Your Junior likely took the PSAT in October. Scores are usually back in the middle of December and you might wonder what they mean. In a nutshell:
The PSAT is an easier and shorter version of the SAT. A perfect score on the PSAT is a 1520, whereas the perfect score on the SAT is a 1600. This means that the College Board is leaving off the 80 most difficult points (40 from EBRW and 40 from Math) and saving those 80 points for the SAT. Therefore, if you are scoring around a 1520, it is possible that your SAT score could be considerably higher, as you may be able to easily answer those final 80 points. If your score is around or below a 1480, you can expect that these PSAT scores will align with your ability on the official SAT examination.
Our advice? Take a full-length practice ACT this November/December or early January and compare your PSAT score with your mock ACT score. The tests are slightly different and oftentimes students will perform better on one than the other, and all colleges accept either. Decide which test is best for you and prepare for that test. The first SAT of 2020 is March 14th, and the first ACT of 2020 is February 8th. We usually suggest 6-8 weeks of consistent prep prior to the test. If you’d like to learn more about how these tests differ or how, where and when to take a mock ACT, please contact either Andrea or me for advice.
Upcoming Workshops
It’s that time of year where many junior families realize it’s time to focus on college research and figure out how to tackle this process. Many of you have already attended our workshop, “De-Mystifying the College Application and Selection Process”. This is a 2-hour workshop for parents and students, or just parents, that breaks it all down for you, tackles some of the myths and realities you hear about, and gives you some peace of mind. We will be doing this workshop at the offices of Liddane Tutoring the second Thursday of January (1/9), February (2/13) and March (3/10) from 6:30-8:30. The cost is $100 per family (parents and students). If you know of anyone who might benefit from this, or haven’t come to our workshop yet yourself, please come or pass the word along. You can register by calling us at 206-949-1449 or emailing info@liddanetutoring.com.
What you may not know is that we also offer this workshop to community groups as a fundraiser. Do you have a favorite non-profit organization, is your student part of a sports team, choir or band looking to raise money? Are you involved in your High School PTSA or Booster club looking for easy fundraising ideas? We will host the workshop, either at our location or your location of choice, and donate the funds back to your organization. It’s a lot easier than selling raffle tickets and everyone walks away with useful information they can put into action immediately. If you would like to learn more about this opportunity, please reach out to Andrea at info@liddanetutoring.com or LB at lkussick@gmail.com.