<p>Any advice, after I set a strong upward trend to make myself competitive, I need a solid SAT score and ACT. How do I prepare for this? I will be Junior Next Year.</p>
<p>Take some practice exams (use a book-- just get one from the library) and see where your weak spots are. Study up on those and keep taking practice exams/doing practice questions.</p>
<p>Remember to write neatly on the essays since they are scanned into a computer and read by a grader in about 2-3 minutes. My English teacher in HS told me 5-paragraph formula is always a solid way to go.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t do anything more expensive that that (tutoring/classes) unless you REALLY need it. For the SAT, self-studying should really suffice.</p>
<p>What my S did and what I would recommend to anyone is to take one of each in the spring of your junior year. Compare the results when you get them back. Chances are, you’ll respond better to one or the other. Retake the one you did better on at the very earliest opportunity of your senior year. Pitt superscores and will even combine results from both tests, so it’s to your advantage to try to optimize your score by whatever process works.</p>
<p>I’ll agree with Awesome that self-study should be all that’s necessary. One of the major publishers (Barron’s, Princeton Review, etc.) will probably be more suited to your personality than others, so go with whatever works.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>SteveC has a great point about one of each. However, I’d suggest taking them earlier than spring (I’d go with winter (January-ish)). It will take up to a month to get your scores back, and then you’ll have to reschedule.</p>
<p>If you’re really serious about going to Pitt, you’d want your final SAT score before the summer so that you can apply in July. I also don’t recommend taking SATs at the beginning of Senior Year because you have to wait for your results before you know where you can apply. And then you’re rushed through your applications.</p>
<p>The college board website has a free practice test. The act website has a 1 year subscription for a practice course for $20. Start with these types of free or cheap resources before you consider spending big bucks on a professional prep course. Check and see what resources your school has available - many have free prep classes in a classroom or online.</p>
<p>Determine your weaknesses from the practice tests, and concentrate upon them.</p>
<p>If you are better at science than math, stress the ACT instead of the SAT.</p>
<p>There is an entire section of this website dedicated to test prep.</p>