SAT timetable questions

Parents Forum
1

<p>DDs are Juniors and are planning to take SAT this spring and again next fall after spending the summer studying. The question I have is which test dates?</p>

<p>I am a little reluctant to have them take anything before their AP tests in May but then that leaves only the June test date and that is when they were going to take the SATII. Should I set aside my reluctance and have them go for the early spring dates on SATI since they are planning to retake anyway? I spoke to GC but frankly I trust your input more. He was a little vague but seemed to suggest that an October and December 08 sitting would be fine. </p>

<p>Two of my DDs favorite schools are known to send out those online priority aps that take little time and are excited that by his time next year they could know they have been accepted. Don't schools use spring SAT scores when deciding who gets sent those aps?</p>

<p>Anyway I look forward to getting your input and thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>Spring of junior year is nuts no matter how look at it. One more test thrown into the mix hardly matters. I'd probably shoot for the May test since they can't really take the SAT Is and the SATIIs on the same day!</p>

3

<p>After having gone through this the first time my recommendation to all my friends is to get the SAT out of the way junior year, which we didn't do with D1. D2 will take Sat in Jan. or Feb., leaving plenty of time to take it again in the spring. If she takes it again Sr. year, it will only be because she chooses to in order to reach a goal relevant to a particular school on her list. My expectation is that she will be done with it this spring. She will also do her SAT 2s this spring as well.</p>

<p>While Jr. year is crazy, fall os senior year is crazy and packed with anxiety over the "short list" and applications. </p>

<p>Good luck to everyone.</p>

4

<p>Is there a reason that your d's don't want to take the SAT I in January? That's what mine did, after studying beginning in October. She did well enough that she decided she was done, and didn't have to worry about senior year retakes. She took the ACT in May instead.</p>

5

<p>Is may/june of sophomore year too early for the SAT? D's courseload and e.c's in sophomore year seem more manageable compared to what she will have in junior year. My hope is that if she does very well on any one of the three components then she doesn't have to work on those during junior year. She might even luck out and do well enough in all three. Any suggestions?</p>

6

<p>If her SAT IIs are in the same subjects as the APs she is taking, then it's a good idea to take all tests around the same time. My daughter took her SAT IIs in May amidst taking the APs.</p>

<p>June seems late to take the SATs for the first time. So much of the college list (unfortunately) has to be based somewhat around the SAT scores, so it's nice to know those scores earlier.</p>

<p>As for taking the SAT sophomore year -- I would say it depends on how she does in practice tests. For many kids, their SAT scores increase over time as they mature and read more and have more schooling. If she's going to get a low score as a sophomore and just have to retake again, then what was the point? </p>

<p>And yes, junior year is a nightmare with all those tests.</p>

7

<p>chedva, Did she regret trying the ACT too?</p>

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<p>northeastmom, no, she didn't regret taking the ACT as well. She did well on it, so that was also a "once then done". I tried to convince her not to sebd ger SAT scores due to weaker SAT IIs, since her ACT was strong enough and the schools she applied to took it in lieu of both SAT I and II, but she sent everything anyway. Her admissions results were pretty good, so maybe she knew something I didn't!</p>

9

<p>Depending on how many SAT II's are required by colleges your daughter is thinking of applying to, I would structure the SAT/ SAT II like this - Take the SAT in April , and plan on repeating in October of the SR year if needed/ desired. Take SAT subject tests in May for any AP classes she is currently taking, though I wouldn't take more than 2-3 max in one sitting. If she needs/ wants to take more SAT Subject tests, have her take them in June, when the material is still fresh in her mind. My son, who did apply to some top colleges , took 2 subject tests in May, and 2 more in June.</p>

10

<p>I agree with collegex5. It will be a lot better to get all those SAT, SAT II done during their junior year. So that they can focus on applications and essays during their senior year.</p>

11

<p>Isn't there an SAT testing in March/April? I'd have them take it then.</p>

12

<p>Yes, there is one in March. <a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

13

<p>My unmotivated bright junior S is taking the ACT next weekend with the hopes that is a one time experience. He is not much on test prep, but has way too much going on in the spring w/ multiple music auditions & performances, soccer season, and 3 AP /classes/tests. I have provided test prep material and suggested he look at it, etc, but that is up to him. </p>

<p>He took the ACT as a 7th grader, so I have a benchmark against which to judge the Oct score. He does not want to retake, so that is my motivation to him. Get your ACT together for ACT! No plans for SAT here, just going w/the ACT for this kid.</p>

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<p>As the parent of a child who took the SAT I for the first time in October, I can definitely say that's not the way to go! We didn't know about taking SAT IIs, so he ended up taking those in June when we had originally thought he would be taking the SAT I. It is stressful not knowing his SAT I scores yet while trying to put together his college list. The June test date was great for the SAT IIs. The next kid will be taking tests earlier.</p>

15

<p>I suggest registering RIGHT NOW for the December or January administration of the SAT.</p>

<p>This early score will give the student a ballpark idea of what sorts of colleges he or she should be considering. If the student is disappointed with the score, there's plenty of time to take it again before the end of junior year.</p>

<p>Either May or June of junior year is a good time for SAT Subject Tests on subjects that the student is taking that year. If the student is disappointed in an SAT Subject Test score, there is then time to study the subject again over the summer and take the test a second time in the fall. I wouldn't worry about the proximity to AP testing. In fact, it can be an advantage in instances where the subject matter on the two tests overlaps (e.g., U.S. History).</p>

<p>I think that not getting started on SATs and SAT Subject Tests until May and June of junior year is cutting it too close. In the event of Acts of God (power failures, illness, calculator problems, etc.), there might not be enough dates left for retests.</p>

16

<p>All three of our kids took SAT and ACT in March/April junior year (which gave them an option to retake in May, if they needed it), and SAT IIs in June. It was a very good strategy for them, as the fall of senior year was very busy and stressful even without the tests.</p>

17

<p>D took SAT REasoning tests in October and June of junior year. Took SAT 2s in May of junior year. That gave her time to retake one of the SAT 2s and take another SAT 2 in Oct of senior year.</p>

<p>If you think junior year is busy, try doing your testing while you're busy doing your apps along with senior homework!</p>

18

<p>A lot of kids took SAT2s in May concurrently with the APs figuring they might as well kill two birds with one stone. My son put them off till June as AP Physics and the SAT2 don't cover the same topics. My son took the SAT1 in March, on the theory that he could study weak areas from the PSAT if necessary. As it happened his lowest score on the SAT was the highest score on the PSAT so that kind of backfired! In retrospect I might take the SAT in Jan. of junior year, so you could retake in May or June AND in the fall of senior year if desired. (Though for most kids twice is enough.)</p>

19

<p>
[quote]
If her SAT IIs are in the same subjects as the APs she is taking, then it's a good idea to take all tests around the same time. My daughter took her SAT IIs in May amidst taking the APs.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>This might vary depending on which SAT-2 you mean, and how "strong and intuitive" the kid is in the subject, as compared to "recently prepared." We had a reasonably good experience with History and Literature because he could brush up on his old notes in history and both subjects come naturally to him. The Literature is a skill-based test on how well you can tear apart what's put in front of you. </p>

<p>Long story why, but our S took his SAT-1 for in spring of Soph year while taking one AP in US History. Then he ate the school up and skipped 11th grade. So suddenly he was a senior! Suddenly he was taking 4 AP's like a junior would be taking (including one in Euro History), meanwhile trying to make a college list, apply (forget about visiting) and write a creative arts portfolio for a specialized major. </p>

<p>So his hand was forced, so to speak: in the Fall of his Sr. year, he took the SAT-1's again in October; and then two SAT-2's at the next test sitting, in History and LIterature. He had the old memory of the US History course from the AP's of the previous year, so that was about a 6 month gap, but his teacher and older brother said he could brush up on his notes and do fine in HIstory because it's a strength area. Literature is sometimes called a hard one by the CC's and at his h.s.; however, we learned by analyzing the exam on the SAT-1 website that it's skill-based, not content based. If a student is very good at reading and analyzing literature, he can do that SAT-1 at any point in his late h.s. life, IMHO. It's not tied to a course. </p>

<p>So it wasn't by choice, but as it turned out, he tested on those 4 AP's in May of his sr. year long after the burden of SAT-2's and college admission process.
It looked to me as though the AP's took him a lot of preparation time to do well, and the good results are worth it in saved course credits at college. </p>

<p>So I liked that the SAT-2's were taken in Fall of Sr year, away from the pressure of AP's and May, and that's what I have to add to this conversation.</p>

<p>As an added bonus, perhaps he did very well on the 4 AP exams in Spring of Sr. year BECAUSE he had no SAT-1's or 2's or college apps to worry about. He saved himself a semester at college due to AP results. The downside of that was he had no nice scores to report on his college ap, but his transcript showed he was currently taking 4 AP's as a senior. He cited that "5" on AP-USH where they asked, "anything else to tell us?" on the application.</p>

<p>His very experienced English and History teachers also said that he could "brush up on notes" for the Fall in those two subject areas. </p>

<p>Please forgive me if I'm bragging-sounding. I could also tell you about how poorly he did in Math and Science, wouldn't go near those SAT-2 topics, so if your kid is thinking over those, perhaps get specific advice from the teachers on their experiences watching other high schoolers take the SAT-2 tests away from the year they took the actual h.s. course.</p>

20

<p>I might add that it seems like fewer and fewer schools are requiring SAT IIs, so you might want to look at your kids' likely lists (if they have any idea). My son #2 was hell bent on not taking SAT IIs. He swore he simply wouldn't apply to any school that needed them. Then he suddenly decided he'd better take them, only to find out in the end he didn't need them at all.</p>