| Many colleges claim to be “test-optional” when courting applicants. However, does this apply to homeschoolers? Not necessarily. Most often, even test-optional colleges and universities will want to see some proof of test-taking ability from a college-bound homeschooled student. This should not come as a surprise, and frankly, it is not the only reason to ensure your homeschooled high schooler takes the test. • Make it a requirement. There is something to be said for the typical homeschooler’s ability to create a goal, make a plan, stick to the plan, study, and experience a test that their peers are also taking. When all the local high school kids are taking the PSAT, SAT, or ACT, register your homeschool student to take the same test with them, on the same day. Your student is a high school student, just like everyone else. They should be studying for the same test and taking it simultaneously. A great deal can be learned through this process, and your student will benefit from the challenge of it. • Scholarships. A high score on the ACT or SAT can result in thousands of dollars in financial aid. Some schools will base their aid package, or part of it, on merit scholarship dollars. If your student scores a high number on their chosen test, that effort can translate into real money towards their college tuition. The Pre-SAT (PSAT) is also a National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. A high score on this test earns a highly prestigious award. The PSAT/NMSQT is the only qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program, an academic competition for recognition and scholarships. Take this test for practice during your sophomore year, then take it for all the beans during your junior year. • Validation. We all know to be cautious about comparisons, and I stand by the principle of never comparing ourselves, our homeschool, or our children to the local public school up the road. However, from the student’s perspective, there is often a genuine desire to know where they fit within that group. During my daughter’s sophomore year in high school, I proctored a practice SAT test for her and eleven of her best friends. At the time, she had been homeschooling exclusively for six years and did not really know how she fared academically compared to her peers. She earned the second-highest score that day and never again wondered or questioned her intellect. Knowing she could achieve a high test score empowered her to apply to higher-level colleges when the time came, a year later. Yes, “comparison is the thief of joy” (Teddy Roosevelt); however, sometimes it’s helpful for our homeschooled students to know how they stack up. I think that’s human nature, and as long as it’s a curated glance and handled with grace, it’s just fine. |
| But which one>> SAT or ACT? Colleges accept either test, so choose the one that best suits your student. The only way to know which one is a better fit is to have your student take each of the tests at home and compare the outcomes. So, while both tests are grueling and time-consuming, one of them will likely feel easier to your student, and they are apt to score a higher percentage point there. So, focus your test-prep efforts on the test with the higher result, and don’t look back. Regardless, it is good to know that both the standardized college (admission) exams will “superscore” the tests taken, meaning they will combine the best individual section from each test, resulting in a higher overall score for your student. This also means that there is no downside to taking the test multiple times. AP Subject Tests. I do not recommend these tests unless your student has specifically taken an AP course preparing them for the specific test. While AP exams can earn your student early college credit, no college expects a student to take these tests if their high school does not offer the corresponding courses. Homeschool teachers are not typically qualified AP instructors, so the tests are not warranted. A homeschool student who does not have an AP on their transcript is not remotely disqualified. Schools will be looking for other qualities to discern college-readiness, and homeschoolers can provide this proof in spades. AP tests are undoubtedly necessary in public and private schools to differentiate between high-functioning students, providing some students with a boost on their transcripts. Homeschoolers are inherently high-functioning. We don’t need to take an AP test to prove ourselves. Early College Credits: I recommend taking high school classes in high school and not pushing college-level courses before their time. As long as they are active and curious high school students, it is not necessary for homeschoolers to have early college credits to be accepted into high-quality colleges. A rigorous and well-rounded transcript will suffice. Besides, why put our teens in a box, trying to impress a prospective school with college-level work? Our homeschools thrive, in part because we work outside of a rigid schedule. Mastery depends on passion, and teens need time to cultivate that part of themselves. |
What about SAT/ACT Prep? Yes. Absolutely do whatever SAT/ACT prep you can. I recommend test-prep courses, such as those offered by MrDMath and College Prep Science, as well as one-on-one test prep tutoring with boutique groups like RockStar Tutors in NY.
Ideally, a student should begin taking the ACT in the 9th or 10th grade and take it two to three times per school year through 11th grade or early 12th grade.
Professor Greg Landry, College Prep Science
What is the best way to prepare for the English sections? Read. See below…
Read books. If I haven’t said it enough, reading a variety of books is one of the most impressive lists that you will include on your transcript. Reading helps with vocabulary and general grammar, as well as developing empathy, maturity, and basic knowledge. If you are a high school student and have any desire at all to go to college, read a minimum of 10-15 books per school year, plus more in the summers. The more you read in high school, the more prepared you will be for the inevitable requirement of college reading. Only good can come to you if you develop a healthy reading habit.
Indeed, these upper high school years are an extremely stressful time for any college-bound homeschooler. You want to know you are doing everything right, and that is an enormous pressure and responsibility to put on even the most organized and accomplished homeschooling family.
Trust me when I say, keep being yourself. Students: follow your passions. Parents: continue to inspire curiosity in your homeschool days. Document EVERYTHING. Write it all down, as the best-kept homeschool records will translate into the most impressive homeschool transcripts.
Please reach out if I can assist you in putting it all together. A comprehensive college application packet is worth it when we see those acceptance letters come in, along with scholarship dollars, and the opportunity to have healthy, happy homeschooled teens on their way to the college of their choice.
“Only a few know, how much one must know to know how little one knows.”
– Werner Heisenberg
For more information on the PSAT/NMSQT, visit www.nationalmerit.org.
For more information on the SAT: https://www.collegeboard.org/
To learn more about the ACT: https://www.act.org/
MrdD math Test Prep courses: https://mrdmath.edu20.org/visitor_class_catalog/category/309120
ACT Bootcamp with College Prep Science: https://www.collegeprepscience.com/act-clep-prep-bootcamp
RockStar Tutors, Brooklyn, NY (owner, Andy Suzuki)
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T I M B A L E R O 
Excellent and kind advice
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