My daughter is currently in 9th grade If she takes the SAT or ACT in June this currently school year, will SAT and ACT keep her score for college admission purpose or will they be dropped by the time she applies to college. I just want her to try out the tests in person. Thanks
Yes.
If she’s just doing it for giggles, then she should not do it. While all colleges will look an an applicant’s best score, I am not a proponent of taking the test(s) just for practice. You can give her a timed practice test at home for that purpose.
Thanks!
At most high schools, they offer their sophomores or juniors the chance to take the PSAT, which will allow her to take a test with similar formatting as the SAT. You can also find practice SATs and ACTs online, and mimic the testing environment. I don’t recommend her taking the SAT or ACT without preparation, considering that some colleges consider all SAT/ACT scores.
I am a big proponent of taking the ACT at least once during 8th, 9th, 10th grade if you can. I don’t send any test scores on until later. I just don’t see a lot of downside to doing so. My son took it once in 8th grade and got a 26. Took it again this month and got a 31 as a 9th grader. His English score hurt him as he got 32, 33 and 34s on the other sections. So I don’t think that would hurt any application he does as it improved and is doing ok for a freshman. If you struggle with tests, the familiarity and pressure of an actual test center is a good idea IMHO.
@Navy09mom Not sure if you have gone through the college process before, but I whole heartedly disagree with what you are doing. First, you may not have the choice to send test scores once your child applies to colleges. Some colleges require all testing history. They don’t care when it was. Taking the actual test is not advised until one has prepared for it. Next, as can be seen from a post on a few down from this one - any big increase in score will alert the ACT and it can become a mess as they accuse one of cheating. It is some statiscal method of a jump of more than a certain amount of points. See thread started by @ktrrights I highly advise you to read that post with that happening to many. It is a no-win situation. Yes, most high schools do offer the PSAT to sophmores and then juniors (for purposes of the NM), and some schools offer the pre-ACT or a testing company comes in and administers a real ACT - but it is only graded by the local testing company (they come in, test kids and then push their program to help with score increases). Also, having your child sit with a real practice ACT can help too. Please @minivan09ia do not have your child take the real test until they have prepared properly.
I agree with @skieurope . I never suggest my students take the test as a trial run. If your kid does poorly and decides to apply to a college that wants all scores, you might doom her chances. She should practice using real SAT tests, at home or in a library or similar, before she takes the real thing. Often, local libraries or schools will offer mock tests in a test-like setting. That can be a good way to practice.
ETA: ACT is also known for accusing students of cheating if they score substantially higher on a retake, and it can, and does, lead to terrible problems. Don’t take the test, basically, unless you are prepared.
Well, that’s a bit alarmist; I would not go that far 
As I said, colleges will generally consider the highest scores, and in general, later scores are higher (as one would expect) than earlier scores. But some come colleges do require all scores, so it makes no sense, IMO, to waste time and money using this simply as practice.
Actually, yes. I have been through the college process multiple times with my older 3 and respectfully disagree with you. Each child is different of course, but if you have a competitive child, it can be beneficial in many ways. You can even reverse your philosophy to take the SAT earlier in order to prepare for the PSAT which if you score high, is real money. My son recently took the ACT as a freshman and did quite well. He had no stress whatsoever and I think that also is a huge benefit. Many selective summer programs also ask for ACT/SAT scores. The familiarity you gain from repeat testing can really raise your scores especially if you DON’T score very high typically. While some colleges require all scores, many are moving towards super scoring and even for the colleges requiring all scores, seeing scores consistently improving as they go through high school is certainly not going to hurt anyone.
Having had four children go through the process of testing/applying etc., I can not agree more that it is a huge benefit to take the ACT/SAT tests early. If your child isn’t prone to test anxiety and can take them without stress, it only helps familiarize the student with the process. All of my children who tested early had scores increase greatly, and were ultimately very successful in their college searches.
@Navy09mom i have 2 competitive children. studied for the act before junior year (after finished with Algebra 2) and took it and both scored perfect scores. I would NEVER and most college counselors would NEVER recommend taking tests earlier in high school, esp. freshman year. And, even though my kids got perfect sccores on ACT, both did not get NM off the junior year PSAT. And I would not classify the NMF as real money, unless one goes to a school that offers money for that - which besides USC and a few other schools are usually state flagship schools. Most schools do NOT superscore the ACT.
My D and her top classmates all took the SAT in 8th grade for the practice. They studied for the exam with their math and english teachers and IMO helped them understand how to study for and take a long, timed test. The only real downside is that some of the math problems had not been covered in their 8th grade honors math classes yet. As a junior in the fall she will take the PSAT and ACT and we will see which test she does better in, most likely will take the actual SAT in spring?
Oh boy, now I’m in a panic!
My son took the ACT in 8th and 9th grade as part of Northwestern’s talent development program as their recommended means of determining math placement. He took it again as a junior in high school in December after preparing for it and got a significantly better score by 9 points. We are going through this process for the first time, and it sounds like we’ve already made a huge mistake! He could be penalized by the ACT and potential colleges for academic growth?!? I can’t even…
He won’t be.
There are reasons to take these exams early, like Duke TIP or JHU CTY and similar. That’s perfectly fine. The part to which I objected was the student simply taking it for test-taking experience. But, to be clear, even though I think that taking an exam for giggles as a freshman is a waste, colleges will not reject any applicant on that basis.
Thanks, @skieurope! That’s reassuring. He worked hard so that he could take it once in high school and move on. Boy, CC is a real eye-opener.
Colleges won’t see the one taken in 8th grade.
@socaldad2002, I would consider having your D study for the PSAT/SAT and take both in the fall, and then ACT early spring if needed. The prep for the PSAT and SAT will be the same.
My daughter’s school did practice tests in class and then she took the Explore test sophomore year (I believe that was what it was called). The kids used them as guide to see the areas they could improve. ACT prep was part of the required summer work for 11th grade, and my daughter took a ton of practice tests (at home) ahead of sitting for her first actual test. I don’t think she would have been any better prepared by taking and retaking the official tests.
@suzy100 and @socaldad2002 I actually think that studying for the PSAT (which is given in the fall of 11th as you know) can be accomplished by studying for the ACT - taking practice sections too. It all helps in timing and learning tricks/testing strategies, weaknesses and strengths. I would have your child study (with a tutor) and see which test she feels better with. If it is the SAT, then yes, have her take it after she takes the PSAT in the Fall (October I think). If she likes the ACT better, then have her prepare more for that type of test and timing. Have her take the PSAT (just in case she qualifies for NMerit) and then maybe in October or December take the ACT. Both my kids studied starting in the summer before 11th grade studying for the ACT - they are more of that kind of test taker. They studied and then right before the PSAT switched to take a few practice PSAT. They both took the ACT in the fall around same time as PSAT. I would not wait until early spring to take the ACT if needed (not sure what @suzy100 means by this). You can determine which test your kid likes better by having them take a practice of each at home and self grading (or having a tutor do that). The ACT is more straight forward and tests what you know. It is more of a time crunch though - some say. The SAT gives more time, but many say it is tricky.
@skieurope , are you aware of this thread? http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/1987200-act-testing-wrongly-accusing-cheating-2017-p1.html
It is impossible to win an appeal, and it seems no one has been successful.
I personally know a woman whose son’s freshman year in college turned into a nightmare when ACT accused him of cheating, while he was already at college, after getting a substantial score increase on his ACT. It would appear, that for whatever reason, ACT is flagging some students who have substantial jumps in scores. I don’t know enough about each individual situation detailed in that thread, but it is clear that this is not an isolated case. I advise students not to take the ACT until they are thoroughly prepared to take the test.
Yes. @Lindagaf