Taking the SAT exam

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Wondering if SAT tutoring will help?

I had lots of tutoring when I was in school - It was really test preparation and it helped immensely.

Where I went, they'd give us exams that were similar in format and set the same exam conditions. After we finished doing the 'test' we'd go through all the answers one by one and how to work them to get the right answer.

The benefit of the test prep was that we simulated the test conditions and it made things a lot easier to handle on the real test day. Performance and anxiety don't do well together. Test prep took away a lot of the anxiety. Every time we went different things might have happened... sometimes you end up being seated where the light is ALL WRONG, or there was construction across the road or G-d knows what. It helped us to know what to do on test day and focus on what we were doing instead of getting distracted by our environment.

Good luck to your daughter!

Thanks Beauty..guess part of the Prep is just knowing what to expect. You gave me lots of good information

I done the SATS last may and i coped fine, you do not need to get her a tutor as these exams don't really affect anything and I think your going a bit over the top about it really. Just make sure that she does them in a seperate room with an lsa/ta and that she has exteneded time, also a scribe if allowed would be helpful. And with the revision wise try to get these gsp books as they're really easy to understand and they made me do the first bit of revision... EVER!

And also what sats is she doing, ks1, ks2 or ks3 as i have just done the ks3 ones

Thanks Solid, She's taking the standard SAT and the ACT too as lots of colleges accept the better of the 2. Seems they do matter lots.. a sad statement on the competiton to get into colleges today.
Talked with the College Board and they too recommended applyng for the extra time and quite room if needed. That in itself could reduce test anxiety. The prep classes I referred to just prepare you on what to expect and tips..when to move on the the next question..whether you're better off guessing and putting some kind of answer down or just leaving it blank... that kind of strategy. The prep books are good and we'll get them.

I never took extra time; it wasn't necessary. It's a test of intelligence; measure against that of her peers.

I took an SAT prep class from a man my college counselor recommended and wasn't disappointed. I ended up with a 1790 on the new SAT after a 1630 got a 25 on the ACT and got into my first choice school.

Getting extra time is partially determined by the processing speed of the individual. If you have the knowledge, but have difficulty accessing it quickly, you should get extra time. If you have difficulty using a pencil to fill in those tiny bubbles due to small motor difficulties or visual processing problems, you should get extra time. I don't think that extra time is an unfair advantage if a timed test can not accurately determine your knowledge due to a disability. Obviously, the College Board agrees. That's why they offer that option for certain individuals.

You need to apply ahead of time and give them all sorts of supporting documentation. The deadline for AP testing documentation is today. My son's school is out of the paperwork and the surrounding school districts are all out of the papers as well, so I'm not sure that he will be able to take the test. He needs a computer to write the essay questions and he can not take the test without it. He also needs extra time due to slow processing speed.

I'm really irritated that I can't manage to get the papers required to get him the accommodations. He just had his IEP meeting yesterday, so this was not just me spacing out and waiting until the last minute. I needed the documentation that was given to me at the IEP meeting before I could apply for accommodations. GRRRR!! !!

The suggestion of the counselor at his school was that he wait another year to take the Biology test. They are offering their first AP Biology class next year and he could take that class and then take the test. He was homeschooled until this year and he had already taken Biology as a homeschooler and then they put him in Biology when he started at the public school because they couldn't count his homeschool Biology and now she wants him to take a third year of Biology because she can't manage to get the paperwork. URGGG. We have been working out of an AP book at home for the past couple of months, so he is ready to take the test now. I'm going to keep trying to find a school district that has an extra set of paperwork, but I don't feel that this should be my job. I can't stand bureaucracy!! ! (Sorry, just needed to vent.)

people who are easily distracted can get extended time...

I don't understand why the school people can't get copies of the paperwork over the computer. It is ridiculous that the forms have run out and can't be had. This shows a serious lack of planning and foresight.

I thought you were talking about the SATS but then i realsied you weren't as people in america have done them

The SAT accommodation forms are ScanTron forms, so they couldn't fax them to me or provide them on the computer. They did mail them to me and said to send them in and maybe they would be able to get them checked before the test date.

I took the forms to his school and had his high school counselor fill out her part of it. She tried to tell me that he should only get extra time on the writing portion of the test because he is dysgraphic (trouble with written output). I had to argue with her that a slow processing speed means that he will need more time for everything, not just writing. She told me that she thought that the College Board would deny it. I had to show her the school psychologist test scores that showed that his processing speed was basically half of his IQ score. This shows a definite problem that would limit his ability to show what he actually knows.

Why is everything always such a fight?

My son has only been back in school for 6 months (after 5 years of homeschooling), and I feel that all I have done is fight with the school to get what my son needs to be successful. It is so frustrating!

I found working with the school psychologist a great help as they have say over the academic counselor. That's the key- to get the psychologist on your side. Did you get a letter from the professional who did the diagnosis? That helped me too in the application process for the SAT accomodations.