Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Do I request extra time from College Board (SAT)?

My DS15 took a "Practice PSAT" last Saturday morning. This was his first time taking any of this suite of tests. Turns out it really was a "Sample new format SAT". Even though it was supposed to be a PSAT they had them to the sample essay. (He kind of blew that off and And it turns out they didn't grade it..) The number of problems/time are not the same of the PSAT/SAT.

He came home from the test Saturday and said that the test was FUN and the questions not at all hard. But that he came nowhere close to finishing it. Since it was an unofficial sample test he didn't guess, he just left blank the problems he didn't get to. (It's the new test and there is not guessing penalty.) It was also clear from what he said that he over analyzed some of the math problems. It's clear TIME is going to be the biggest issue for his doing well on this type of test. When we got his results last night. Ironically he did better on the reading & writing section even though he is more of a math/science student. He LOVES the "writing" section and not only finished that but almost got a perfect score. (Despite his essay writing challenges.) He only skimmed and guess at the last reading passage, and didn't even finish 1/4 of the Calculator Math section. Time was really more of an issue than the questions being difficult. Of the problems he did in the math calculator section he only got two wrong.

Testing this summer showed DS is a gifted with low-average processing speed and working memory. We talked about requesting extra time with College Board when setting up his 504 and deferred the issue. We didn't write in accommodations for extra time on tests because testing in the past hasn't been a problem. He does have extra time of essays on his 504.

DS's private psychologist suggests I request extra time of the SAT's for him. She said that all the prep in the world isn't going to speed up his slower processing speed. The college board web site implies that it's difficult to get extra time from them if he hasn't already been using this accommodation. I am going to try since we should be able to get extra time at least for the essay writing portion of the SAT. I need to get started on this because the plan is for him to take the SAT Subject Math II test in June.

But I admit I feel a bit guilty about doing this. It feels like cheating? Isn't time what makes these test more difficult? Have anyone gotten extra time out of College Board. What accommodations need to be writing into his 504 for them to consider it? How much time is he likely to be able to make up with just prep?

I know what I have to do to request this, I contact the school psychologist. We will also do still some test prep. And my son thinking having a watch will help him pace himself better. Any other suggestions?

I think it's worth a try even if they say no. Anything that can help the student's score more accurately reflect ability is a good thing.

I'm irked by what I've read, that the new SAT will involve lengthy reading even in the math section and that speed will be more important than it has been in the past, similar to the ACT. I have never understood the rationale for the test being so tightly-timed.

Yes the math section does involve lengthy reading. Lots of very wordy word problems. Many that you can really skip most of the words.

P.S. My son took this test 'cold'. He spend about 30 minutes looking over the various sample questions the night before and that was it.

You did not shop around for a private psychologist who said your son needed an accommodation. Going through established procedures to request extra time is not something to feel guilty about.

Agreed-- and yeah, the timing thing, well... I have mixed feelings about that. The reality is that the timed component does reflect something about college aptitude, but in the upper percentiles, it is probably irrelevant anyway other than to note that such students won't have a lot of difficulty keeping up with the pace.

You'll need to provide evidence to CB that your child has been USING the accommodation in regular coursework.

If he hasn't, truthfully-- your odds probably are not that good that he'll be granted extra time, particularly since the accommodation is relatively new.

What I'd also do, in other words, it 'train' for the SAT the way that my DD had to. Her issue is that her hands aren't all that stable, so extended writing is a KILLER for her performance.

The SAT, the essay was first-- and she scored at the 95th percentile there. With the ACT, it was last, and her essay scored more like 85th percentile, which is way, way below reality. It was fatigue, pure and simple. But there was no real way to argue that she should have extra time as an accommodation since she had never had it written into any of her 504 documentation and it wasn't related to the disability that was well-documented with the school.

So we didn't bother.

Now, that has continued to be a thing in college, by the way-- so it's not that I'm saying that you shouldn't try.

Just that you may need to be prepared to figure out how to leverage a maximum score without it.

Thank Howler. Yes I do plan to have him do prep, even if we do/don't get accommodation. The question is what type of prep to do? I'm starting to look into programs. I am leaning towards a putting him in one of the popular 6-8 week group courses in August/September. We both agree that trying to prep at home on his own is a recipe for him NOT doing it. He needs that push that only being a class can give but I don't think he needs specialized help just lots of practice.

One thing that makes me a bit guilty about this is that I SHOULD have requested extra time on the ACT for my DD. It probably would have improved her score and she did have extra time on test on her IEP for years. But since she wasn't looking at school where top scores would really matter.

P.S. That bit about the essay being BEFORE the rest of the test is a problem. That will be DS's most challenging part. And having it first will be an issue for his anxiety. I wonder if this is something they might change for the "new SAT". Or if they give him extra time of the essay writing that would administered later. Something I should check.

You do now that the essay is going to be optional in the new SAT?
Or your prospective colleges all require the essay part?
If they do, what about ACT?
As for the extra time, it's incredibly hard to get, my friend did not succeed despite her child having extra time during all school tests. You should definitely try anyway, but don't worry if you fail - nobody cares about this essay part anyway, a lot of colleges consider SAT results on the 1600 scale, not 2400.

The ACT essay is last because it is optional, and kids who do not need the essay can leave. In the SAT it was not optional before, but in the new format it is going to be optional, so there is no way it will be first (my guess). May be your DS should wait and take the new SAT?

We had DD prep using DIY methods, knowing what I know about the psychology of high-stakes testing and anxiety-vs-performance neuroscience, and knowing her peculiar quirks very well.

I bought two different practice test booklets-- one with 6 or 7 practice tests in, and another with I think 4 of them.

Then, I had DD take a run at the whole shebang-- timed, exam-like conditions, started at 8 on a Saturday morning, and we saw what patterns existed, if any.

Her math sections were slow, and she wasn't very accurate. That is, she didn't finish with any extra time, and made a lot of careless errors.

So then I had her read the test prep tips in the book I had (think it was a Barron's book), and she ignored those sections where her performance was already 98th percentile or higher, since "tips" were likely to mess with her Zen in those areas. We only wanted to tweak what WASN'T workable. Not what WAS.

This was the point at which we opted to not have her take a prep class-- because those are one-size-fits-most, by and large, and that was not what DD needed.

So she tried a couple of tweaks each time she did a practice test-- and saw what worked and what didn't, and made adjustments accordingly.

It was a relatively time-intensive thing, but not especially high-stress, even so. Maybe 16 hours total investment-- she didn't do "full" practices most weekends-- only the math sections or the essay, where we knew that she needed to optimize her approach.

I'd have him try a practice test under completely timed, test-like conditions, and see how much he really NEEDS to invest in getting things perfected. It might be that at that point, you both decide that his performance is likely to be "good enough" and leave well enough alone aside from running through another test a couple of weeks out, just to keep the pacing he needs fresh in his mind.

Doing test-like conditions and evaluating how they go is also a way to add time-and-a-half and see if it makes a BIG difference in his scoring. It might not-- and if it doesn't, then it won't be worth the trouble and headaches of getting the accommodation if it isn't something that will bump his scores.

Oh-- and in evaluating how much you want him to have the extra time?

Be sure to use a timer and MANDATE the clock running out on each section-- because that is how it will work in the real exam setting. It adds A LOT of time to the overall testing day.