After receiving scores, should I concentrate on the new or old SAT?

Test Preparation
1

Hey guys! I’m an upcoming junior, and like all people in my class, I’m facing this huge dilemma.

Because I did decently on the PSAT last October (181), I was invited to this free one month prep course for the new SAT this summer by my school district. All the materials we used were provided by Princeton Review. We took a diagnostic test before the prep course, in which I got a 1220/1600 on, and a diagnostic test after, in which I got a 1230/1600 - not much improvement.

I haven’t had much experience with the old SAT (except for 7th grade, which was a crapshoot), but yesterday I decided to go ahead and take a practice test, and I got a 2020. It’s not bad, and I feel like I should work my ass off in the blue book and take the old SAT since there still are 4 more test dates. Also, I’ve been practicing for the new SAT on both Khan Academy and the Princeton books we were sent, and the content from these two study guides is worryingly different. As reputable as these education sources can be, this is still a new test that’s never been administered, so it just seems so speculative.

Is your advice for me to go with the flow and take the new test with the rest of my class (in which I’ll have more study time), or work my ass off to knock down this old test? And will colleges accept the old test when I apply for them in fall of 2016?

2

If you are taking the PSAT and interested in making NMF, go with the new. If not, go with the old.

3

The PSAT is being redesigned in October. Also, PSAT scores are total bs. I scored a 199 and a 200 on my PSATs, but I got 2140 and 2210 on my real SATs.

4

@michelle426 So do you suggest I study for this old SAT?

5

@neoking The class of 2017 has three testing options when they apply for college: old SAT, new SAT, or the ACT. You have four more shots to try the old SAT. The new SAT is downright terrible. I would recommend studying for the old one.

6

I would start out working hard and studying for the old SAT, and make sure the last old SAT you take is in December so that if the score doesn’t come out the way you want it, you have a few months to learn what you need for the new test. As for content, studying for the old SAT is pretty good practice for the new one, because even though some of the test sections are different, the “skills” are similar.