<p>A question about the timeline of recruiting and test taking: if I am unable to take the SAT spring of junior year because of scheduling conflicts with athletic competitions, can I not be recruited? I know that coaches need to run academics by admissions so would taking it in October be too late? Thanks.</p>
<p>You can still be recruited, but you will probably not be able to commit by the end of Junior year, and instead during Senior year, because the admissions office must see a SAT score.</p>
<p>You have conflicts with all three test dates in March, May, and June?</p>
<p>Of the three dates–one of them must be better than the others in terms of missing a game/match. Any high school coaches – must club coaches (some are morons) too – will understand the importance of the SAT to your recruiting. If the meet is not a championship meet or THE rival dual meet/game. take the exam-- assuming you are prepared and can be rested for it… It does you no good to take it on a whim without preparation and/or exhausted.</p>
<p>Have you thought of taking the ACT? Worth looking into. That’s how D dealt with SAT/athletic competition conflicts and it worked out well. Also, if you need a retake, the ACT is held in September, whereas the SAT is given in Oct. However, as far as I know, the ACT only substitutes for the SAT, not the SAT2. You’ll need to take two SAT2 tests for most colleges and it’s wise to take those in the spring of your junior year, if possible, when you can coordinate them with junior year AP courses/tests.</p>
<p>High school athletes looking to continue their sport in college need to be proactive concerning standardized testing. The scores will help guide options in terms of fit/admissibility for the athlete. SAT/SATII/ACT testing needs to begin as early as possible Junior year, giving the student an idea of where he/she is in the grand scheme of things. Tests may need to be taken again to improve scores, subject tests require their own test day, and coaches will ask about the scores to see if an athlete is even in the ballpark (so to speak) for admissions.
AnEducation - have you taken SAT/SATII/ACT? If you have, and your scores are not where they need to be for the schools you want to attend, you need to make the time to test again. During the summer you will be in contact with coaches and they will ask for your scores. Academic pre reads necessitate them. It’s not that you can’t test again in October (you may want to increase your scores to help your chances with merit award or you may simply need to raise your scores), but coaches will want your initial test scores.</p>
<p>If you are a top recruit, coaches want everything way before October; also, that’s when you would do your official visits, so there’s even less time to take tests. If you are taking AP exams, a good idea would be to take the corresponding SAT subject test at the same time, i.e. in May or June.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the responses everyone. I am already registered to take the corresponding SATII’s this spring; it’s just the two remaining spring test dates that coincide with important competitions that I am unable to miss and so would only be able to take the SAT in October. Is this still an issue as a solid athlete, but by no means a top recruit?</p>
<p>AnEducation,</p>
<p>One of the most creative things I’ve heard around this problem to take the test where your compeitition will be. One of the posters did this a few years ago, and it worked out well. </p>
<p>Depending on your target schools, waiting to take these tests later rather than sooner could be a hindrance to be recruited by some schools. Best of luck.</p>
<p>I agree, take the ACT now so you have that score on file so they can go forward with your recruiting. Those dates are different than the SAT. There is a test on April 14th and June 9th.</p>
<p>I’ll second the suggestion to take the ACT in April or June. This, together with your spring SATIIs, will give you complete scores for recruiting purposes. If your scores aren’t where you need them to be you could still take the SAT or retake the ACT in the fall.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Waiting until October means a number of coaches will have committed to other recruits before they get to you because they can’t get a pre-read (and thus offer an OV) until the scores are submitted-- and by the end of October usually they are pretty much full up. Also, that places an incredible amount of pressure (assuming you can get a coach to wait for the scores) to do well on your ONE shot. </p>
<p>Look, only YOU–not your coach or your parents–can decide if a meet is worth missing the SAT. You chose and you live with the consequences–good–or bad. That is what being a grown up is about.</p>
<p>With so many practices and so few opportunities to compete during the year, I don’t think I could ever miss bring myself to miss any. I had not realized it was an option before but am definitely going to look into taking the ACT this spring. Thanks so much for all the advice!</p>
<p>AnEducation,</p>
<p>Step back. </p>
<p>Q: Why are you going to practices and competitions?<br>
A: Because you want to play your sport in college. </p>
<p>Board scores are essential and in the critical path for you to that goal. Don’t procastinate. If you truly want to play in college and have options, you need to take the SAT and ACT as soon as possible. My son took the SAT two weeks ago, and will be taking the ACT this weekend. Did he want to? Heck, no. But he knows it is one of those things you have to do now before his life gets really busy. Trust me, it will be very busy from now until you graduate. Good luck!</p>
<p>I was thinking of talking to my D about taking the SAT in June of this year (her sophomore year).</p>
<p>With a real score we’ll have an idea about college searches next year. (My D rows.)</p>
<p>Waiting until Spring of Junior year seems to me to be way too late to get everything done.</p>
<p>Mark–did she take the PSAT? That should be sufficient to give you an idea of which schools she should be considering. Our kids’ school has college bound kids take the ACT in the spring of their sophomore year and all kids take the PLAN test, similar to the PSAT to give them an idea of scores. Spring of junior year is really the ideal time to take these college tests and it is expected that they will take those tests. The only time it really might be an issue for a college is if there might be eligibility issues–meaning your DD is not a good student. The example they use on the NCAA website is that if your child has a 3.0, they need a minimum of 620 COMBINED score on the SAT. Usually kids get a 600 on each SECTION. Is that going to be the case for your DD? If not, don’t worry about it.</p>
<p>Is there a reason why an athlete should not plan ahead and start taking standardized tests in the spring of sophomore year? Except for the subject tests, most sophomores have acquired enough materials to prep for SAT or ACT. This would give them an idea of what to focus/improve on after the first set of results are in. It is especially important if you factor in the need to take subject tests after learning the materials from their AP classes. There is enough pressure in other areas during the junior year.</p>
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<p>Yes, she did. But I’m not sure how accurate that really will be (especially Math). Maybe, we’ll see.</p>
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<p>Exactly what I was thinking.</p>
<p>Mark—the general consensus is that the PSAT is pretty accurate, not point for point but if they get a 200 on the PSAT, you should be pretty confident of a 2000 ballpark for the SAT. The PSAT is designed for juniors early in their junior year so the questions on the test reflect that.</p>
<p>As for taking these tests sophomore year, honestly, that is not “standard practice”. Many schools do offer the option but taking these tests late junior year is the norm.</p>
<p>Mark, my D did some SAT prep (on her own with old tests) over the summer and took the SAT and PSAT both in October of her junior year. Then she took the ACT in December. This takes the pressure off some, and she has the spring if she felt the need to retake. More kids these days, especially athletes, do not wait until spring of junior year. Test scores are asked for on most of the college recruit forms we have seen.</p>