SAT results in... Oh dear.

[Chris in VA]

On the first two sections, he didn't break 1000. On the essay, he did better than he thought (thank you, Write@Home), but still pretty low.


That is all.

[langfam]

Have you considered having him take the ACT? DS took the May SAT and got very average scores (except Math...credit given to Chalkdust SAT Math review)). He's taken 2 practice ACT tests and is doing lots better on that test.

[Chris in VA]

Yes, he'll take the ACT this fall. Can you tell me more about the Chalkdust SAT review? How long is the course (well, I can research that myself! lol) ---did you like it, think it made a difference, etc?

[Brenda in MA]

The set includes 7 DVDs that are about 1 hour long each. It also comes with an official SAT study guide that you can use for the practice exams. My son used it prior to the PSAT, and we took 2 weeks off of his regular math curriculum and used SAT math review during that time.

It's a basic review of all the math that's on the SAT, and he also gives some tips about recognizing patterns, etc. I definitely think it made a difference in ds's score on the math section.

HTH,
Brenda

[langfam]

CD SAT Math review is well worth the money. We didn't take time off from other math lessons. DC would stop and pause the DVDs, attempt the question, then watch the instructor. They would do this for about 30-40 mins everyday, 4 days a week, for about 6 weeks. On Saturdays they would take the practice tests. DS was scoring 700s on the practice tests, but alas, he couldn't get that score for the real test, nerves, et al...sigh.

[Kareni]

Another positive vote for the Chalkdust SAT Math Review DVDs. Each DVD is close to 2 hours for a total of 14 hours in all.

My teen played the DVDs and worked problems as she saw fit. She felt that they were helpful.

Regards,
Kareni

[Pamela H in Texas]

all these positive reviews and yet never can find a set used.

we're planning on using it in Aug/Sept prior to PSAT in Oct (11th grade).

[Quiver0f10]

Dumb question, but would the chalkdust sat review be helpful for the act also?

[Chris in VA]

Chalkdust is too expensive for us, and, after seeing the sample on the website, probably goes too fast for ds. I think we will work extra hard on bringing up his English score. Any resources for that? lol
Can someone just take the bloody test for him?
Ok, I know that's not allowed.

[Liza Q]

I think we will work extra hard on bringing up his English score. Any resources for that? lol Chris - part of my plan for helping my daughter improve her math score should help you with your son and the other sections, I think.

The College Board is supposed to be posting detailed test results in a few days. We will be able to see the questions, their answers and exactly which ones they got wrong.

When you know which sections he had trouble with you can make a better plan for review. Maybe he is fine with the vocabulary but not with some of the *trick* reading comprehension questions. Or maybe he needs to work harder on the vocabulary. A better vocabulary will also help on the comprehension section.

What kind of prep book did he work through? My daughter used the Princeton Review book and liked it better than the Kaplan book she had used for the PSAT. I have heard great things about the Rocket Review Revolution as well. I have also heard that there are online classes - my daughter's friend used one and felt very well prepared for the test. I could fins out which one she used, if you like.

Hth.

[hsmamainva]

Chalkdust is too expensive for us, and, after seeing the sample on the website, probably goes too fast for ds. I think we will work extra hard on bringing up his English score. Any resources for that? lol
Can someone just take the bloody test for him?
Ok, I know that's not allowed.

My oldest did well on the writing section (530) but so-so on the verbal section (470) and poorly on the math section (440).

She's using Barron's SAT book and reviewing her TT math books.

To help with her verbal score, she's using Jensen's Vocabulary (she found that her biggest problem on the verbal section was that she didn't understand what some of the words meant, nor did she remember enough of her Latin to remember the roots and their meanings -- Jensen's Vocabulary covers all of that)

It's divided into 3 sections (2 of Latin and 1 of Greek). There are 18 lessons in each section, with 4 pages for each section. She's doing 2 pages per day of that and hopes to finish the book by the time she takes her SAT again on November 1st.

And...btw...my daughter did worse on the ACT than she did on the SAT, for what that's worth! Her combined SAT score was a 1440. She scored a 14 on the ACT!! And she said it was much harder. (Even with a 910 on the first two sections of the SAT, she should've scored around a 19 or 20 on the ACT, so a 14 was a lot worse than we were anticipating!!)

[Chris in VA]

Thanks for posting her scores, Kelly. After reading the thread where people's scores were 1300's for just crit read and math, I feel better knowing someone else struggled. Not to compare, just to share.

And Liza, thanks for the reminder that we will be able to see where the kids did well and what they need to work on. That should be very, very helpful.

Chin up, yes?

[langfam]

http://www.amazon.com/Kaplan-SAT-Math-Workbook-Sat/dp/1419541862/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214745445&sr=8-2

My kids had also worked through this Kaplan's SAT math workbook. You can get it inexpensively at amazon.

[Michelle in MO]

Dumb question, but would the chalkdust sat review be helpful for the act also?

I sent an e-mail to Dana Mosely, the teacher for Chalkdust, asking him the exact same question. This was his response:

"Good question. The math content tested in the SAT and ACT is just about the same. It is the way questions are asked that provides the greatest difference. The SAT tends to be on the abstract side with questioning and the ACT more concrete.

The Chalk Dust SAT Math Review program is great preparation for either test."

Now, it could be that he would like to see the program continue to sell well, but nevertheless, I've been pleased enough with his teaching that I thought it would be very worthwhile to order the set. We just got them in this past week, and I hope to have my oldest use them to review for the PSAT in October.

Hope this helps for anyone who's interested!

[Quiver0f10]

I sent an e-mail to Dana Mosely, the teacher for Chalkdust, asking him the exact same question. This was his response:

"Good question. The math content tested in the SAT and ACT is just about the same. It is the way questions are asked that provides the greatest difference. The SAT tends to be on the abstract side with questioning and the ACT more concrete.

The Chalk Dust SAT Math Review program is great preparation for either test."

Now, it could be that he would like to see the program continue to sell well, but nevertheless, I've been pleased enough with his teaching that I thought it would be very worthwhile to order the set. We just got them in this past week, and I hope to have my oldest use them to review for the PSAT in October.

Hope this helps for anyone who's interested!

Thanks!!

[Veronica in VA]

Chris,

I just saw the Chalkdust SAT math on the FS board.

Veronica

[Sharon in MD]

Here's a link to the amazon reviews page for the book http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0451219465/ref=pd_bbs_8_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

There are some negative comments here as well as positive, but I think we will give this one a try.

I've not tried this yet myself, but plan to get it for ds to see if we can boost him up a bit higher on the second try. I remember seeing several people recommend this book on these boards over the past two years so we thought we would give it a try. Our ds's scores were pretty good, 650 math and 630 reading, but we'd like to see if he can break 700 on the math. While I'd be thrilled to see the reading go up too, that was already a pleasant surprise so I'm not sure if it will be possible for it to improve or not.

I'd get a book like this and then get the official SAT guide with all the practice tests. I think that using a review guide, plus REAL practice tests is probably the best for our son. Also, I'd have them think through how they would answer every single essay question that is in that book....Our neighbors son took the test in May and he actually got one of the questions that was in our practice book! So, I figure it certainly can't hurt. For our son, these essay questions were really hard because they aren't the type of essays that I generally require of him....they are more philosophically based so that they can be answered by a wide audience. It takes practice to think like that.

One other book that my son really enjoyed was the Up Your Score book....it is a bit off color and rather irreverent. But it is more of a strategy guide.....he found it to be helpful, readable and funny....It helped him to have a good attitude about approaching the monster.


HTH

[AngieW in Texas]

Homeschool Buyer's Co-op is trying to pull together a group buy for Kaplan's online SAT/ACT prep courses. The programs are individualized, so that it quizes the student and then teaches the things that are missed.

https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_epp_offer&Itemid=585

They need to get 150 orders for each product before they can actually do the group buy. Right now there are only 41 for SAT and 16 for ACT, but I expect the totals to go up. It's only $50 for a full year.

[hsmamainva]

Thanks for posting her scores, Kelly. After reading the thread where people's scores were 1300's for just crit read and math, I feel better knowing someone else struggled. Not to compare, just to share.

And Liza, thanks for the reminder that we will be able to see where the kids did well and what they need to work on. That should be very, very helpful.

Chin up, yes?

I understand completely, Chris!!!!

And my daughter is not a good test taker -- she'll be the first one to admit that! But she has a 3.0 gpa at the community college with 12 credits under her belt at 17, so that's none too shabby!! Her 1st choice college said that they'd look at her cc transcript over her SAT scores, so she's still going to apply this fall and see if she can get in.

[Chris in VA]

That's really good to know (about her college looking at her cc transcript) because ds will have about 25 cc credits when he goes to 4 yr college. He'll have to bust his little B-hind and get good grades!

[hsmamainva]

That's really good to know (about her college looking at her cc transcript) because ds will have about 25 cc credits when he goes to 4 yr college. He'll have to bust his little B-hind and get good grades!

Oh I know it!!

My dd will also have 25 cc credits by the end of her senior year.

What colleges is he considering?

My dd's 1st choice is James Madison. She's also applying to Radford and Mary Washington -- the latter is her last choice, as we pass by it at least once a week on our way to the mall. A little too close to home for her liking! :D

[SallyMac]

Chris, don't feel too bad. My ds scored just over 1000 on crit & math on his first try. And this is with tutoring once a week by a high school senior who got nearly perfect SAT scores (but who also didn't do very well his SAT the first time). On the college confidential site lots of kids who'd taken the SAT were commenting that their scores dropped and that the June SAT was harder. So this was a particularly tough one and ds's tutor heard the same from his classmates at school. On the other hand ds scored a 10 on his essay which is a big relief ...this is the same kid who stared for a week or two at a blank piece of paper:blink:, unable to write an essay and this has gone on for years. He also did fairly well with writing section (580), but said he had never ever seen those vocabulary words that were on the June SAT. I think ABeka Grammar helped with the sentence improvements. But at least he will have 21-24 college credits by end of senior year like your ds's. I think colleges will see beyond the SAT's when then see how well our kids have done in college. BTW, the kids on college conf. site said that a program called Direct Hits Vocabulary had the most SAT words on the June test. I know ABeka Grammar helped ds with the writing section, although he usually got all the problems correct in the Official blue book. I know Rocket Review was great for essay writing. Two weeks before the SAT test DS's DVD drive in his laptop died just as he was starting Chalkdust SAT Math, so I guess I will have him go through that this summer. Critical Reading takes lots of practice, doing them over and over again and looking for patterns. That was our tutor's advice. The first time he took the SAT he got in low 500's, but after MUCH practice he ended up getting in mid 700's. So don't give up.

[Pamela H in Texas]

And...btw...my daughter did worse on the ACT than she did on the SAT, for what that's worth! Her combined SAT score was a 1440. She scored a 14 on the ACT!! And she said it was much harder.

I think some kids just do better with certain tests. I did extremely well on the ACT and only a 1350 on the SAT. They are really two different tests which is why my kids will do both :)

[Pamela H in Texas]

You might look at Half-price books for a Critical Reading book. We found one and it helped my daughter considerably. If I hadn't already sent it BACK to Half-price Books, I'd send it to ya :)

[H.S. Burrow]

This wasn't mentioned - the College Board has the SAT Question of the Day that you can have sent to your and/or your child's email. After answering the question you have the opportunity to answer 5 additional questions of the same variety. If you're having trouble, you can click on "hint" and you can also see the solution. They are explained very well. You can also see which questions your child is having difficulty with and the percentages of correct vs incorrect answers for all others answering. You can look at your child's overall performance and see where exactly they need help.

Just thought I'd mention it as an additional/supplemental source for review.