<p>I'm going to become a HS junior this fall and I plan to take the PSAT & SAT. I'm pretty sure that the PSAT is automatically given to you through your school without any registration required (Please correct me if I'm wrong). For the SAT, I'm not really sure yet when to take it during my junior year, should I decide now or wait till I'm into junior year? I also plan to take the SAT Subject Tests, should I take those in junior or senior year?</p>
<p>Most juniors take the SAT sometime in the spring - January, March/April, May, or June. Probably would be a good idea to take it January or March. As for the Subject Tests, register to take them in May or June for subjects you are completing. You can take up to 3 at one time, but most people take only one or two, depending on where they are applying.</p>
<p>Following this strategy, you will have opportunities to retake both the SAT and Subject Tests if necessary before admissions deadlines.</p>
<p>Depending on how many times you plan to take the SAT, I would suggest once in winter/spring (January or March). You can see your scores and then have until October of your senior year to re-study if you want to. This is exactly what I did and my scores went up by about a hundred points. I’ve heard rumors that the October exam is easier (not the questions, just the “curve”/normalization, because the higher-achieving kids take it in January so it’s harder to get a good score). This is by no means substantiated though so I wouldn’t place too much weight on it.</p>
<p>I took my SAT IIs in June of my junior year, right after I took the AP exams. This was PERFECT because I was still in testing mode and the material was fresh in my mind. I would NOT recommend taking an SAT II in something you haven’t formally learned in over a year unless you are a) amazing at the subject matter, or b) fluent in the language. It’s incredibly hard to make yourself re-learn a course. haha. I personally took Math I and US History and did well on both. Math I is basically Algebra II and is similar to SAT I math. US History was somewhat like AP US History but a lot more specific and detail-oriented, so make sure you review thoroughly if you choose to do this one.</p>
<p>PSAT ===== October (yes, already pre-registered)</p>
<p>SAT====== 1st time in December/January…is my recommendation. That’s a time before finals/AP’s/etc…you WILL have time before that to study. Probably the best time to take it.</p>
<p>If you do bad, have no fear. Take the March one. If you do well, just take SAT II’s in June. I also recommend taking the ACT…if you’re applying to schools in the Midwest–also it’s diff. from the SAT, so you might excel at one and not the other.</p>
<p>What I personally did:</p>
<p>PSAT—> October
SAT I—> December
ACT----> March
(APs)----> May (BTW, SAT date in May is usually the weekend of AP week–> good for SAT IIs)
SAT II----> June
ACT------> June</p>
<p>Tentative-----
ACT again…----> September
SAT I again…----> October.</p>
<p>Hope this is helpful =)</p>
<p>Thanks guys, your information was a big help. I’ll begin to decide dates soon. Btw, you can re-take the SAT I in senior year?</p>
<p>Yes you can.</p>
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<p>You do have to register (at least I did), but I think you register through your school.</p>
<p>Ok, thanks. I also have one more question. If I take the SAT I more than once, do colleges automatically use the highest score you receive?</p>
<p>Policies vary by college. Some superscore (take the highest score for each section), some don’t. It’s a good question to ask admissions reps.</p>