My junior daughter has yet to take the SAT. Our thought has always been to take the new version of the SAT, which has 2016 test dates as follows:
March (SAT I only)
May
June
October
So, worst case is she will take the SAT three times. If she has to also take the Subject Tests I’m thinking it will work like this:
March (SAT I)
May (SAT II) <- Not quite at end of term, but do they REALLY do anything the last month?
June (SAT I if needed)
October (SAT I if needed)
Is this too much? Should we take the January test (old SAT version) and forgo taking one of the later ones? My daughter has done some practice on her own, and would probably be comfortable with just a small amount of additional prep, but it would be nice to plan ahead. Thanks for your suggestions.
There are three different tests, so perhaps she can take one old SAT, one ACT, and one new SAT? Then, if necessary, retry whichever of the ACT or new SAT was initially better if she is not satisfied with any of the three scores.
But reserve a May or June date for SAT subject tests if needed for any colleges under consideration.
Does she have any AP tests? The May SAT is the day after the APUSH exam, and the Monday after the SAT is the AP Biology exam, for example. If APs match up with SAT IIs, that could be OK. But, in practice they are usually different.
I just need to add, although you may be aware, AP Physics does not even remotely cover the material for the SAT Subject Test, so she’ll have to do a lot of prep work on her own.
Hi @2muchquan, I don’t know about your kid, but mine finds the AP tests more exhausting than the full SAT tests. He really would rather just go home and sleep afterward.
So, her schedule would be:
Thurs, May 5: Calc BC
Sat, May 7: SAT II: Chemistry, Physics, Math
Mon, May 9: Physics C: Mech
Wed, May 11: English Lang & Comp
That’s not a lot of overlap between the APs and the SAT IIs. Since she must have already taken Chemistry (AP?) and precalculus, could she just take those SAT IIs in an earlier month? Then, she could get her scores back and see if she actually needs to take Physics to get 2 tests with good scores.
DS spent a good amount of time studying for the Calc BC AP test and took a couple full practice tests for AP Physics B (hasn’t taken C). His teachers do tend to schedule full practice AP tests on a weekend shortly before the AP test, so I wouldn’t want him to risk missing one of those. I don’t expect he will study extra for Engl Lang & Comp, because that seems like an “either you can do it or you can’t” kind of thing.
Did she take Physics 2 or the E&M part of physics, or is she having to self-study that part for the SAT II? As skieurope says, any one of the physics APs doesn’t cover all of the SAT Subject Test.
My son has AP tests this year on the mornings of May 2nd, 6th, 9th, and 11th. If he gets into an online math class through one college, he will probably also have a proctored multivariable test sometime the week of May 9, and I’m worried about adding that to his schedule. Another college has finals the week of May 23, so that is a plus on our list.
I think taking the SAT Subject Tests around the same time as AP exams is too much. My D will take the Subject Tests in June. The material will still be fresh and she will have time to take some practice tests.
Thanks for all the responses. OK, I am glad I asked the original question! Just a little more information, D is in her second year of a 3-year Chem/Phys program at her school. These are the only Chemistry or Physics courses taken. It sounds like the Physics SAT II may be something we can forego (thanks for the heads-up @skieurope, @Ynotgo), at least initially, as was mentioned that only two SAT IIs are usually necessary.
So, would SAT/Math be doable after Calc BC? I would assume so. Maybe she can take SAT II/Math in January. Same with SAT II/Chemistry? Again, the only Chem classes she has taken have been Chem/Phys in 10th and 11th (current) grade. She could maybe also JUST do SAT II/Chem in May.
Assuming she does SAT IIs Chemistry and Math in January then, her schedule would look like (adding in ACT for completeness!):
1/23 - SAT II - Math (Level ? Didn’t know there were levels)
1/23 - SAT II - Chemistry, if not in May?
2/6 - ACT #2 (If necessary)
3/5 - SAT #1
5/5 - AP - Calc BC
5/4 - AP - English Language & Comp
5/7 - SAT II - Chemistry, if not in January ?
5/9 - AP - Physics C: Mechanics
6/4 - SAT #2 (If necessary) or another SAT II?
10/? - SAT #3 (If necessary) or another SAT II?
So, this would leave out Physics [b/]totally**, which is hopefully OK since she is probably more of a Bio kid Who knew? Also, I’m not too worried about actual scores for AP tests, so the less studying for these the better. Hopefully it’s OK to take Chem in January, I think that would relieve some stress.
Does this look better? (Holy crap! It looks awful!!! Thanks for the suggestions all!
SAT II Math Level 2 only covers material up through Trig/Precalculus. She could take it now. Have her take Level 2 – the curve is more generous, allowing for 800s even with a few careless mistakes. Math Level 1 covers less, but I’m not sure how much less, but I think you can’t miss any and still get an 800.
Will she have Score Choice for SAT Subject Tests at places where she applies? If so, there’s no harm in taking both Math II and Chemistry in January and then retaking Chemistry in May if necessary.
Get the book by the College Board that has a real sample test for each of the Subject Tests. Have her take and score the sample test for the ones she’s considering. That will give her a good feel for whether she is ready for each.
It looks better to me. Still what kids have to go through is daunting, I agree. I don’t think they even count these tests that actually count for the kids when you see a headline that says “A typical student takes 112 mandated standardized tests between pre-kindergarten classes and 12th grade.” That’s just the state tests to see if the school is doing OK.
P.S. English Literature and Composition is May 4. English Language and Composition is May 11.
Math 2 can be taken after pre-calc. In fact, it probably should be taken ASAP after precalc, since once you get deep into calc, some of the earlier concepts start to fade. So taking in January is fine.
Who knew? Also, I’m not too worried about actual scores for AP tests, so the less studying for these the better. Hopefully it’s OK to take Chem in January, I think that would relieve some stress.