OT Any Tips on ACT for High School Senior

[dailybuck777]

My son has taken 4 ACTs. 25 score for December, 28 Score February & April. 30 Score in June (Top 6%). He has a 4.1 grade average. Trying to get his ACT up so that he can qualify for paid tuition. (Already qualifies for significant amount from Miami of Ohio and Alabama. [We live in Ohio]. Other than probably the earliest test, (where scores were mistakenly sent out to a couple of schools), we haven't sent out his scores yet. Before recent June test, I gave him $500 bonus for 31 and $1,000 bonus for 32 et cet. He worked really hard (about 3.5 hours per day) and turns out he raised his standing from 89% with 28 scores to 94% with the recent 30 score. (worked 3-4 hours every day) Although he didn't get the 31, I decided to give him $150 bonus for mostly good scores.

The breakdown on his June test was 30 composite (94% ranking), 30 math, (95% ranking) 32 (96% R) science, 31 Stem (96% R), 25 English (79% R) and 33 Reading (96% R). Pretty good test other than poor score in grammar. Right now my plan is to have him tutored in English and retake the test in the fall. His English score on the June test was a 31, but on the two other tests he scored a 25 & 26. Other than English, the rest of his scores were significantly improved in June.

I assume, but don't know, that if he takes the test in September and does better in English that is to his advantage. (Am a little worried that he may be taking the test too many times). He has worked very hard, and he is motivated to continue to do so. Also, I wonder whether he has to reveal all of his test scores to colleges to which he applies.

Additionally, any other tips would be appreciated. His real interests are film and business, so his high stem scores don't figure much in his long term plans. Decent chance he will take a gap year next year.

 

[step.eng69]

I don't know anything about the ACT acceptance levels, but if the kid is scoring in the upper percent of all categories with the exception of English, I would believe he could earn admission to one of our nation's military academy's. Poof...fine education, develop discipline, self defense training, and EDUCATION paid. In the mid 80's, My son had the opportunity to enter the Air Force Academy @ Colorado Springs and eventually chose Penn State an entered aeronautical engineering, but later graduated in Civil/Structural.

Of course my opinion. I always felt that if a youngster has the aptitude for math and science, use it appropriately.

 

[bison13]

Take practice tests in timed situations. Make the time limit a few minutes less than he would actually get. Take a speed reading class if you can find one. Increasing ones reading comprehension by 25 wpm would also give a few more minutes.

 

[ouirpsu]

My son goes to Alabama out of state and earned the Presidential Scholarship. Don't remember what ACT score he got, or needed for it, but tuition free definitely warrants a look. Caliber of student at UA has gone way up over the past few years, and the university has so much to offer. And, the best part...even though he goes to Alabama, Penn State is still his #1 team!

 

[dailybuck777]

I would believe he could earn admission to one of our nation's military academy's. Poof...fine education,

Thanks for the very good suggestion. Will think about it closely and discuss with son.

 

[dailybuck777]

Take practice tests in timed situations. Make the time limit a few minutes less than he would actually get. Take a speed reading class if you can find one.

Good idea to practice completing test more effectively. My son is at the level where one or two extra points would mean a lot.

 

[dailybuck777]

Don't remember what ACT score he got, or needed for it, but tuition free definitely warrants a look.

Your son got $100,000 in benefits as a Presidential scholar--congratulations. My son is currently one step below and would get $76,000 in benefits. Both great deals for the students. Thanks for your input.

And, the best part...even though he goes to Alabama, Penn State is still his #1 team!

My former boss graduated from OSU's law school. His son was wait-listed at OSU's law school and ended up going to Alabama law school after having gotten his undergraduate degree from OSU. A mighty big pull of different loyalties.

 

[PS4814]

On the question about which scores a college could potentially see - the ACT and SAT allow students to pick which scores to send to which colleges. Regardless send them all as the college will simply look at the highest score - no worries. You can also tell the college that you're taking the test again after you apply to the school if that occurs.

You say you're going to have him tutored in English so that's good, but I'd recommend trying to find the right kind of tutor that fits with his abilities. What I mean by that is find a tutor that aligns with his score range and has shown results in bumping that range up with previous students. Some tutors are better for students in the low range trying to move into the average and some specialize in helping high end kids get those last couple points to move from a 33 to a 35/36. The only limitation is your budget. I'd also recommend simply having him read more literature - more exposure is never a bad thing.

If he's going into his senior year it's a bit late in the game to get started on a service academy application. Most folks start that process early in their junior year. One piece that takes some time is to obtain a congressional nomination from your local congressman or congresswoman, your two State Senators, or the Vice President of the United States. It's technically not too late (depending on age) but he should have started the process last year. But if he's taking a gap year anyway he could apply this year, and if not accepted apply again for next.

 

[tgar]

Wow.

 

[Big 0]

I don't know anything about the ACT acceptance levels, but if the kid is scoring in the upper percent of all categories with the exception of English, I would believe he could earn admission to one of our nation's military academy's. Poof...fine education, develop discipline, self defense training, and EDUCATION paid. In the mid 80's, My son had the opportunity to enter the Air Force Academy @ Colorado Springs and eventually chose Penn State an entered aeronautical engineering, but later graduated in Civil/Structural.

Of course my opinion. I always felt that if a youngster has the aptitude for math and science, use it appropriately.

An academy requires a nomination by a congressman or senator for an open position. Each congressman and senator can have 5 nominees. But if they have used 5 and none are graduating leaving no open spots, then no nominations are available to you to get into the academy. When I tried to get into the Naval academy, only one nomination was available, from one of the senators from the state. All othe 14 nominations were used and none were graduating. About 850 applied for the one available nomination, and the person who got it had ties to the senator. His brother was on the senator’s staff. My ACT composite was 33, I played 3 sports, had numerous other extracurricular activities including an officer’s position in a couple of them and could not get in, so it is not a slam dunk with an ACT score of 30.

I did plan to go to Miami of Ohio, but they were switching from a quarter to semester system in what would have been my sophomore year, so I attended Penn State from out of state (Ohio) when less than 4% of the student population was from out of state. I know I made the right decision by a mile.

Miami of Ohio is a great school academically, know for it’s preprofessional and business programs. It would no doubt be a great school to attend. With a composite score of 30 and >4 point gpa, I’m pretty sure that almost all if not all the full tuition is covered at the rest of the state universities in Ohio via scholarship (at least it was recently). That did not exist when I was in college and would be a great asset of which to take advantage.

 

[step.eng69]

Thanks for the very good suggestion. Will think about it closely and discuss with son.

You're welcome buck

 

[step.eng69]

An academy requires a nomination by a congressman or senator

Very much aware of the congressional nomination.

 

[ApexLion]

My son has taken 4 ACTs. 25 score for December, 28 Score February & April. 30 Score in June (Top 6%). He has a 4.1 grade average. Trying to get his ACT up so that he can qualify for paid tuition. (Already qualifies for significant amount from Miami of Ohio and Alabama. [We live in Ohio]. Other than probably the earliest test, (where scores were mistakenly sent out to a couple of schools), we haven't sent out his scores yet. Before recent June test, I gave him $500 bonus for 31 and $1,000 bonus for 32 et cet. He worked really hard (about 3.5 hours per day) and turns out he raised his standing from 89% with 28 scores to 94% with the recent 30 score. (worked 3-4 hours every day) Although he didn't get the 31, I decided to give him $150 bonus for mostly good scores.

The breakdown on his June test was 30 composite (94% ranking), 30 math, (95% ranking) 32 (96% R) science, 31 Stem (96% R), 25 English (79% R) and 33 Reading (96% R). Pretty good test other than poor score in grammar. Right now my plan is to have him tutored in English and retake the test in the fall. His English score on the June test was a 31, but on the two other tests he scored a 25 & 26. Other than English, the rest of his scores were significantly improved in June.

I assume, but don't know, that if he takes the test in September and does better in English that is to his advantage. (Am a little worried that he may be taking the test too many times). He has worked very hard, and he is motivated to continue to do so. Also, I wonder whether he has to reveal all of his test scores to colleges to which he applies.

Additionally, any other tips would be appreciated. His real interests are film and business, so his high stem scores don't figure much in his long term plans. Decent chance he will take a gap year next year.

Super score your ACT and go with Miami. Have him attend any possible summer program, request a tour with an honors advisor or an advisor in his major. Show your interest - you don’t have to be pushy or convincing just reach out. Start with the recruiter for your area.

My oldest starts in August at Miami - state school with small school attention to detail.

 

[dailybuck777]

Miami of Ohio is a great school academically, know for it’s preprofessional and business programs. It would no doubt be a great school to attend. With a composite score of 30 and >4 point gpa, I’m pretty sure that almost all if not all the full tuition is covered at the rest of the state universities in Ohio via scholarship (at least it was recently). That did not exist when I was in college and would be a great asset of which to take advantage.

Miami superscores the ACT (takes the best scores from all of the elements), so my son has a 32 ACT for Miami's purposes. This qualifies him for $5,000 to $12,000 per year. If he gets one point higher on the ACT, he will be eligible for a full scholarship. Obviously, we will be working on that.

Thanks very much for the reference to most Ohio schools offering scholarships in my son's range. I knew Miami did but not the rest. Also, have done a little work for one professor in the business school, so I have a little in there. You motivated me to check out the scholarships. Bowling Green gives $6,500 to $8,000 per year and Toledo gives $6,000 per year for my son's academic scores. (I also have contacts at both places)

Thanks again. You helped a lot.

 

[dailybuck777]

Show your interest - you don’t have to be pushy or convincing just reach out. Start with the recruiter for your area.

As I mentioned upthread I know a professor at Miami. Your suggestions are very good. If my son can raise his ACT by one point, he would be eligible for a full ride. I will get my son looking at the various schools.

 

[dailybuck777]

Generally, there isn't much you can do about the English scores in a short period of time unless it is something very specific. However, math and science can be improved very quickly. Either way, I'd recommend that you sign him up for the Kaplan in-person class. My experience is that you will see a significant improvement.

Although my son's grades have always been good, he was a gamer and computer-type kid until recently. For the last 6 months or so, he has been devouring business and self-help books. (Tomorrow he is picking up Dale Carnegie -- how to win friends and influence people) The extra-reading has improved his speed, and his latest reading ACT score was 33 -- much improved. If I can get him a good tutor, I think he can improve his English scores. Unfortunately, part of the reason for his low scores is that he has had an undemanding teacher for the last 2 years. (Said he learned much more in college prep class than in high school class.) His science and math scores were very good. He will be working on them starting about a month before the test, but although he is good at science and math, he really isn't interested in those types of careers.

He has written and produced about 4 short films (one of which won a 2d place award in a competition that included college students) and he has a serious interest in this. So, he is probably the unusual student who can improve his grammar scores. (I have to get him a very good tutor) He is motivated to learn the English.

Also, did you have him sign-up for Micro Scholarships? https://www.raise.me/#
I suspect he'd get a bunch of money from many schools with his numbers.

What a great idea. Will definitely look into this.

 

[ouirpsu]

Your son got $100,000 in benefits as a Presidential scholar--congratulations. My son is currently one step below and would get $76,000 in benefits. Both great deals for the students. Thanks for your input.
Yep, but he's only a sophomore. So he hasn't saved me the big bucks quite yet.


My former boss graduated from OSU's law school. His son was wait-listed at OSU's law school and ended up going to Alabama law school after having gotten his undergraduate degree from OSU. A mighty big pull of different loyalties.

 

[BarkleyPSU1]

I got a 36 on the ACT I took in April.. one thing that helped was using free Khan Academy practice questions. They are designed for the SAT but the questions and concepts (especially for English) are quite similar