ACT/SAT…when?

So, I think it is like baseball showcasing.  You want to take it when you are ready to demonstrate your academic proficiency. 

For baseball recruits anytime between fall soph year to spring of junior year depending on individual situation and strategy.

I've heard rule of thumb was after Algebra II for the Math section.  The College Board offers a PSAT 8/9 that is offers a glimpse into where your child will likely score (without any prep).  Sophomore year is a good year to work on prep, as Junior year typically is the hardest class schedule.

My kids both took it after freshman year. It was understood it was a practice session to get a feel for the test. They both knew the score that counted was when they took it after sophomore year and beyond. My daughter wasn't good at standardized tests then. She did a prep class and took it 3 times. Son took it twice and was done.

Just remember that the SAT and the ACT are each only offered about 8 times a year, always on a Saturday.  Think about how many of your son's Saturdays are taken up with baseball.  That cuts out about half the dates.  If you think he'll have to take them more than once, keep that in mind.

I would take it right after freshman year to get a baseline. Then begin tutoring. Take it again in 6-9 months. Repeat the process until you are satisfied with your score. The better the score, the more baseball opportunities.

Son took the PSAT in fr and so year. His college counselor (she is VERY good) says normal students peak spring of junior year. She recommends athletes targeting high academic take it fall junior year so they have plenty of time to take it again if needed. She also recommends prepping no more than 12 weeks before the test. Apparent,y, studies have shown more than 12 weeks of prep doesn’t result in higher scores and in some cases kids reported burnout and did worse than expected.

If possible, wait until after algebra 2. At a minimum after geometry. I would also recommend doing pre or practice tests to see if the ACT or SAT is a better fit. My son scored perfect on math for both. Most people would say he should do better on the ACT. He’s a little slower of a reader so the SAT is a better fit as it is fewer questions per minute than the ACT.

This isn’t a proven strategy but seems like it would work to me. If your kid is going to need help on both sections, focus on doing well on one the first test and take it again and focus on the other section. Trying to cram for both sides of the test can be overwhelming

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

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She recommends athletes targeting high academic take it fall junior year so they have plenty of time to take it again if needed.

My advice if you are considering D1 HA schools as a recruited college baseball player is to take the SAT/ACT sophomore year.  If you have genuine D1 baseball talent and excellent SAT/ACT scores to go with it, you open yourself to many more recruiting possibilities and advantages.  However, as I mentioned earlier, you have to be ready.  If you are targeting D3 HA schools as a recruited athlete then taking it Fall junior year is sufficient. 

As always, JMO.

@fenwaysouth posted:

My advice if you are considering D1 HA schools as a recruited college baseball player is to take the SAT/ACT sophomore year.  If you have genuine D1 baseball talent and excellent SAT/ACT scores to go with it, you open yourself to many more recruiting possibilities and advantages.  However, as I mentioned earlier, you have to be ready.  If you are targeting D3 HA schools as a recruited athlete then taking it Fall junior year is sufficient.

As always, JMO.

I agree if you are able to put in the effort to study for it. A strong PSAT score will also get you in the conversation with the HA schools. Either way, you can take the SAT as many times as you want. Getting a baseline on where you need to improve is most important IMO.

My son is registered for the 10/2 SAT. Same weekend as the Underclass WWBA in Ft. Myers. We are lucky to live close enough where at most he'd miss one game.

I would suggest going to a prep class and see where your kid sits in the score so he can get targeted help to improve. We can spent $$$ on travel and gear, this is worth every cent

Is it true that you can take the SAT after High School? I've heard rumors of adults taking it years after HS to get a high score and use that for employment purposes.

These threads always veer around to HA players.  I want to point out that, at least pre-pandemic, all players needed some SAT/ACT score that would be acceptable to their colleges.  I knew several players at P5 schools who were taking the tests down to the last possible date, in order to get the minimum score required.  P5 schools that overrecruit don't really care if a few of their commits don't make admissions.

I know that post-pandemic, many schools are no longer requiring these tests for general admissions.  What I don't know is, are the admissions on the athletic track still requiring them?  Does anyone with a kid going through this right now (at a D1 school) know this?

If you do still need a test score, don't be the kid who is frantically re-taking it during baseball season in spring of senior year.  Take it fairly early, in the off-season, to give yourself time for prep courses or re-takes.

@Francis7 posted:

Is it true that you can take the SAT after High School? I've heard rumors of adults taking it years after HS to get a high score and use that for employment purposes.

I’ve been in the recruiting biz for 20+ years and have never heard of an employer asking about an SAT score.

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

I’ve been in the recruiting biz for 20+ years and have never heard of an employer asking about an SAT score.

Mostly for those in the tutoring field. "Let me tutor your kid on the SAT because I got a 1550 on it..."

I doubt scores would vary much from junior year until after graduation. A 1200 isn't going to suddenly figure out at 19 or 20 how to score a 1550. Would a 1200 put in the effort to get to a 1550 to make money as a tutor?

I just heard it...not even sure if it's true that someone can take it as an adult?

Yes, I think the College Board will take your money no matter how old you are :/. My son is interested in HA schools, including Ivies (might as well try) -- he took a practice test this summer and is currently registered fir the Aug 28 SAT.

In this test optional era (or the next year or two altho have heard rumblings that tests may go away all together but think it is unlikely in the HA arena) generally speaking can only help you if you have a good/great score.

Both of my kids did a practice ACT early in the summer after sophomore year. They then tested (post some prep in their weakest subjects) sometime between July - November JR year of HS. It was very helpful in both cases to have solid scores (for their respective target schools) in the middle of their recruiting process.

used2lurk, do you have a child signing an NLI/applying for admission this year?  I'm really curious what those athletic recruits are being told re: testing.  Sure a good score would help, but could a bad score cause rejection from admissions?  My understanding is that is how it was in the Old Days.

If you do still need a test score, don't be the kid who is frantically re-taking it during baseball season in spring of senior year.

One my my son’s travel teammates was down to the last test date of senior year to become NCAA eligible. He struggled to get an 800-something for a school that otherwise is held in reasonably high academic regard. Normal students average 1310-1500. His 3.9 was his home to fist time, not his GPA. He flunked out after soph year.

SAT scores are now considered white supremacy racism. It’s why so many Asians tend to do so well on them.

I've heard this from several HA coaches now; if you have a strong academic profile then you can likely get in without a test and the nudge of the coach. If you do not have a strong academic profile then you should plan to take the test. Also talked to some kids being recruited at "test optional" schools where the coach/admissions told them they need to get their test score up. I don't know what the strong academic profile would be, but I imagine it is close to a 4.0 and full of AP's. I overheard a coach asking why a kid with a 3.3 was at Headfirst last week.

I didn't realize this, but some schools are "test blind" while others are "test optional". The blind schools never see your scores. The optional will look at your scores if you provide them.

@RJM posted:

If you do still need a test score, don't be the kid who is frantically re-taking it during baseball season in spring of senior year.

One my my son’s travel teammates was down to the last test date of senior year to become NCAA eligible. He struggled to get an 800-something for a school that otherwise is held in reasonably high academic regard. Normal students average 1310-1500. His 3.9 was his home to fist time, not his GPA. He flunked out after soph year.

I wonder how often a kid outkicks his coverage when it comes to academics and choosing a college. I know a kid with a 15 pre-ACT committed to a P5 HA school. He is very low academically and many of us wonder how he will ever get admitted to the school.

HAs are their own beast.  Depending on the selectivity, your GPA could get you in without baseball, or it might not.  I still wonder whether those schools want their athletes to have test scores so that they have something to justify the slot.

I'm still wanting to know about schools where they want, say, a minimum of 1000.  Do those schools still need a score at all?

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

I wonder how often a kid outkicks his coverage when it comes to academics and choosing a college. I know a kid with a 15 pre-ACT committed to a P5 HA school. He is very low academically and many of us wonder how he will ever get admitted to the school.

A kid from our high school was recruited by a HA P5 for football. He was in Special Ed. He was a nice kid. But he was dumber than a bag of rocks. The SAT must have been waived. He left after one semester. The college playbook more complicated than, “Bobby, pitch right” and “Bobby, pitch left.”

The high school team had NFL like play calls. Then the QB told Bobby what to do. He transferred to a sometimes ranked mid major and left there after the fall semester.

Bobby had a 4.25 in high school. It was his time in the forty. The kid could play. He ran for 2,000+ yards and 30 something TD’s senior year in high school.

My son told me Bobby now has his own business. He’s in distribution.

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

I didn't realize this, but some schools are "test blind" while others are "test optional". The blind schools never see your scores. The optional will look at your scores if you provide them.

Yup. Many are test optional now. More because of COVID.

If I was a kid who was not a HA and my school was optional, I am thinking "don't take it" because it will only hurt your chances if it's posted.

Aha, Francis7, just who I wanted (but not to put you on the spot).  Is your son's school test-optional?  Did the coach say he had to have test scores?  I'm trying to figure out whether athletic admissions are following the school's admissions policies for the general student body, or not.

As a note, just because you take a test, does not mean you have to send it to any schools.  The student has entire control over whether and which scores to send to any school.

All the HAs my kid was interested in were test optional. However, financial aid are tied test scores, so the kid took it a few times.   

My 2022's school is test optional. He had taken the SAT pretty early on in his soph year just to have a baseline. He didn't do that well, as others have mentioned you want to have covered the math in school already. He will take it again this fall, just to be on the safe side if for some reason current school doesn't work out and he needs that higher score.

@anotherparent posted:

used2lurk, do you have a child signing an NLI/applying for admission this year?  I'm really curious what those athletic recruits are being told re: testing.  Sure a good score would help, but could a bad score cause rejection from admissions?  My understanding is that is how it was in the Old Days.

A bad score should not be submitted IMO. Never send test scores directly to a school pay the $14 or whatever to send it to people later in process if it is a good score or needed to apply for/get academic $$$.

My son is a 2022. No commitment yet and is communicating to a very wide range of schools at this time. JUCO to Ivy (baseball and development is more important to him than academics. Academics matter but are 1 part of it for him.)  He has a 33 and a 3.65 unweighted with AP’s and “rigor” from a well known prep school in HA circles. We have been told by his college counselor and some college coaches that he can get into almost any school that wants him to play baseball. He would not be able to get into many of those schools without baseball.

An above average test score eliminates for many R/C’s the question if the kid can get into said school and the HC can generally worry less about a kid struggling to stay eligible.

My son leads with his best measurables in email and the subject line. Btw a 33 works for the Ivy League but is on the low end of average at schools like John’s Hopkins and Wash U. 33-35 is average from what I was told at both of those schools.

@anotherparent - school is test optional and coach didn't ask for it

@used2lurk posted:

Btw a 33 works for the Ivy League but is on the low end of average at schools like John’s Hopkins and Wash U. 33-35 is average from what I was told at both of those schools.

We are still at the beginning stages of talking to schools, but so far the D3’s (Hopkins, MIT, CalTech) seem like they are tougher on academics than the Ivies he’s talked to. I thought it was funny when a coach’s first question for him was which math class he’s in and another asked what his PSAT was.

My Johnny to SAT 6 times and it started in Soph year. This was related to being in boarding school, which afforded his pals all-day passes to Boston. Like a get out of Jail SAT PASS.

Brown and Dartmouth were the targets, but baseball sidetracked the HA route in lieu of SEC.

Bottom line, the scores continued to climb. At the time , there was no harm in taking the test multiple times.

I suggest having your son take it as often as possible.

For my kid, JH had a higher bar than Ivies. Kid wanted a good balance of baseball and academics and was concerned about the academic rigors of JH so he never was serious about pursuing it...I laughed to myself on the inside and thought isn't that why they are called HAs....I have an easily irritable teen, eggshells everywhere I walk.  I had a serious financial concern about the Ivies and given their proven track record of not leading by example by clipping their season, it was an easy job to convince the knucklehead to pass on them.