in an informed and less stressful college application experience. If you have any questions about the college process you would like to see addressed in future issues, email: [email protected] or call: (914) 722-6050. Please visit our website at www.collegistics.com for further information.