<p>So I have already the ACT and gotten a 34, which I'm very happy with. I know that I have to take the PSAT Junior year in order to qualify for NMF, but do I need the SAT? I'd rather not risk a bad score and just keep my ACT.</p>
<p>Yes - if you become a National Merit Semifinalist (which you’ll find out about in September of senior year), you do need an SAT score to become a National Merit Finalist. However, it has been found that you only need around a 2000 on the SAT (plus decent GPA/other credentials) in order to become a Finalist. I suppose that if you really don’t want to risk having colleges find out your SAT score (since some colleges require all testing history), you could take the SAT after becoming a Semifinalist (between September and December), but it is a risk, since you won’t have too many attempts to support your PSAT with a qualifying SAT score. However, considering your 34 on the ACT, it looks like you’re probably bright enough to not only qualify as a National Merit Semifinalist, but also provide a supporting SAT score for it (the latter hopefully with minimal preparation).</p>
<p>Good Luck! :)</p>
<p>Yes, you do. </p>
<p>What was your PSAT and what state are you in?</p>
<p>I doubt that you would do that much worse on the SAT if you scored well enough on the PSAT to make NMSF.</p>
<p>Besides, schools use whatever is the best score. </p>
<p>This situation reminds me of a kid in my son’s graduating class a few years back. He was NMS and nailed a high ACT score early in his senior year. In a calculated risk, he elected not to go for NMF by skipping the SAT for fear of getting a lower equivalent score and having to report it to a school that requires candidates to send all test results with their admission application. As such, he was the only NMS in his class not to advance to NMF status. The end result was that he was accepted to, and is now attending, Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. </p>
<p>Gutsy gamble, I must say, but it worked in his case. I wouldn’t recommend that you do the same.</p>
<p>Of course, he might have gotten into Harvard if he had taken the SAT as well.</p>
<p><<< He was NMS >>></p>
<p>No, he wasn’t. He was a NMSF.</p>
<p>A NMS is a National Merit Scholar…which he was not.</p>
<p>Thanks guys, I’ll think I’ll take a few practice SAT’s and I’ll take the real one if I think that wouldn’t hurt me too badly.</p>
<p>It sounds as if you are a rising junior and haven’t taken the PSAT yet. Why don’t you wait to see what your score is for the PSAT, and if it’s in range for NMSF, then decide about the SAT.</p>
<p>Why don’t you wait to decide about taking the SAT until after you take the PSAT this fall and see your scores? If you don’t get in range to be a likely NMSF in your state, then you won’t need to take the SAT. You can take the NMF qualifying SAT as late as December of senior year, so you have plenty of time. But you might do some practice SATs to prep for the PSAT, if that matters to you.</p>
<p>An ACT 34 is very good, but if your goal is a tippy top school, you may want to try for a higher score. These days, a 34 is average for those schools.</p>
<p>If your goal isn’t attending a tippy top school, then your concern about a lower SAT is needless. It is really needless either way because schools use your highest score. </p>
<p>I know the concern is the lack of score choice for some schools, but that isn’t really about a school seeing if the SAT or ACT is lower. That is so a school can know if the person was ridiculous and tested over and over and over and over again to finally achieve a higher score. </p>