Speaking of PSAT..Testing time?

[bisous]

Our school had the PSAT at noon this past week. Does that strike anyone as weird? I always thought that testing is best first thing in the morning. Is that no longer the prevailing wisdom? Or is this simply a case of scheduling convenience?

FWIW, I'm SO out of it on testing right now. DS1 missed his ACT test because I forgot to upload his photo and he was dropped. DS2 (9th grade) wasn't signed up for the PSAT because I somehow completely spaced it and never saw an email until I got a text from DS1 this past week to pick him up early. I'm moving forward and trying to be kind to myself...

Anyway, curious about your thoughts on test TIMING. On my mind is ADHD meds wearing off/morning people/teen circadian rhythms? I just hadn't seen testing at that time before!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Noon is so much better for most all teens! They are naturally inclined to stay up late and sleep in. Dh, ds1, and I would have done so much better if we didn’t have to wake up early! Noon is great!


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[bisous]

Noon is so much better for most all teens! They are naturally inclined to stay up late and sleep in. Dh, ds1, and I would have done so much better if we didn’t have to wake up early! Noon is great!


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Interesting! My kids are up at 5am for high school (they don't love it but it is our reality!) I fell asleep in every single class I had in college that was held after lunch. My 3pm classes were usually ok but my "danger zone" was like 12:30 to 2:00!

[SnuggleBuggles]

There's been a national push (with some success) to move high school start times back because it fits so much better with how teen brains are wired for sleep. https://www.ted.com/talks/wendy_trox...ater_for_teens
https://www.npr.org/transcripts/564608245

"“Teens experience a natural shift in circadian rhythm,” says Johns Hopkins sleep expert Laura Sterni, M.D. This makes it more difficult for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m. "

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/heal...leep-is-enough

Add to that a busy teen that has extracurriculars til 10pm some nights and you have a lot of really tired kids that can't go to sleep early even if that was how they were wired.

[bisous]

It is hard too because DS1 takes ADHD meds at 5am. He's usually on the wane by the time he gets home around 3:00 or so.

[SnuggleBuggles]

It is hard too because DS1 takes ADHD meds at 5am. He's usually on the wane by the time he gets home around 3:00 or so.

Does he need to take it that early? Like does it take hours to take effect?
What time do they really need to be up to get to school on time? I know you (at one point) were wanting them to be up early for family time. Is that still happening?
Voluntarily waking up at 5am just isn’t something any of the high schoolers I know do. It just isn’t a biological fit for the average teen brain.


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[bisous]

Does he need to take it that early? Like does it take hours to take effect?
What time do they really need to be up to get to school on time? I know you (at one point) were wanting them to be up early for family time. Is that still happening?
Voluntarily waking up at 5am just isn’t something any of the high schoolers I know do. It just isn’t a biological fit for the average teen brain.


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I don't think we were ever waking up the teens for family time. They have to be in another city at 6am each morning for religious education. We've tried getting up (slightly) later than 5 and they just can't get it together! DS2 is actually struggling a lot more than DS1 used to with the early wake up time. I think he's still in that very active growing phase. He went to bed at 9pm last night and said he felt better. DS1 does need to take his meds, probably by 6 at least but usually does it as he first wakes up. He REALLy needs that ADHD meds. We've talked about extending it with an additional dose in the afternoon but haven't had to so far. Classes are usually done by 2 so he's ok and then he has a more low key afternoon. Thankfully he's in 12th and not taking the PSAT but I have another one in the wings on ADHD meds so this is on my mind!

I'm pretty sure the actual tests (SAT and ACT) are held pretty early in the morning, no?

[KpbS]

Yes, the ACT has a start time of 8 am.

I agree with you that noon would be a bad time for mine to test. Hungry, tired from the morning studies, etc.

Have you contacted ACT to reschedule DS1’s test? I saw the test date registration advertised the other day.

[AnnieW625]

My adhd Dd2 takes her meds at 7:20 right before she leaves the house and school starts at 8. We give it to her at the last possible minute before we leave the house. She is on vyvanse and it starts wearing off by 3:30 she says. She eats before she takes her medication.

Can your DS’ take their meds after their religious education is done?

In general I am not sure what would work for my kids test wise. Dd1 just tools her psat yesterday and it was from 8:00 to 12:00. She didn’t have the option to take it at any other time but I think she would’ve been okay taking it in the afternoon. I know she talked about making sure to eat a full breakfast but she doesn’t like eating at 7 am and prefers to eat by 9 am to 10 am so she just took a protein bar with her and ate during the break.


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[hbridge]

Doesn't the College Board web site state something like you have to be there by 7:20, unless otherwise specified? I have never heard of an SAT starting at noon...

Just read that it was the PSAT's, those are more flexible. Some schools give them during the school day... Not all of them are on Saturdays