Category: Testing

Digital PSAT 8/9 and PSAT NMSQT

Homeschooled & Away Students Taking the PSAT/NMSQT – SAT Suite (collegeboard.org)

You can search for different schools to register or choose from a variety of private schools. Also, pay attention to the September 5th deadline for some schools and their specific requirements.

Student Guides: PSAT NMSQT and PSAT 8/9

Preparing for the PSAT NMSQT and PSAT 8/9

CollegeBoard PSAT 8/9 and PSAT NMSQT will be administered digitally from now on. The testing window is October 1-31. The date available for your 8th grade student, freshman, sophomore and/or junior student will depend on the testing center you choose.

As a homeschool student, you can sign up with any local high school or private school to take the PSAT depending on availability. Check with their administrative or counseling office to reserve a spot for your student by September 1st. Most likely, schools will require you to bring your own laptop. There will be a small fee for the cost of the test payable to the school.

One tip for preparing includes testing your device for compatibility to the new testing platform. You can do that at this link: https://bluebook.collegeboard.org/students

Also, another tip is for your student to become familiar with the testing platform through practice. Your student can do that at this link: https://bluebook.collegeboard.org/students/practice

For more information about standardized testing for 2-year, technical, and 4-year colleges and universities, see my previous blog on: College-Readiness-Tests-and-Test-Prep

Interested in knowing more about home educating a high school student, check out the Workshops, Classes and Seminars for upcoming events.

Aptitudes, Interests, Skills and Giftings: How are you wired?

Before beginning the process of searching for colleges or skill training in a technical field, it is helpful and informative for your student to spend some time in self-reflection and possibly complete a few different aptitude, interests and gifting tests.

Aptitudes: capability; ability; innate or acquired capacity for something; “natural ability to learn or perform in given areas” regardless of exposure or environment

I use YouScience.com to help students learn more about how they are innately wired, how their interests guide their calling, and how this combined knowledge can inform their career and major research.

YouScience’s Aptitude and Career Discovery application “uses a series of 11 engaging exercises or ‘brain games’ to measure 9 aptitudes that are key to career performance: idea generation, numerical reasoning, spatial visualization, sequential reasoning, inductive reasoning, visual comparison speed, timeframe orientation, vocabulary, and work approach. The results include a review of your strengths, suggested careers that best fit your aptitudes and interests, and detailed information on over 500 careers including a personal fit analysis, job responsibilities, salaries, job forecasts, and educational pathways.”

“What’s YouScience? | Discover careers perfect for you” from YouScience on Vimeo:  https://vimeo.com/647002647

I also use a the free SHAPE Test to help students understand how their spiritual gifts, heart (passions), abilities (skills), personality and experiences do shape their purpose and calling in life as well.

The YouScience and SHAPE Test are best for students 14 years and older. To begin the conversation, though, with middle school students, I use a free Career Interest Survey. This allows the student to begin to see how they are uniquely wired with strengths and interests that eventually may lead to a career path and purpose for their lives.

For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise You because I have been fearfully and wonderfully made. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.    PSALM 139:13, 14a, 16

Every person has a unique purpose and calling on their lives that are God-given. Our family, our experiences in life (both good and bad), our strengths and weaknesses, our innate abilities and aptitudes that have been wired into us before our birth, have purpose and intention. Finding that purpose and to see our calling applied is a gift and a worthwhile pursuit.

I can help advise students on their academic plans for both high school and post-high school, whether military, career, tech school, 2-yr college, or 4-yr university. This includes career and major research, as well as, college research that best aligns with their unique wiring.

YouScience program and one hour Consultation

To utilize my services in this process, you can purchase (at a discounted rate) the YouScience and Consultation meeting, or it can be completed as part of the College and Career Prep Course for your juniors and seniors.

If you are looking for more in-depth assistance, feel free to contact me: sharianne@ccctoolbox.com to discuss my one-on-one academic advising options that might be the best fit for your family.

College Readiness Tests and Test Prep

In gearing up for college applications, students need to begin preparing for college readiness tests no later than their freshman year.

In middle school, you can assist your students by teaching study skills and test taking skills. Taking timed tests, working with and without a calculator, completing bubble sheets and personal information on the test key, eliminating wrong answers, drawing illustrations for word problems, being familiar with common root words and grammar rules, and discerning main ideas from large reading passages are a few of the skills your student will need to experience prior to high school.

Several publishers offer standardized testing for homeschoolers:

hewittlearning.org

www.setontesting.com

www.depts.ttu.edu/k12

www.bjupresshomeschool.com/content/testing-support

Each test option offers different support and scope of testing depending on age and need. The practice in middle school is worth the money and test experience, as well as, the knowledge of possible gaps that you can add to the following year’s plan.

In high school, it is important to begin preparing your student for the SAT, ACT, CLT, and/or TSIA2 (accuplacer). All four tests are to determine college readiness for your student. One or more of these tests are required for college admission, core scheduling, and/or dual credit for 2yr and 4yr schools.

For Test Prep, I can recommend the following free opportunities for each:

Official SAT Prep: www.khanacademy.org/DigitalSAT

Bluebook Digital SAT Format: Bluebook Download and Practice

ACT Prep: www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/test-preparation/free-act-test-prep.html

CLT Prep: www.cltexam.com/tests/test-prep/

TSIA2 Prep (specifically for dual credit and 2yr colleges):

www.tsipracticetest.com/

practice.accuplacer.org/login

(create account separate from your collegeboard account

For paid course and classes, I can recommend the following:

www.collegeprepgenius.com

www.kaptest.com/

www.princetonreview.com/

To create a baseline and to minimize anxiety, you can begin to sign up by taking any of the tests at the following sites. Your high school student needs create their OWN account at their OWN email. You can set up a dedicated email address for all things college and share that information in order to assist your student. Most of the sites listed allow you to create a parent account to mirror your students’ account. Also, encourage your student to share the login info with you so you may help them in times of deadlines, etc.

SAT: www.collegeboard.org/

ACT: www.act.org/content/act/en.html

CLT: www.cltexam.com/

TSIA2: sign up with your local community college’s testing department

UPDATE: Does your student need accommodations? You can request those by completing the forms and providing documentation at the links below:

SAT: https://accommodations.collegeboard.org/request-accommodations/request/forms 

ACT: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act/registration/accommodations/homeschooled-or-non-enrolled.html

Have questions about test-optional and setting up a high school plan for test prep? Reach out to me by email: sharianne@ccctoolbox.com or schedule one-one-one advising for all your high school and college prep needs.