Homeschool World Forum

Morgan · User Joined: 07 Aug 2007 Posts: 102 Location: U.S.

Just a quick question here: What grade level is ideal for beginning college prep, such as studying for the "big tests"? I'm interested in everyone's opinion, both students' and parents'. Thanks in advance!
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Theodore · Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 8:20 pm Post subject:

A few days of test prep is enough if you already know the material. The SAT will have up through Algebra II as well as some geometry, plus writing mechanics, reading comprehension, etc., plus a short essay section. It's fairly easy to tell if you know the math already, but essay writing is more subjective and requires months or years of writing practice to truly ace. It's not something you can catch up at the last second.

Basically, math should be easy, writing mechanics shouldn't require too much practice either (assuming you read and write a fair amount), but the more essay writing practice, the better. It's never too early to start. For subject tests (SAT2, CLEP, AP), the material will all be high school-level, and you'll want to start studying 3-4 months before the test. That's roughly the length of a college course, and should give you sufficient time to learn everything well and not so much time that you start forgetting things.
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StellarStory · User Joined: 15 Apr 2007 Posts: 472

My daughter took the ACT this year. She got a prep book that came with registering. That's all she used. She did well taking in the tenth grade but this year she wants to take it again. She wants to take a prep course with someone and she will be taking Pre Cal which will help her score some.

The reason I had her take it in tenth grade was so she could dual enroll in college this year if she did well enough and wanted too. Also I thought it would be good practice.

She did well enough but as it turns out the courses she wanted to take are not courses allowed in dual enrollment.

*shrugs*

StellarStory · User Joined: 15 Apr 2007 Posts: 472

She found the wording of the questions to be very bizarre and she is a good standardized test taker with any other sort of test.

The math was mostly charts and word questions but she thought a lot of it was Trig or Pre Cal.

Theodore · Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 1:07 pm Post subject:

Pre-Calc is basically all Trig, isn't it? I went straight from Algebra II to Calculus myself, the first chapter covered all the trig identities I needed to know.
_________________
The Farming Game - Software Edition for PC, Mac, Linux
The board game has sold over 350,000 copies worldwide, garnered many awards, is used by over 2,000 schools, and is used extensively by homeschoolers.

StellarStory · User Joined: 15 Apr 2007 Posts: 472

Morgan · User Joined: 07 Aug 2007 Posts: 102 Location: U.S.

Thanks for the information!
_________________
"What we want to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge, not knowledge in pursuit of the child."
- George Bernard Shaw