S/O preparing for the PSAT thread

[HeatherH]

Alright, I have to confess that reading the PSAT threads is giving me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Dd is taking the PSAT on Wednesday.

She's been working on test prep software since August, but to be honest I've not really supervised that closely. She's a pretty diligent student, not the "make waves" sort, and I get pretty overwhelmed with my younger kids and i'm afraid she doesn't get the attention she needs and deserves.

She didn't take the PSAT last year - she hasn't done standardized testing in over 4 years.

We probably should have done more prep last week - I had her take off from her biology work, but neglected to have her do a practice test. She gets pretty easily overwhelmed if I have her add anything extra on to her schedule. . . . .and works 4 afternoons/week teaching ballet.

Ok, sorry, I'm pretty much rambling, stressing, and venting all in one post.

At this point, is there any strategy I should be pursuing with her? (I know, I know, it's Saturday night. Humor me, people)

We had planned on taking school off on Monday - she still has to teach ballet, but I think for a mental break she needs it.

Do I have her take a practice test on Tuesday? Is there any point? Or just que cera, cera and let it be what it will be.

If you've read this far, bless you. I think honestly I'm suffering from my own version of test anxiety. the real deal? I was a national merit scholar. And there's a little part of me that is struggling with my own limitations as a teacher, and wondering if I'm really helping my kids to live up to their potential.

But then, that's a whole 'nother post.

[Martha in NM]

...and it turned out that I worried for nothing. Even though we had not done a lot of testing during the high school years and did very little formal test prep my son did much better than I hoped for.

Do you have time for at least one, possibly two full-length, timed practice tests? Also it's a good idea to go over the information needed for the test form, and make sure that she has memorized the hs code and any other information asked for such as SSN. It also wouldn't hurt to tell your dd to remind the person who proctors that she will not be using the same code as the other students (if that's the case). That's so the proctor doesn't try to correct what she thinks is a mistake; they're often told to check the code on all the forms in their group.

IMO, there's no point in trying to do test prep on content at the last minute. It IS a good idea to go over the items mentioned above, and maybe talk a little about general test-taking strategy especially for using process of elimination or when to omit a question entirely. I expect that your dd is a lot better prepared than you might be thinking right now. Just keep what prep you do low-key. I wouldn't do anything school related other than test prep on either Monday or Tuesday. I would go over the practice test(s) to fine-tune strategy.

[Michelle in AL]

I have a dd taking it Wed too. Do you have the student guide the school sends home with the student? We've prepared pretty much the same way as you, and I think it's just the right amount. Not too much as to cause overload and anxiety and not going into it cold either. Too much stress on the test could cause test anxiety I think.

Anyhoo, is there anyway she can take a practice test Sunday? The practice test in the student guide is much easier than the College Board SAT book we've been using. I wouldn't give her a practice test on Tues, that may be too much in a row.

If you do have the student guide, I would go over the tips in it on Tuesday. That's our plan.

I think tests are harder on the moms than the students.

[readwithem]

She didn't take the PSAT last year - she hasn't done standardized testing in over 4 years.


Don't sweat it. I know of at least one NM Scholar who didn't take it in her soph year but did great in her junior year :)

Do I have her take a practice test on Tuesday? Is there any point? Or just que cera, cera and let it be what it will be.



Agreeing with the others, I wouldn't put her through that long test 2 days in a row. Trying for Sunday is a good idea, or have her do some short sections (25 minutes or so) using a timer, so she'll know how quickly each section will pass.

[HeatherH]

Thanks, all -

Here's the funny part of all this.

I was talking with dd tonight, about doing a practice test on Tuesday -

She said, "Oh, Mom, I was already planning on doing that!"

Hah.

Turns out, her PSAT software program has scheduled it all out for her, according to the date she's to take the test.

I think I'll stop worrying now. ;)

[LibraryLover]

What software program are you using?

Good luck to her!