PSAT, CLEP and all those ABC tests

[OH Lori]

Seriously, though, when do I need to worry about having my 9th grader take the PSAT? I remember taking it in 11th grade but it seems like they're taking it earlier these days.

And does taking the CLEP a reasonable way to ditch tedious college classes? I took AP tests and it was nice to be able to skip college grammar but I'm hoping she can CLEP out of biology.

TGIF!
Lori

[Sandy in Indy]

Re the PSAT...you don't need to worry about that till the sophomore year--and then it will be a "practice" test. Only juniors taking the PSAT are considered for National Merit status. Honestly, my ds didn't take it till his junior year.

CLEP can be a good way to earn college credit BUT a word of caution...be sure that having that credit wouldn't knock your child out of a program or scholarship opportunity. For instance, my ds is looking at a local pharmacy school. If he has 11 or more CLEP hours, he'd be considered a transfer student which would virtually knock him out of any possiblity of acceptance to the school. A bit of time with the schools your dc are interested in would be a wise investment.

[Sharon in MD]

I think it is really helpful to take a dry run at these tests, in a real testing situation if you can. Out ds took it in 10th grade for practice and then this year "for real" He isn't going to get any National Merits out of it, but I think that taking it is helpful prep for the SAT or ACT either way.

I think working through a real practice book helps dispel some of the test anxiety and helps to behead monster that may be looming in the kids minds.

It also gives you a feel for what you need to do if you are going to take the SAT or ACT....lets you know what you are up against and can give, hopefully, some reassurances too.

[TRILLIUM]

I believe you have control of the reporting of individual CLEP scores. You can report as few or as many as you wish. So if you pass "too many tests" to enter as a freshmen you simply do not report them to the college immediately. I believe you can then report and recieve credits at a later date. This is info from the book College without Compromise.

[Sharon in MD]

I didn't realize that you could choose what to use....that could really help save scholarship money I think for some folks.

[OH Lori]

While I agree that it's important for them to take tests in the actual test-taking venue, it's a little difficult with my Aspie daughter so I wanted her to take some practice runs at home. As it is, we're still trying to get our heads around the fact that "we're" in high school. As I said to my friend Gina, I'm a slacker in classical education circles.

[Brigid in NC]

My junior took the PSAT last year (10th) and this year -- and we switched the schools. Boy did we learn our lesson from that! The gracious private school that allowed my 11th grade ds - and lots of other homeschoolers - to take the test had desks that were so small, the kids could not fit their test book AND the answer grid-in sheet on the desktop together. Much less a calculator. The desks were the wrap around arm-type desk tops.

So my ds said it definitely slowed him down on the math portion to have to juggle the test book/answer sheet/calculator between the desk and his lap. :rolleyes:

I would suggest that you test in 10th so that the unknown factors might be minimized. ;)

~Brigid

[MaryM]

Testing in 10th for PSAT made sense to us even though ds had been doing standardized tests for years already. I must admit that I am beginning to wonder if all of this testing before it actually "counts" has a downside. Is there a point of diminishing returns? I know several people who only test when it counts and all have kids who did exceptionally well! If my dh wasn't "into" the test as indicator of success mindset, I think I'd de-emphasize it, frankly. You can get swept up into the testing and forget the goal! (Or at least this feeble brain is having to work VER hard to stay focused on the goal and not the test!)

Mary

[Brigid in NC]

I do wonder about testing overkill. If my kids were testing-averse, I would definitely pull back. The PSAT is a really short test. It is not the marathon that the SAT is. Plus, no essay.

If your kids have scored consistently in the 95th percentile or better on annual standardized tests, then they have a shot at doing well on the PSAT. :) If you think your kids might score well enough for National Merit consideration (seems like it is roughly the top 1-2% of PSAT test takers), you might consider having them take the PSAT in 10th grade.

The way I look at it is -- I would hate for my kids to miss the National Merit cutoff by a point or two if there had been something we could have done relatively easily.

~Brigid