ACT/SAT-How many times?

[SusanAR]

I know that our dc must do what they must to get college scholarships, and I understand that some students suffer from test anxiety, so I have no problem with students taking the SAT/ACT more than once (my dc will take them more than once, I'm sure), but I think it is ridiculous how many time our local students take the ACT and SAT tests!
Why are students allowed to take the tests multiple-multiple times?? It means nothing to me that someone's dc scored a 32 on the ACT if they have taken it >5 times.
I graduated hs in '76 :tongue_smilie:. We took them once- ONE time!

[creekland]

I know that our dc must do what they must to get college scholarships, and I understand that some students suffer from test anxiety, so I have no problem with students taking the SAT/ACT more than once (my dc will take them more than once, I'm sure), but I think it is ridiculous how many time our local students take the ACT and SAT tests!
Why are students allowed to take the tests multiple-multiple times?? It means nothing to me that someone's dc scored a 32 on the ACT if they have taken it >5 times.
I graduated hs in '76 :tongue_smilie:. We took them once- ONE time!

We only took them once. My oldest is only taking them once. My other two? It will depend on whether their first score seems to match their ability. If not, we'll pay for a second time.

I suppose those that take them over and over again are showing the virtue of persistence... I can say it doesn't really bug me. I'm just too cheap to want to spend the money if the first score is good enough (and accurate).

[Pamela H in Texas]

I don't think multiple testing creates a higher score. I mean, there is probably a slight difference due to less test anxiety. And there is probably a little difference in experience. But the average college bound student cannot test enough times to make a 32 (or even a 28).

The way a student raises score significantly is to know the material. If you take your first test as a 10th grader, it kinda makes sense your Oct of senior year score is a bit higher. A student can also take a certain class in order to learn a few test taking tips, but even that can't take an average student up to a 32.

A 32 is earned.

I took each test once. Both tests were taken when my daughter was a newborn. I don't even remember taking the ACT. I was VERY sick the morning of the SAT.

But I'm definitely not against 2 or 3 tests. And I can't think much bad about 5 either other than it's probably a waste of money.

[Jane in NC]

My son has taken the ACT multiple times since we opted to use that test to satisfy NC requirements for homeschoolers. I saw no purpose in having my son take the Iowa Basic in 9th or 10th. Neither the SAT nor PSAT satisfies the annual testing requirement in this state, so the ACT seemed a natural.

It is true that my son's composite has risen each year which is no surprise on this knowledge based exam.

Jane

[MgoBlue]

3 of my nephews took the ACT multiple times (one took it 4x) and pegged out at 31. My dd took it once and got a 30. We were done with it at that point. Dd took the sat once. I think she got a 1960 which she was disappointed with.
She won't retake it as she didn't get a high enuf psat score to make her a nati'l merit scholar. She wasn't homeshooled at all though..she went thru going on 13 yrs of catholic school..inc. kg...I'll have my 10th grade son do the psat books to get a better chance at the nat'l merit scholar thing. They give too many stinkin' tests in Indiana.

[MSPolly]

My oldest is taking them once. She has done multiple timed practice tests though.

She earned a 32 on her ACT and is a NM Semi-finalist, so she will take the SAT for the first time in Oct. This is her senior year

[Martha in NM]

Well, my son's high school math sequence did not track with usual expectations which put him at a disadvantage for testing. He repeated the ACT, and improved his math score five points the second time which made it easier for him to meet entrance requirements at several colleges he was considering. Also, the CC he eventually chose uses test scores for placement which allowed him to skip all the remedial and several of the intro college level courses. He took the SAT once, the ACT twice, and did lots of timed practice tests. I think 5 is probably a waste of time and money for most people, but there are sometimes good reasons for allowing more than one attempt.

My son took the PSAT at the local high school, and he was a bit nervous because they tested mid-week on a school day. We found out that he'd be testing on a school day the day before the test. We'd originally been told that the school would test on Saturday but the school was shipped the Wednesday tests by mistake. We were able to "roll with it", but ds said that several of the students in his room were not at all happy and a couple had meltdowns. He did say that negotiating the halls (running through a cattle chute was how he described it) was a little bit unnerving, but once he got to the testing room he was fine. I think that any student who is not used to or does not like crowds might benefit from doing the test more than once.

[testmaster]

Hey folks, this thread caught my eye. I am the father of an only child and am doing much research into homeschooling to offset the damage done in Arizona Public Schools.

I'm from Minnesota originally. Kids there are much better educated. that's one good thing about Minnesota property taxes lol.

I used to think Homeschooling was for y2k bunker dwelling, gun-toting yahoos who think Genesis is literally true. Since I've moved here I've come to rethink this position:D

One of the best pieces of equipment I ever received as a kid is a 1 hour wind up egg timer.

During the summer of 8th grade(22 years ago) I took the SAT exam every day, including weekends. Admittedly my parents forced me to. What I didn't know I studied up on. I used Princeton Review, Kaplan, and anyone else out there at the time.

What was cool is that they would pick one day and put tremendous pressure, positive and negative, upon me. Something to shoot for and something to avoid. I hated house chores so they'd say if you get a 1540 Ill take you to Disneyland but if you don't, you do house chores for x period of time.

By the end of that summer I took that test MANY times. I dunno if they still allow freshman to sit for that exam now but they did back in the day.

In sum, I find the OP's question kind of odd. People should be setting actual testing conditions at home and practicing MANY times until they get it right. Not wondering if they take it and bomb should they take it again. If they bomb, nerves are likely the reason. If you take over 60 practice tests you will do just fine.

Me? I got a 1540 and a 34 ACT score. Summer of my junior year I took that test over 40 times.

Tests are not the time to experiment. Experiments are prep and should be done in advance.

Some times brute force thinking is the best answer. CRUSH the TEST!

testmaster

[AnitaMcC]

I know that our dc must do what they must to get college scholarships, and I understand that some students suffer from test anxiety, so I have no problem with students taking the SAT/ACT more than once (my dc will take them more than once, I'm sure), but I think it is ridiculous how many time our local students take the ACT and SAT tests!
Why are students allowed to take the tests multiple-multiple times?? It means nothing to me that someone's dc scored a 32 on the ACT if they have taken it >5 times.
I graduated hs in '76 :tongue_smilie:. We took them once- ONE time!

My Ds took the SAT in 6th and 8th grade. He will take the ACT probably at the end of his sophmore year. He will take AP and CLEP exams each year.

My Dd hasn't taken the tests yet. She will probably take the SAT this year in 9th grade and then take the ACT end of her sophmore year.

[transientChris]

I am not understanding the sentiment expressed by the OP. It costs money and time. If you want to spend it, why not? We have a free country. I tend to agree with the new poster who talked about taking the practice tests over and over. The SAT measures how well you take the SAT. Why should you take it only once? If you study up on the parts you get wrong, you should improve at least somewhat, all other things being equal. The ACT measures what you know. As you learn more, you should retain more knowledge and end up doing better. Either way, take it as many times as you want. WHat colleges want to see is another matter. I have no idea if some look down on excessive exam taking- probably more than 3 times per test.