President's Perspective: The Testing Roadmap

One of the most frequently asked questions I face is: "When should we start test prep?" The problem is that my answer to this opens up a whole group of possibilities.

So let's start at the beginning.

1. 7th and 8th grade. The Duke TIP program. I try to explain to parents that this program, a brilliant branding program for Duke, is a lot like the "Who's Who Among American High School Students." It's nice. But it's just a recognition of what you already know: that your kid is getting good grades. That's how Duke selects people to be candidates for this program.

What your child scores on the practice ACT or SAT he or she takes is no indicator of their innate intellectual ability. Remember, as I've said before, these tests have nothing to do with academic ability. If you do well on them, great. If not, don't worry, you're only 12! You'll still get to go to college. I promise.

On a related note, the biggest advantage to this program is the summer programs that you become eligible for. It allows you to meet like-minded students from around the country and helps build a resume. Unfortunately, most parents never use this resource.

2. 9th grade. Nada. Pick difficult, challenging courses. Make sure you are on track with meaningful activities. Don't just join every club in school that you have a vague interest in.

3. 10th grade. You do have the PSAT this year, but it really has no consequences for you. If you wanted to do 4-5 hours of light prep for it, it would be worthwhile, but either way, after you get your scores back in December or January, you will know what you will have to work on. Those students who are looking at first-tier schools (ACT 30 and above, SAT 2000 and above) or those who are being heavily recruited for sports should probably look at prepping the summer after their sophomore year and taking the October test in their Junior year.

4. 11th grade. Okay, here's where it happens all at once.

A. The PSAT will be the NMSQT for you this year - yes, National Merit is a big deal - but again, it's the top 1/2 of 1% in the country, so really only put serious effort into this if you are looking at a first-tier school. Otherwise, it's yet another consequence and cost-free practice for the SAT.

B. If you are serious about college, you should have an official ACT or SAT score under your belt before the end of your academic year. You can take a practice test for free (and with no consequences) from a company like ours and then find out which one you should take.

While high school counselors and even college admissions counselors may advise you to take both, they mean that you should try both and see which one makes more sense for you to prep for. The overwhelming majority of students score equivalent on both tests, but every now and then there is a big difference. And that's no surprise, given that the tests are very different. The ACT doesn't have vocabulary or a guessing penalty. The SAT has both, but no science section, like the ACT does. And on and on...

C. SAT Subject Tests: I'll catch some disagreement here, but I'm prepared to vigorously defend my position. These tests should only be taken in May.

Why? Firstly, these tests are only required for the most elite and competitive schools. Therefore, the students who have to take these tests are usually in AP or IB classes. Those classes typically terminate in May.

These students have been prepping all year for a mostly essay exam, with some multiple choice questions. These exams occur in the first two weeks of May. If you are taking your AP US History exam in the first two weeks of May, and you've been studying hard on your own and with your teacher, why would you not take the 60-minute, 90 question, multiple-choice only exam known as the SAT US History exam during that same week? It's a freebie! A test you don't have to study for! There are lots of other SAT Subject Tests. If you have more questions about this, call me at the office sometime (913.322.3400).

Taking these tests at any other time of the year, like June, for example, and you risk loss of retention of material (these are actual tests of what you know and have studied, unlike the ACT or SAT) as well as indifference (who wants to study for a test when they have been out of school for two weeks? Honestly?).

Oh, by the way, I don't care if Prom or Finals or some out of town sports tournament is on the May date (this academic year it is May 2, 2009). If you are a first-tier school, SAT Subject Tests trump anything else that day.

If you are not applying to a first-tier school, you generally do not have to worry about these at all.

5. 12th grade. Well...

If you are testing during your Senior Year, you should be doing so for two reasons:

1. Scholarship/Recruiting requirements. You want to get a spot on a sports team or you want to get a scholarship and they have told you that you need a certain score and it's only a little higher than your last score. It's worth the extra effort. But I do mean a little higher - like 26 to a 27 higher. If you have a 22 and they want a 27, or if you have a 1590 and they want a 1760, it's too late. Sorry to be the bad cop, but I don't get paid to not be real with you.

2. You, for some strange reason, didn't test junior year and are testing for the first time. It's too late now for me to scold you. If you haven't already looked at the fairtest.org list of schools that don't use the ACT or SAT in admissions, it's time to buckle down. And good luck doing that Senior year, when it's a struggle just to show up for school because of that disease known as Senioritis.

I hope this helps. If you ever have any specific questions, you can always call us here anytime: 913.322.3400.

Stephen Heiner is the President of Get Smarter Prep, Kansas City's leading provider of ACT and SAT prep.