My son is in the top 5% of his class, GPA over a 4.0, takes AP classes, has taken one AP test and received a 4. Now he has taken the ACT and the SAT. Except for the math on the SAT his scores are terrible. Since he did well in the math, I don't think it is test anxiety. I have talked to several people at his school but outside of doing the daily SAT question on line no one has any ideas. So moms, have any of you used any products or techniques that have helped your son or daughter improve their scores. He is a junior so we still have time but he is looking at some very strong academic schools and these scores will not make it! Thanks

At our school, we have an ACT prep class, it helped my son go from a 20 to a 26 in about 3 months. The teacher teaches the students how to take a test. Rule out the ones you know are wrong and then look at what is left. She also discusses food you should eat the day before and snacks the day of the test. She taught my son on the English part, never choose the semi-colon choice
She then taught him why you would use a semi-colon-his senior year and he did not have a clue what a semi-colon meant. Oh, well; do you ever see anyone who uses one correctly.

I would highly recommend taking advantage of the daily SAT questions, as well as any SAT or ACT prep class available in your area. My daughter had a similar school record: all the AP classes she could take, 4.4 gpa, but still felt the SAT class she took helped her come test time. Her SAT's were high, (can't remember scores) and ACT was 31. Still didn't get into Stanford. There are a lot of very accomplished kids out there darnnit! Your son still has plenty of time to be better prepared for another test, and the experience of taking it before will only help.
Best of luck!

Isn't there also some way to access what he did wrong on his test and figure out why? That will help him narrow down what he needs to work on. Do you have one of those practice books? I know they have the answer section set up like that. The explanations they give actually help you think through the process from the question perspective. And I've noticed on a lot of these standardized tests that that they use similar types of questions. If you understand what they are looking for, then you can recognize that type of question and the answer required on the test. I know its kind of tedious reading through those answer sections, but it really is worthwhile. Good luck!

I would echo those who suggested an ACT prep class. If your school doesn't offer one, check into Huntington or one of the other outside tutor-for-hire places - they all do test prep classes as well. ACT also offers online test prep - practicing taking the test is the best way to improve scores.

ACT also offers an option to get your actual test back, I think, so you can see what you did wrong. Extra cost, but it may be worth it in your son's case.

Have you talked to your son's school counselor? I'd be very curious how my student could function at such a high level in school and yet do poorly on standardized tests... with all the NCLB stuff, they should be asking themselves the same question.

And I'll also second what emerald said... #2 son had a 33 on his ACTs, #2 in his class, 4.5 GPA, loads of AP classes with 4-5 scores and he was not accepted by a single Ivy - many other top academic schools wanted him, and he ended up at a good one, but the Ivies are about more than grades - he didn't have the "social consciousness" they were looking for... go figure! He spent his time doing homework and playing sports - they wanted kids who had helped the homeless and saved the whales.

Test prep courses can raise scores significantly. You need to know what to focus on and these courses can tease out the weak sections. Is it reading comprehension? Or is it vocabulary? I suspect that if he does well in maths, he may not be as strong in reading/comprehension...does he read alot recreationally? Good luck.