I’m a rising junior preparing to take the PSAT and SAT this fall. However, I’m in need of some advice on whether to take the old SAT versus the new SAT. Here’s a list of the pros for each that I’ve come up with and I would love to hear some input from you all.
Pros for Old SAT
Many more study resources - books, websites, tutors/programs, practice exams
Familiarity (I’ve taken it in 8th grade and I took the PSAT last year)
Colleges can compare you with the thousands of kids from previous years
Includes mandatory writing portion (gives everyone a level playing field for scoring)
Cons for Old SAT
Hard vocabulary
New PSAT is now based on new SAT (would require studying for two different test formats)
Pros for New SAT
No difficult vocab
No points deducted for wrong answers
Most of my class(Class of 2017) will probably take the new SAT, would give colleges more people to compare me with
Cons for New SAT
Few studying resources
Tutors/Prep not as effective
Optional writing means people who don’t take writing might get better scores??? (or at least better-looking scores?)
So, based on these pros or cons, what test would be optimal for 11th graders to study for?
Because of your familiarity with the current SAT ("Old SAT) - you should go ahead and take it. You will do well and get it behind you. There are many other things you can do with the time you save and they will make your college applications more interesting. Best of luck!
I don’t think you can assume most of your class will take the new SAT. A lot of them are going to get in before they change it. The main reason is they do not want to be the guinea pigs. Plus the first 2 tests results are going to be delayed until May. IMO it’s too risky to wait.
I think there will be a mass defection to the ACT among the class of 2017 members. Many students are not prepared to take standardized tests until the second semester of Jr year, and will shy away from the new SAT for the reasons outlined above. I agree with the others that you should just prep for the old SAT with a plan to take it this fall. I don’t know how much prep you will be able to put in for the new PSAT as there will not be all that much information available by this fall.
You seem to understand the prep necessary to improve your score on the old SAT. If you’re willing to put in the time to prep, the old one is a no brainer for you.
I would focus on the old SAT. The harder vocabulary isn’t really a problem so as long as you study the long lists of common words that are found all over, like in Direct Hits or Quizlet, and the greater amount of study resources is invaluable. Take it in October, and then, if you do poorly, retake in December right before it changes. Good luck!
I was wondering the same thing for my daughter. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
She has a very similar situation to psat2014taker. She’s a rising junior who took the psat last year and scored fairly well (Math 77/80; Critical Reading 65/80; Writing 69/80) with no prep. As I posted earlier this week she took a sample ACT test last week and got a combined score of 34 (scores of 33 Math,34 English,34 Science and 36 Reading) never having seen the test before. She also took a sample PSAT with the new format, but the place we took the test said it would be a week before we got the results. I wonder if they have to send it out to be scored.? In any event, we were leaning towards having her take the new sat test.
Given that the summer is almost over and there is not a ton of time to prepare for the Oct test and given the scores she got on the first ACT she took, we were planning for her to take the ACT in the fall and the new SAT in the spring. I know she’d be a guinea pig for the new test, but with a little prep I think she could do very well. But reading this post you guys all seem to think the old SAT is the way to go.
No it’s not “factored in” the essay is reported separately. You can choose to take it or not but it is reported on a scale of 2-8 and will not effect the your SAT score scaled 400-1600.
You should do the old SAT for sure. My best friend got a 2400 primarily because she did like 25 practice tests. Doing as many practices as possible is how you ensure a better score. And learning vocab is essential for life. I’m doing SAT prep right now and it took me like 6 practice tests and a lot of learning but I suddenly jumped scores by like 100-200 points in 2200. So do the old SAT and be patient- it takes a few weeks to see results. I was wondering if anyone could correct my essay- http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/1797940-correct-my-essay-prompt-is-conscience-a-more-powerful-motivator-than-money-fame-or-power.html#latest
@momfrompitt My rising junior son is in a similar position to your daughter, he took the ACT in the spring and got a 34. So I see no reason for him to bother with the old SAT, because a 34 is competitive for any school. So I’d advise having your daughter take the September ACT, which is liable to be good prep for the PSAT anyway. Unless you are unhappy with her Sept. ACT I wouldn’t have her take the old SAT at all.
If she does well enough on the PSAT to qualify for National Merit she should do well enough on the new SAT to confirm the score. That is what I assuming for my son anyway!
I am in a similar situation. I would definitely opt to take the old SAT. I know prepping for two tests is difficult to juggle, but the last thing you want to do is be unfamiliar with the test. Best of luck!
I would definitely try to take the old SAT, for all the reasons mentioned above, but also because you don’t want to wait until junior spring to take the new SAT, and then take the SAT again senior year, if you’re not happy with that score. As for me, I’m planning on taking the old SAT in November, again in January if necessary, and the new one in March/April, and also throw an ACT in there somewhere lol.