@SingHar17 ,
Wow, I’m impressed by you on two levels. First, you’ve done an in-depth analysis of the pros and cons of the various options and you’re very informed on the details. That’s so much more of an in-depth analysis than most soon-to-be juniors. Secondly, and importantly, in the midst of this detail and stress, you maintain a sense of humor. Kudos to you!
So, I’m not one of the many test experts that participate in this forum. You can keep that in mind as you weigh advice that you get. I’m a mom to a girl who’s in your same grade level. She’s a strong and motivated student and I heard the SAT was changing, so I took it upon myself to do a lot of research. I’ve read lots of threads on this site and had in-depth in-person conversations with experts on the SAT and ACT. We concluded – for reasons I’ll share – that (a) the best plan for my daughter is to take the current version of the SAT, and (b) she is better off working independently on test prep (with my help) than she would be attending a class or hiring a tutor. So far she’s having tremendous success with this approach.
So here’s my advice. (1) I really recommend staying away from the new SAT. No harm in taking it for the heck of it, to see what happens, in March, but I would NOT count on that as your primary testing plan. I’d emphasize the second bullet of your “cons” and add an important additional “con.” They are going to hold the March scores and not release them until after the June test is scored. You won’t know the results of this experiment until the summer before your senior year. Too risky. Don’t do it.
Ok, so now as between the current SAT and the ACT. I don’t know anywhere near as much about the ACT as I do about the SAT, but in generalities I think it’s about do you prefer to (i) apply simple math rules in creative ways with a bit more time or (ii) doing straight-forward math, including some more complex math, really fast with a lot of time pressure. The best thing you can do is take a full-blown practice test for each and compare your scores. The SAT is more coachable, and more schools will superscore the SAT, so if the scores are close, I’d recommend the SAT. If you score significantly better on the ACT, then I’d recommend you go with that. The benefit of the ACT is that it’s been around for a long time and there will be no rush for you to take it; you will not need to achieve your goal score by January (as is the case for the new SAT). Another major factor is how much time you have. If you have plans and commitments this summer such that you will not be able to study in a meaningful way for the standardized exam, then I would recommend going for the ACT. However, if you can commit 2 hours or more per day to exam prep, I would recommend going for the current SAT.
Some of the pros and cons that you list are things I wouldn’t recommend you sweat over too much. I don’t think the vocabulary factor is huge. The guessing penalty shouldn’t be a major factor either, in my book. There are ways to manage that. The science section of the ACT is not really about knowing science facts.
Now, you said that if you were to take the current SAT, you would take it in November and retake in January. I don’t know why you came up with that approach. Are there financial or logistical reasons why that must be the case? I would recommend taking the test in October and retest if necessary in November, then again in December if necessary and finally in January if necessary. If you take it in November and you’re not satisfied with your score, it would be risky to wait until January, because if that score was also not satisfactory, you’d have to start all over with a totally different test. So I guess I’ll add that as a factor. If there are logistical reasons why you cannot take the test until November and you cannot take it again until January, then I might recommend you thinking twice about the current SAT. The ACT may be the safer choice for you. My daughter took a practice ACT and a practice SAT. Her scores were comparable so we decided to go with the SAT.
A couple of the many factors in favor of the old SAT are: (i) it is very “coachable” – you can make dramatic improvements if you practice smart, and (ii) there are tons of great materials available for free or cheap. An extra – but significant – side benefit is that if you do focus now on studying for and taking the old SAT, you will have the benefit of being DONE by January of next year at the latest, and you will be free to focus more on your grades and any subject tests you want to take.
Ok, so that leads us to consideration of the final option – giving up, crying, and focusing on an ice-cream sales business. I suggest that your listing of the pros of that option is flawed, because it assumes that you can’t have your ice cream if you choose one of the other 2 options. I say go with the old SAT or the ACT and have some ice cream while you study for it!
And by the way, if you end up choosing the current SAT option, I’d be happy to point you toward some great resources both in CC and elsewhere, if that would be helpful.
Good luck – and keep the great attitude!
Oh, and one more thing … about the upcoming PSAT – I wouldn’t sweat that either. It’s really not important for anything other than the possibility of earning a National Merit Scholarship. Unless one of your parents has an affiliation with a company that provides full scholarships to children of employees who are Merit Scholars (or something like that), the amount of the National Merit Scholarship is minimal and could be dwarfed by regular merit scholarships that colleges might be willing to provide based on your actual SAT or ACT scores. My advice to my daughter will be to do her best to prep for the current SAT. When the time for the PSAT comes I may have her do a little bit of practice so she’s familiar with the format, but I wouldn’t want her to stress over it or lose focus due to it.
Now, if you’ve made it to the end of this – extra kudos to you!!
