I’m currently having a dilemma as a junior. I recently took the SAT1 and got a 2300 (770M, 730 CR, 800 W). I want to retake since I’m not satisfied, but the December deadline already passed and I regret not signing up… oops. The thing is, by the end of junior year, I’ll also already have 7 APs. Should I self study another one to aim for the AP National Scholar award (8 APs with at least 4+ on each test?) I’m also taking AP Calculus AB this year, not BC. Should I study for the BC test (my calc teacher said not to because it’s a lot of work since I have a heavy courseload), or work on bringing up my GPA (it’s lower than a 3.5 right now ugh)? Or trash the SAT1 and take the ACT? I also want to take an SAT2 sometime in the winter before AP season hits. If it helps, I go to a competitive public high school on the West Coast.
Basically, to summarize: Take an SAT2 in December (late registration) and retake SAT1 January? Retake the SAT1 in December (late registration) and take an SAT2 in January? Take an SAT2 January and study for my classes to bring up my GPA, keeping my SAT1 score and not studying for another AP and taking the AP Calculus AB test? Take an SAT2 January and study for the AP Calculus BC test as someone taking Calc AB, keeping my SAT1 score and not studying for another AP? Take an SAT2 January and study for another AP to get the scholar award, keeping my SAT1 score and taking the AP Calculus AB test (not BC) in May? Take ACT sometime next year and apply the above conditions (but I’m worried about AP season giving me little time to study)?
Or does anyone have any other combination? Ideally, obviously, I would want to retake SAT1, take an SAT2, bring up my GPA, study another AP and study for the Calc BC test, but I’m pressed for time with the SAT changing in March and AP season. Also, I’m worried about my GPA as I’m taking 5 weighted classes and already struggling. Should I study for the ACT?
Any improvement on the SAT or ACT would really make no difference for your college chances. Also, I’m not really sure the AP scholar award is anything other than a pat on the back. I’d focus on bringing your GPA up and SAT 2 tests.
@drakonus If you plan on taking BC senior year I would say no. A lot of the content in BC and AB are the same so it wouldn’t be all that hard to study for the test but it seems pointless.
As @LordBendtner stated, try improving your gpa and an improvement to your sat score won’t make a difference. If you actually have time, I would suggest you take the Sat 2 or self study BC
@LordBendtner@lolkar I’m planning on taking AP Computer Science and maybe discrete math in senior year, so I’m not going to take AP Calculus BC. I know that colleges tend to waive 2 semesters of mathematics if you take BC and pass, but only 1 semester (you have to take another one) if you take the AB test and pass. Should I take the SAT2 and study for BC? ((also any suggestions on when to do what? is it worth it do to late registration for the December test?))
@LordBendtner Actually no idea. My ideal job is one like the engineering environment (with great colleagues, company benefits, etc. since my parents are both engineers) but I don’t want to stare at a computer all day. I’m thinking maybe business with some CS background to help with the project managing side of engineering, but I’m also considering doing business and then graduate law studies… actually no set plan though.
Why would you take on the substantial work of self-studying BC when you already are in plenty of AP classes and you say you are struggling and your grades are not as good as they could be? This makes absolutely no sense. I guess you mentioned the AP scholar award, but that’s pretty meaningless, mostly just a marketing gimmick the college board came up with to convince students like you to fork over another $89 to them. Your SAT score is very high. I don’t think it’s necessary to take again or to take the ACT. You seem to be creating a lot of stress for yourself over things that don’t matter while ignoring the fact that your grades are important and while you are chasing perfection in standardized test scores you are dropping the ball on your classes. An extra 100 points on the SAT/ACT is unlikely to get you anything whereas your grades may indeed limit your options.
SAT2’s are best taken at the end of the relevant AP class. They shouldn’t require much preparation. Focus on your classes and take your SAT2s in May or June, unless it’s for subjects you’ve already completed, in which case sign up earlier.
@drakonus
I would definitely take Math 2. I don’t know how good you are at math, but I didn’t study at all for it and scored pretty well. I think if you study for like a week and took it in January or March, you would have a good chance at an 800. Then I’d consider taking a bio or physics subject test, which would require more studying so you should consider taking those in June/October/November.
@drakonus Since you’re not taking BC I would study for the AP exam. However, I can’t stress enough I think you should really focus on your grades the most.
@LordBendtner I already took SAT2 Math, if it helps. I want to take SAT2 Literature because I’m interested in it and I can do well without much studying, but I’m also taking AP Chemistry right now and want to take SAT2 Chemistry in June. @mathyone Thank you so much for your advice! The main problem I’m having right now is that I’m taking APUSH, which is dragging down all of my other grades. I spend a lot of time on APUSH just to get bad grades, which makes me spend less time on my other classes…
If my grades do go up, do you recommend me doing anything? Studying for some standardized test?
Ok, I would suggest taking SAT2 Chem and literature in June, or you could do the literature earlier if you like. APUSH seems to have a crushing workload at most schools. Maybe meeting with your APUSH teacher to discuss how you could do better would be a good idea. Also, think about time management and how you can do more for your other classes. My kids squeeze in a lot of study time, at lunch, on the bus, when the class is doing something they finished early, and hate to say this but sometimes in other classes that are easy for them. Sometimes when they get together with friends instead of hanging out, they work.
Also, make sure you turn off all your electronics when you are working. Those of us who grew up without these things can see how incredibly distracting they are to kids now but kids themselves are used to it and don’t realize how much it interrupts their focus. There is no multitasking, only distraction. If you can’t stand the idea that some text or facebook message might be waiting for you, try setting goals–I will not check until I finish this chapter or complete this problem set and then I won’t spend more than a few minutes with it and I will turn it off again. I saw a study recently saying that kids who have their cell phones during class get half a grade lower than those who don’t. And another one saying that even students who see other students checking facebook during lecture are significantly distracted. Good luck.
As far as the tests go, I know it’s really tempting to try to get perfect. And I know it’s not really fair that some other kids will take the test several times and get a superscore the same as your score. On the other hand, there is no guarantee that you will match or improve your score. Students with very high scores tend not to be able to replicate them as well (Scores are more likely to go down than up). So how will you feel if they go down? Schools also say they don’t like to see students focusing too much on these tests.
The schools all say that they don’t care about differences in scores at your level. I think there is a lot of truth in that, although if you look at schools who break down admissions you see that the rate does continue to go up through 2400. How to reconcile this? It could be explained if the students getting those top scores are more likely to be extraordinary in other ways. You may have a 2300 and the other guy may have a 2400, but if the other guy also has an international math olympiad medal, it’s not really the 100 point difference that got the other guy in to so many schools. Extraordinary students will find it easier to achieve top scores on these tests, and that, rather than the actual scores, probably explains why admit rates are higher for 2400 than 2250.
I think I’ll take the SAT2 Literature in December (studying over Thanksgiving break) so I can prepare for my finals over winter break. I’ll keep my SAT1 score for now but maybe try out the ACT next year September since I can study over summer!
