QUESTION

I have a 9th grader.  When should she start testing?

ANSWER

That depends on your child and the schedule you want to have he/she on for testing.

The schedule that is the most popular with students is to take the Pre-ACT and PSAT when they’re in the 10th grade. After getting their results, they pick which test to focus on and do more prep before officially taking their test in 11th grade during the fall and spring and then once more in the 12th grade.

If your child feels prepared enough, they can take the ACT or SAT in the 9th or 10th grade. Some students opt for this, because 11th and 12th grades are extremely busy times so they choose to get it out of the way. I would like to mention that the ACT and SAT are designed to cover the material your child learns in typical high school classes. Having them take the ACT or SAT earlier means they will have to study harder to catch up. Because of this, I honestly recommend students not test until they are in the 10th grade, at the earliest.

When it comes to preparation, I suggest your child start today.

How do you do this if you aren’t sure which test your child will perform best on?

The ACT and the SAT test your child on their knowledge and understanding of math, reading, writing and grammar, and science. Take a look at your child’s grades in those areas over the years and if he/she is struggling or frustrated in a certain area. You can help them prepare by connecting him/her with a tutor in those areas. Not only will this help build your child’s confidence, but you’re also preparing him/her without burning him/her out. And then once a week, have him/her research either the ACT or SAT so they’ll have some awareness of it.

When the times come for full-on preparation, I recommend your child meet with a tutor who has taken the test they are going be taking and work with them. They should also be practicing and studying for their test at least three times a week outside of their normally scheduled tutoring session.

LINK

If you and your child aren’t sure whether to focus on the ACT or SAT, this article breaks down what you need to consider and how to pick the best test for your child.

We provide tutoring services in all major subject areas so if your child is feeling challenged in a particular subject; we will work with him/her one on one. If you’re not sure whether or not your child needs to meet with one of our tutors, I recommend checking out this article to help you identify the warning signs you need to watch out for.

We also provide ACT test prep and SAT test prep for when your child figures out which standardized test is perfect for him/her to take. All of our tutors are trained and earned a top score in the test they’ll be helping your child on, so you can have the confidence that your child is learning from the best.