<p>Would it be a good idea to take the SAT in the beginning of sophomore year? I'm currently a freshman in fast math Algebra II (with straight A's) and I've heard that the math part doesn't involve pre-calc but I have not yet confirmed that. I would be willing to study for it over the summer, I just want to see what its like and find out what I can improve on. My school requires us to take PSATs during sophomore year so i would technically be studying for that as well. Or should I study over next summer and take it at the beginning of my junior year?</p>
<p>Nah take it junior year.</p>
<p>Only you can know this. Nobody can tell you how to proceed with the SAT as you have not given us an idea how you’ve done on a practice test. If you can consistently do well on practice tests taken under test conditions, then go for it. There is no rule that says that you must take PSAT’s first. Don’t be fooled by the advice regarding math- this section does NOT test what you know but how well you think. It’s as tricky now as it was when I took it almost 30 years ago. Just remember that there are some schools out there, like Penn, Yale, and Cornell that do not accept score choice (which allows you to decide which scores to submit) and require all test scores to be submitted.</p>
<p>I didn’t do it and I’m glad I didn’t. Unless you have a terrible vocabulary, it’s way too early to start even thinking about the SAT. If you’re good at figuring out what words mean, you could probably start about 2 weeks before the test and be absolutely fine.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t take the SAT. I’m a sophomore in Pre-Calculus Honors (with an A in the class) and even I don’t feel ready to take the SAT. However, I’m taking the SAT II Subject test this weekend for Math Level 2. If you’re in Algebra 2 you could consider taking the Math Level 1 test in the fall (it’s too late to sign up for the June one). However, if you’re confident that you’re strong in math, I would wait and take the Math Level 2 subject test after Pre-Calc, because I heard that the Math Level 2 looks better to colleges.</p>
<p>Take it and see how you do. Practice tests have never predicted my actual scores very accurately. And you get used to the format of the test. </p>
<p>It’s also nice to have the tests over with before junior year, when you’re not as busy. In my experience there isn’t any vast difference between sophomore and junior year scores. My junior-year ACT score was two points higher but the sophomore-year one was high enough.</p>
<p>The math section is only 1/3 of the real thing. </p>
<p>The writing and critical reading, the essay especially, require intellectual maturity, which only comes with age and exposure to the world. </p>
<p>Develop your mind. You may be able to ace the math section (relatively easy), but the other parts are what truly measure your readiness for college.</p>
<p>britt43…If your parents are willing to pay for the additional test, I’d say go ahead and take the SAT and see how you do. We had our twins (HS sophs this year) each take the ACT and one opted to take the SAT as well. They had no particular expectations score-wise, but we thought it would be good experience for them to see/feel the actual testing atmosphere and timing.</p>
<p>Most people consider the tests taken during your junior year to be the ones that you’ll get your best scores on, so why not take the opportunity to help yourself get a read on where you stand? If you choose to take the test though, DO NOT put any pressure on yourself or go into it with any pre-conceived expectations. Take it for what it can offer you…good preparation for taking the tests next year that will probably be your “counters”. If you happen to do well on the tests as a sophomore then so much the better. Good Luck!!</p>
<p>BTW…we opted to not take advantage of the free score delivery options. If you think you might do well on the test, you can always choose to send them though.</p>
<p>My oldest opted to take the SAT Sophmore year and retook Junior year. He really had to work at the CR section as that was pulling the overall score down. He was happy with the score this year and was able to concentrate on the Subject tests and also decided to take the ACT as he had the time. I am not sure he would have been in the same position had he taken it the first time as a Junior and saw the issues with CR. Many of his friends had signed up for Subject tests in May and are now trying to figure out how to take another SAT before applying Senior year because their scores were lower than they had anticipated. </p>
<p>That being said, I don’t think there is a one size fits all answer to this question. Good luck with your decision.</p>
<p>“The writing and critical reading, the essay especially, require intellectual maturity, which only comes with age and exposure to the world.”</p>
<p>They look at them for like ten seconds. Basic five-paragraph essay with decent examples and you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>I would say take in Junior year. You can study and optimize your math/reading/writing abilities in the meantime. </p>
<p>If not, good luck!</p>
<p>I took the SAT at the end of my sophomore year without really studying so that I could get an idea of the areas I needed to focus on studying more. (I took several practice tests beforehand though.) I then took it again around the middle of junior year and my score increased by a couple hundred points. Thankfully I had enough time to still be able to take the ACT at the end of junior year to see if I could do better on that than the SAT, which I did. Fortunately, I did well enough so that I was done with standardized tests before senior year Andrade everything locked in. I had more time to focus on my apps/college search over summer and the beginning of senior year.</p>
<p>I would not… there really isn’t much point. You can get a flavor for what the test is like from taking practice tests in the various prep books, which is cheaper and gives you a chance to study and improve on where you went wrong. Much smarter to put in the study time and do REALLY well on the PSAT in fall of your junior year so you have a shot at NMF. Take the SAT in January of your junior year. That gives you time for re-take later in the spring and leaves some other Saturdays for subject tests or trying the ACT. If you want to study and take a couple of subject tests you could do that. Depending on what courses you have taken this year and plan on next year you could focus in on a couple of areas and target those tests for next spring.</p>
<p>Some top colleges want to see ALL your test scores (not many colleges, but a few). So if you have high ambitions that is another reason to wait and be as well prepared as possible for all sections before attempting the test.</p>
<p>I definitely agree with the poster saying that you want to get all your testing done by end of junior year if possible. It adds a lot to your anxiety in fall of senior year if you don’t know your final test scores as you are working on college apps. It is hard to know which colleges to even apply to if you don’t have scores in hand.</p>