<p>Take both the SAT and ACT…some do better on one than the other.</p>
<p>You’ll be taking the PSAT in the fall. Get some practice SAT or PSAT books and prepare for that. A strong performance on the PSAT can mean National merit status.</p>
<p>In Illinois, where every public school student takes the ACT, it is the test most used for admissions. Some people, especially those with excellent verbal skills, do better on the SAT but it will take more effort on your part. Definitely take the PSAT; you can probably wait for your scores (released by your school in late December or early January) to see if you want to take the SAT or not. March of junior year is a fine time to take the SAT.</p>
<p>So it would be good to take both? My school is small so we only have the ACT required. I’ll look into the PSAT.</p>
<p>Thanks again to all the helpful replies. I appreciate it. :)</p>
<p>Yes, take both, many kids score significantly better in one than the other. </p>
<p>And look into the PSAT, the results of the test are used by the National Merit Scholarship Corp as the qualifyint test for the NMS competition. Some colleges give full rides to the finalists and even semifinalists (Alabama, Fordham U).</p>
<p>@mpabon: Thanks! I never knew that the SAT was associated with merit aid.</p>
<p>Well,yes, scoring well on the SAT can be associated with merit aid. But mpabon was recommending the PSAT, which is a separate test and is the device used to determine National Merit Semi Finalists.</p>
<p>I must mistaken then the difference between the PSAT and the SAT. Could anyone explain? I thought the PSAT was the practice SAT.</p>
<p>The PSAT is also used as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It is taken the year before graduation (usually as a junior) for scholarship qualification.</p>
<p>I was reading up on the PSAT, and I am willing to take it, though have your S’s or D’s found any helpful books/websites to help them prepare for the PSAT/SAT/ACT?</p>
<p>Also, has anyone found any good websites or programs that offer scholarships? I know [Fastweb</a> : Scholarships, Financial Aid, Student Loans and Colleges](<a href=“http://www.fastweb.com%5DFastweb”>http://www.fastweb.com) has many, but are there any others you have found? Do I just go apply or is their a certain way I need to do scholarships? Are scholarships considered merit aid?</p>
<p>Sorry for all the questions, I’m just a curious student. :)</p>