<p>I heard it from people that since there are lots of juniors who are taking SAT around October,november and december, tests tend to be harder....</p>
<p>is it true?</p>
<p>and im a junior now.. i never tried taking the real SAT in my life, just tried the practice ones.</p>
<p>am i behind others? will i have enough time to study for SAT II?</p>
<p>Im just worried, Im gonna take my first sat, this coming may... </p>
<p>Should I take the June one too? :(</p>
<p>Any suggestions??</p>
<p>The theory I always hear is that more seniors take it in the fall, so the curve tends to be less lenient for the juniors.</p>
<p>The best time for a junior to take the SAT (in terms of getting the most advantageous curve) is in spring or close to the end of the junior year, when no seniors are taking it because they’re already set for college.</p>
<p>I’m not sure how much you could improve from May to June, but regardless, it is recommended to try and take it a second time. I took mine in January and am taking it again in May. I’ve been studying a bit and practicing taking practice exams, so I’m sure I will see some sort of improvement in my score.</p>
<p>In your case, you’ll have a little less than a month to see your scores, and work in the areas where you most need help.</p>
<p>You’re not in bad shape at all right now. Take the SAT this May, and again in October of your senior year. Get started preparing for the May SAT now. Start learning SAT specific strategies and practice 20 to 30 minutes a night. Also try to do 4 practice tests before May. </p>
<p>If you’re going to be taking an SAT subject test in Math, then take it in June. You will already be prepared for a large portion of it since you’ve been preparing for the SAT. Just study the extra topics in May.</p>
<p>Other SAT subject tests should be taken soon after taking the corresponding course.</p>
<p>I actually heard from a test prep instructor that the curves are pre-determined based on previous experimental sections, so you’re not performing against the people who are taking it at the same time as you, but the people who have already taken it before you (with the experimental section).</p>
<p>The curves ARE predetermined, and based solely on the difficulty of the test form, not on how the population performs on the questions. Even if one administration tended to be easier, the curve would adjusted for the difficulty level.</p>
<p>^ I didn’t know that; thanks.</p>
<p>Yeah, batfan is exactly right. Those scoring tables are set long before you sit down to take the test…you don’t have to worry at all about who else is taking the test with you that day.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! so i dont really have to worry about who else is taking sat on the same day. I just gotta prepare myself. haha</p>
<p>The curves are not determined ahead of time. It is true that the curves reflect only the difficulty of the test and are independent of those taking the test. However, the true difficulty of the test as a whole (unless it has been administered as is previously) can’t be known until its administration.</p>
<p>For more info, read [this</a> College Board white paper](<a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/pdf/rn14_11427.pdf]this”>http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/pdf/rn14_11427.pdf) for the technical information about the curve, equating, and the standardization of the SAT.</p>
<p>I can only imagine the money that could be made for “on-site” grading after the test if in fact the curves were known ahead of time.</p>
<p>Thanks for the correction…I can’t find the link to that white paper on the College Board site myself, though. Do you know if they have an updated version that reflects the new test format?</p>
<p>How about this one: [Ensuring</a> Comparable Scores on the SAT I: Reasoning Test](<a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/data-reports-research/cb/comparable-scores-sat]Ensuring”>http://professionals.collegeboard.com/data-reports-research/cb/comparable-scores-sat)</p>
<p>The equating methods didn’t change in 2005 even though the test itself changed.</p>
<p>Awesome…thanks!</p>