Increasing ACT math score

[SusanAR]

Is Chalkdust SAT Review the best tool for increasing ACT math scores?

[MyThreeSons]

I don't know about Chalkdust, but the best tool, IMO, would be one that puts plenty of emphasis on test-taking strategies.

[Blue Hen]

Susan,

I've read positive things on this board from folks who used Chalkdust's program. We didn't. When DS wanted to raise his SAT math score he did SAT practice tests using tests from College Board, Barrons, Kaplan, Princeton... 1 hr/day, 3 or 4 days a week from May to Sept. Speed was his issue---he was scoring a perfect 800 on practice tests if he had as much time as he wanted. Of course that wasn't what happens in a real test. In a real test he was getting about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way through before time was called :(

DS decided that he could spend about 50 seconds per problem so at his request I sat with him with a timer and let him know approximately how much time he was spending on each problem. He gained a sense of how long 10 seconds was verses 40 seconds. On problems where he took a long time we sometimes discussed strategy, and sometimes he would come up with a new strategy for working the problem faster. What he found though was that as he did these problems his speed increased, immensely. Keep in mind how much time he was spending though. It was over the summer months so he was taking time away from 'play' and not from some other subject.

He was thrilled when he came out of the SAT test in October and told me that he not only finished each math section but he had time to spare and to re-check his work. He came close to scoring a perfect 800 in math on the SAT, about 160 point jump, which is just about what he wanted.

[CynthiaOK]

My son used it this fall for the PSAT. While I'm sure it's a good program, it really didn't do anything for him. His score was much better than last year, but I think it was due to maturity and having more math under his belt. His was scoring about the same before he did the course as he scored on the PSAT. He's naturally good in math - maybe that's why it didn't do much for him.

I know many people feel it is helpful, but I wish we had spent the time just doing practice math tests instead. Another aspect that might have been problematic is that this son does not like dvd learning. We quit using Chalkdust Geometry for the same reason. He was falling asleep during the lesson.

So, I guess a lot would depend on your student's learning style and math ability. I'm keeping it for ds#3 because he does learn well from dvds and I'm thinking he's going to need all the help he can get :-).

[cmpet7]

What does IMO stand for? Thanks.

[Blue Hen]

IMO = In My Opinion

Carole, IMHO & YMMV

IMHO = In My Humble Opinion

YMMV = Your Mile May Vary (meaning your experience may vary from my experience)

[cmpet7]

Thanks; I thought it was a book. I'm learning!

[newbie]

Not to steal thread, but has anyone done ACT online prep;.

[Martha in NM]

My son tends to work math problems slowly on standardized tests and his scores reflect that. However, he did use the Chalkdust review before taking the SAT and it definitely helped him. He did better than predicted on the SAT math based on his PSAT score.

Many of the Chalkdust review sections start with a statement along the lines that the student may have been taught to solve this type of problem in a particular way, but here are some strategies for working more quickly.

He repeated the Chalkdust review in combination with re-taking old Videotext Algebra and Geometry exams on his second ACT attempt and raised his math score five points. BTW, repeating old tests was suggested to us by the Videotext author.

I think timing individual questions is a great idea if a student knows how to do the problems but runs out of time, and I also believe in taking lots of practice tests. However, the scores on any particular test, especially the ACT, seem to me to be greatly dependent on the maturity of the student and how much math they've taken. Review and test taking strategies are important, but they only build on the cumulative work a student has done.

[SusanAR]

Thanks, ladies. After reading your posts, I think I will purchase practice tests and save my $$:001_smile: We are currently using CD precal. It would be annoying if the math review was simply cut and paste segments from the other course dvd's, kwim?

[Laurie4b]

Is Chalkdust SAT Review the best tool for increasing ACT math scores?

Chalkdust would give you a good start, but it's geared to the SAT, which I pretty sure includes Algebra I and geometry but not much Algebra II. The ACT includes Algebra II and some trig, so you'd have to do more on the higher level math.