A Day of Reckoning - Dec. 5 SAT Scores are In - A Sobering Reality

Definitely try ACT, converting my SAT score to ACT from that same year, I scores 7 points better on the ACT. Different people test differently on them, I believe ACT is faster but with slightly easier questions.
 
Apologies if these points are already covered above. I did not read all of the posts.
you can choose which Sat scores to send to colleges and which to omit. my DD hides the first score. So be it. Just know this doesn’t have to haunt your DS.
Prep and college performance trump predictive test scores. My brother Had terrible SATs, squeaked into a local college, got four 4.0 semesters of college, read: grades much like your son does in high school, transferred to an Ivy and has an Ivy League degree. Friends son bombed the SAT but otherwise did great in HS, did a prep year in RI and is now a plebe at USNA.
your sons path and dream is not defined by not being a good test taker of the SAT. Detoured? Maybe. Deterred or giving up hope? He should not be.
He is not as defined by this as you may think, though his path options for sure may be challenged if he cannot improve with the act or more prep. Gl to him and you’re family.
 
I don’t think per the proverbial Goose in Top Gun that he needs the number for TruckMasters, just yet. He can still be an officer if he chooses though like just said maybe he’ll take detour to get there.
 
NJROTC-CC said:
DS, a high school junior, took the SAT for the first time December 5th. We got his scores today. His scores were shockingly low. He took a prep course, many practice SAT tests and worked hard. But, despite all that, his score is so low, that he is not a realistic candidate for admission to many 4 year colleges, much less for a ROTC scholarship. What is so hard to understand is that he gets mostly A's a couple of B's and is taking several AP courses. His weighted high school GPA is well over 4.0. So it is difficult to understand why he is having such a tough time with the SAT's. He is signed up to take a crack at the ACT's in February.

Of course, he can take the SAT's again, even more than once more, but only a certain amount of improvement is possible. Fortunately, DS is athletic and has good extra-curricular, community service and leadership.

Based on his present SAT score, he best shot at college, for now, is for the NROTC Prep Scholarship. (He is unwilling to go to community college.) He has shown interest in several schools that offer the Prep Scholarship. We will apply and see what happens. However, his is also re-considering his previous plan to go straight to college. Enlistment after high school is now something he wants to seriously consider. ASVAB prep. will commence soon.

DS has a strong desire to serve his country and has been showing great interest in the Coast Guard since his NJOTC class visited and toured the local Coast Guard Station last year. He knows the local Coast Guard recruiter by name. DS's ultimate, long-term goal has always been Federal law enforcement. I think the Coast Guard would be a "win-win" for DS and for the USCG and can lead him in the direction he wants to go. My only hope is that if he enlists, he will still find a way to obtain at least a bachelor's degree in the future.
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The good thing is that your DS is a junior, and he has plenty of time to submit a qualifying score. For my DD, she ended up taking the ACT for the first time in July after her junior year. She spent several months studying for the exam with the Princeton Review study guide booklets. They are great and come with plenty of practice exams. She got her results around August. Taking the ASVAB is another thing she did, which gave us a good idea as to what to expect.
 
NJROTC-CC said:
DS, a high school junior, took the SAT for the first time December 5th. We got his scores today. His scores were shockingly low. He took a prep course, many practice SAT tests and worked hard. But, despite all that, his score is so low, that he is not a realistic candidate for admission to many 4 year colleges, much less for a ROTC scholarship. What is so hard to understand is that he gets mostly A's a couple of B's and is taking several AP courses. His weighted high school GPA is well over 4.0. So it is difficult to understand why he is having such a tough time with the SAT's. He is signed up to take a crack at the ACT's in February.

Of course, he can take the SAT's again, even more than once more, but only a certain amount of improvement is possible. Fortunately, DS is athletic and has good extra-curricular, community service and leadership.

Based on his present SAT score, he best shot at college, for now, is for the NROTC Prep Scholarship. (He is unwilling to go to community college.) He has shown interest in several schools that offer the Prep Scholarship. We will apply and see what happens. However, his is also re-considering his previous plan to go straight to college. Enlistment after high school is now something he wants to seriously consider. ASVAB prep. will commence soon.

DS has a strong desire to serve his country and has been showing great interest in the Coast Guard since his NJOTC class visited and toured the local Coast Guard Station last year. He knows the local Coast Guard recruiter by name. DS's ultimate, long-term goal has always been Federal law enforcement. I think the Coast Guard would be a "win-win" for DS and for the USCG and can lead him in the direction he wants to go. My only hope is that if he enlists, he will still find a way to obtain at least a bachelor's degree in the future.
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But were the results out of line with the practice tests? These exams are to a certain extent a game. Knowing the rules of each type of question helps with the results. This is why the tests are problematic. They reward people with the resources and discipline to be trained to play the game. Punish those without. But they do reveal gaps, such as with your son that are enlightening.

Unwilling to go to CC? That is a sign.
 
It's his first test. I'd relax, find the areas he needs to study up on, maybe talk to others about a good tutor, and then take it again along with the ACT.
 
1 - Kranse Institute

2- Khan Academy

Take them both....split time between the two for SAT

This is affordable and produced results for my DD and DS full practice tests. CA test centers are closed so can't post of test results.
 
I appreciate all the advice and encouragement. DS has a good math SAT tutor. After a week off for Christmas he will start with an English SAT tutor on 11/28. I have given him all the tools and resources. It is now up to him

P.S. - I agree with some of the comments about grade inflation and shortfalls in the current public education system. I blame myself partially for not realizing this sooner. But I’m not sure what I could have done differently. We cannot afford private school. DS can dig himself out of this hole if he has the right stuff.
 
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NJROTC-CC said:
I appreciate all the advice and encouragement. DS has a good math SAT tutor. After a week off for Christmas he will start with an English SAT tutor on 11/28. I have given him all the tools and resources. It is now up to him

P.S. - I agree with some of the comments about grade inflation and shortfalls in the current public education system. I blame myself partially for not realizing this sooner. But I’m not sure what I could have done differently. We cannot afford private school. DS can dig himself out of this hole if he has the right stuff.
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A SA isn’t the end all, be all, either. Lots of different ways to get where you (he) are going. DS#1 is THRIVING in the ANG. So happy, and with his people. Actually wayyyyy happier than my two Mids presently 😂.

Will be fun to watch this journey!
 
justdoit19 said:
A SA isn’t the end all, be all, either. Lots of different ways to get where you (he) are going. DS#1 is THRIVING in the ANG. So happy, and with his people. Actually wayyyyy happier than my two Mids presently 😂.

Will be fun to watch this journey!
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The one thing with this kid: he is always happy, always on the go, and always surrounded by friends. So, in one sense, I am not worried about him. The bottom line is: all we want as parents is for our kids to be happy and I really have no doubt that he will be happy and successful. He may just take a differential path than we thought.

P.S. - My #1 DS, his older brother, barely even graduated high school. He then went to community college and failed math. But he persevered and eventually completed two years of community college and transferred to the State University. If he can make it, anyone can.
 
The SAT is unlike any other regular test that’s in school or an AP class. There are several tricks to learn about the test that can be learned through tutoring, research, but most importantly experience. Most people don’t do so hot on their first SAT, especially as a junior. Tell him to keep his head up, you can take this thing as many times as you want. Also like others have mentioned- the ACT clicks better with some students.

Overall just stay positive and keep taking this test as much as needed. Most academy and scholarship applicants take the SAT very often. I’ve heard people take the test 5-10 times. Crazy, but just shows how bad they wanted it.
 
To early to get disheartened. He is on front-end of a marathon. Plenty of time. Steady progress is key.

Specifics:

1. Theme of good advice is to have him take the standardized tests as many times as he can - frangible skill that must be practiced - religiously. But SIGN UP NOW! May and June dates for SAT are already available. The dates will fill up and who knows where we will be with covid. His summer should be standardized tests, essays and fitness prep.

2. Have him contact the local recruiter (whichever branch he chooses) and tell them he is interested in the ROTC scholarship next year. The recruiters are busting their tails chasing seniors right now. A contact now will get him on the radar even if he is on the back burner as they finish recruiting season.

It is important because recruiter will walk your son through the whole process - including thoughts on improving scores. Recruiters are also key to ISR (my kid got that and we did not even know about it).

3. Do not expect big composite scores on first ACT. Treat it as a litmus test and base line. Where the SAT tends to trick the student with wording of the question/ problem (maybe reason for low test score) ACT is much more technical in nature. It is going to test your son in areas of math he has not learned yet. For that reason some tutors recommend holding off on ACT until fall of senior year. Super score, however, changes the rules. Have him take as many times as possible. My kid got sick of taking tests, but on her last one, with her lowest composite score (really low - in tears low) one section boosted her super score to a 33.

As a parent, consider money for test tutor v. money for college tuition. Test tutor forces the work and will open up a lot of free college money as scores improve (and they will if he does the work).

4. Enlistment is not a bad place to park for a year or two. Better than getting bad grades in school that do not go away. MOC has limited nominations and competition is fierce. One other hand, secretary of navy and rotc structure have many more. (I think sec of navy has over 100 alone; look at composite of USNA class from last year on percentages coming out of ranks). If he had good grades, he will be able to shine in enlisted ranks (look for "feel good story" post on this forum for a great example).

My son and I had an opportunity to visit a change of command ceremony for a SSBN. Both the relieved commander and the new commander enlisted in Navy right out of high school, asked for nuc program and then proceeded to outshine other recruits. Both were accepted to USNA after a year on the beach at Pensacola. Not a bad gig for a year.

5. He should consider sharing his goals with his school's xcountry coach and start running with coach training him; any military service he does will have running. Also highly recommend Stew Smith fitness. Ex-navy seal that specializes in fitness (some programs particularly focus on cfa). And throw the stinking basketball - alot. Again, frangible skill that takes time to improve (a lot of improvement here is exponential in last couple of weeks of training as muscle memory kicks in).

To sum up, your son is in a good place because he knows he wants to serve and is ahead of the game by focusing on a process that has not started yet. (I cannot tell you how many seniors stopped my kid at school and asked about the process too late - some the week packages were due to our senators).

Cheering for your son; everyone loves an underdog!

W
 
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DS is registered for the Feb ACT, March SAT and May SAT. He will sign up for June next.

Our local state university has a very good NROTC unit with a cross-town affiliate at a private school that is SAT optional. So that is one option. He could go to the private school and do NROTC as a college programmer at state u cross-town. Expensive, but viable.

Also, while the local state u is very competitive for admissions, I believe transfers are much easier and they accept transfers with as little as 12 credits. So DS could go to community college and apply to transfer after one semester and still do NROTC as a college programmer if he is accepted as a transfer at state u. This would be a highly cost-effective option.

Of course, the goal is get the SAT scores up so he does not have to go to one of these backup plans. But, he is driving me crazy. He woke up this morning and started doing practice questions. But not practice questions for the SATs. Practice questions for a NJROTC academic competition!!! Sheesh! This is my #2 DS and I thought HE was going to be “the easy one.” DS #1 nearly drove DW and me insane. Glad we stopped at two. That’s all I can handle.
 
@NJROTC-CC ,

I have refrained from offering any advice, knowing that you and DS would get advice from other posters, teachers, etc, better than from me. My DSes' experiences are dated, but but certain aspects are relevant.

Both my DS's smoked the Math sections of the SAT, but struggled mightily with the Verbal section. They never did a "test prep" course. They used a private tutor, but only for a few hours. We didn't pay the tutor to watch them take practice tests. Those were done on their own time and the tutor analyzed the results with the sole purpose of identifying weaknesses which could be worked on.

Most important for them was learning how to read a question and how to efficiently eliminate incorrect answers. Just those two skills automatically gave them X# of minutes extra to complete the section and double check answers. This alone put them in a more relaxed and confident frame of mind walking through the door...always a good thing.

Whatever DS does, he shouldn't just grind through practice tests. A football team doesn't only scrimmage during the course of a season. A D-lineman doesn't just push a sled around the field all practice long. He should practice with a purpose, using the tactics which his tutor should be able to teach him.

Much of what my DSes learned from the tutor then is now available on the internet. There are all manner of free phone apps that teach without simply firing questions at the user. I even saw a vocabulary building shower curtain.

This might be a good place to start:

blog.prepscholar.com

Process of Elimination on the SAT: 11 Key Tips

Not sure how to eliminate answers on the SAT? We've got helpful tips for guessing on the Reading, Writing, and Math sections.
blog.prepscholar.com blog.prepscholar.com

Your son sounds like a great kid and a good friend to those around him. I wish him the best of luck!

BTW Speaking from personal experience, knuckleheadedness is hardwired into almost every adolescent male. My favorite example:
DS#2 (capable and responsible in every aspect of his life) planned an extensive 3 1/2 month trip to Asia after graduation, before starting a real life mechanical engineering job. The trip was to start in Nepal. I consulted the CDC website for vaccinations. Among others, the rabies vaccine was highly recommended by everyone--CDC, Lonely Planet, Bear Grylls. DS told me he had read up on it and the Rabies vaccine isn't really necessary if you take precautions. "What are those?", I asked. "Stay away from the dogs and don't make eye contact with the monkeys."

It doesn't dramatically disappear all at once. Some of it never disappears. Just ask Mrs. cb7893...and we aren't just talking about her sons.
 
NJROTC-CC said:
He woke up this morning and started doing practice questions. But not practice questions for the SATs. Practice questions for a NJROTC academic competition!!! Sheesh! This is my #2 DS and I thought HE was going to be “the easy one.” DS #1 nearly drove DW and me insane. Glad we stopped at two. That’s all I can handle.
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If I remember correctly a couple of the NJROTC acacdemic competitions my son participated in had SAT / ACT type questions, so if it is one of those type it will help him. :)
 
When the SAT score came in the first time I remember my Dad asking me if I tripped and hit my head on the doorway on the way into the classroom.

Does your child's school utilize block scheduling? If your child's school does their classes this way it can impact how well they do on different portions of the SAT. I too struggled with the SAT the first time. The way my HS did school was they split up the 4 core courses (Math, Science, English and History). So we had 2 core classes for 1st semester and 2 core classes 2nd semester, so I hadn't had any Math or English class at all after the first semester of my sophomore year. Which comes to a full semester, all summer break and half of the new school year, before taking the SAT the first time; which was in December of my junior year along with the essay. I took the test one more time in the spring of my junior year again with the essay and another time in the fall of my senior year. Overall, I made a 380 point score improvement- in less than a year. I didn't pay for a tutor, buy any books or attend any special classes; I just did the free stuff widely available on the web and made sure I was in AP Calc and AP English my senior year since they are year long classes. For me and countless others the main problem is that block scheduling is not conducive to our way of retaining information. From K through 8th grade our brains and study habits get conditioned by giving us English and Math classes all year with constant repetitions, constant practice so that it just becomes second nature. Then we get to HS and they change the entire program up on us. I will add that I know many HS students aren't affected by the block scheduling and some do love and thrive with the block scheduling, but there are also many who struggle with it.
 
nature boy said:
When the SAT score came in the first time I remember my Dad asking me if I tripped and hit my head on the doorway on the way into the classroom.

Does your child's school utilize block scheduling? If your child's school does their classes this way it can impact how well they do on different portions of the SAT. I too struggled with the SAT the first time. The way my HS did school was they split up the 4 core courses (Math, Science, English and History). So we had 2 core classes for 1st semester and 2 core classes 2nd semester, so I hadn't had any Math or English class at all after the first semester of my sophomore year. Which comes to a full semester, all summer break and half of the new school year, before taking the SAT the first time; which was in December of my junior year along with the essay. I took the test one more time in the spring of my junior year again with the essay and another time in the fall of my senior year. Overall, I made a 380 point score improvement- in less than a year. I didn't pay for a tutor, buy any books or attend any special classes; I just did the free stuff widely available on the web and made sure I was in AP Calc and AP English my senior year since they are year long classes. For me and countless others the main problem is that block scheduling is not conducive to our way of retaining information. From K through 8th grade our brains and study habits get conditioned by giving us English and Math classes all year with constant repetitions, constant practice so that it just becomes second nature. Then we get to HS and they change the entire program up on us. I will add that I know many HS students aren't affected by the block scheduling and some do love and thrive with the block scheduling, but there are also many who struggle with it.
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Thanks for sharing this great improvement story. DS has similar issues with classes at his school. Algebra is a two-year class and he had a full year of geometry in between. He is taking Algebra II as a junior and is still learning stuff that is on the SAT’s. (That’s crazy! I had Algebra in 9th grade! And I was NOT on the fast track in math.)

I shared your story with DS and he was very encouraged by it. He was terribly torn-down by his SAT score and I am working on building his confidence back up so he that comes out fighting for the next round. You have given him hope, and hope is a very powerful emotion.
 
darrellhale said:
My daughter took tests repeatedly and also scored badly. She super scored to a 21. Not great. SAT even worse.

However, she got applications in early and was admitted to all six. She got merit scholarships by applying test optional and it's going to join guard most likely and will do the SMP (simultaneous membership program) worst case for a two year and hopefully get a three year on campus scholarship by hard work.

It's doable. Don't lose hope. Focus.
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Just know that if your DS joins the guard for the SMP, and then gets a guard GRFD scholarship she can only commission into the guard.

check to see if her school has some sort of deal if your are in the guard. Most state schools have something. May allow her not to have to get a GRFD and keep active duty option open. Some of our SMP kids want to go active after 4 years of ROTC but are stuck.
 
Will mimic what everyone said; I bombed the SAT and did very very well on the ACT, despite only taking them weeks apart. Just for kicks, I took both the SAT and ACT again, with the same result for both tests. Stay positive!
 
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