<p>I'm currently a sophomore and scheduled to take the SAT in the spring. I'm sending my scores to USMA, USNA, and two other schools. My question is, is this a good idea? Will they look at the scores? What will they do since I am not of age to be a candidate? Does it hurt me if the scores are bad since I'm only a sophomore or if they are good do they count for when I am eligible to be a candidate? This is THE SAT, not the PSAT. So basically is it a bad idea to take them this early and send them to a school that isn't looking at me as of now? Or is it good practice and just like taking the PSAT, but in this case if they are good scores I can count them? </p>
<p>I would not send them yet. SAT superscores and that will show up on your trancript later on. CB sends superscores, in otherwords, each time you take the SAT only shows the superscore. </p>
<p>ACT is different. Some schools superscore, some don't</p>
<p>I can't imagine why sending your scores would hurt you. When you do end up applying, these scores are going to be seen by the Academy anyway. USMA won't do anything with them other than possibly putting you on their mailing list if you aren't already.</p>
<p>So I'm not really seeing anything bad about that then, if I'm reading it right. They just take the best scores from each test. So if I do bad in the spring on one section and then later take another SAT and get higher in that section they will count the highest score of the two, three, or four, etc. Am I reading that right? If so, what is bad about that?</p>
<p>There is nothing bad, I would just want my best scores to show up on the first shot. You are only a soph. pre-cand is 15 mos. away. If you feel that you are going to do great based on PSAT and want SLS than you should. I think it is great that you are excited and looking towards your future. I just don't think sending the scores will give an edge unless it is for SLS. If you are not wanting SLS than all I am saying is that you don't NEED to send them</p>
<p>I'm not sending them for any other reason to just send them. I understand what you are saying, and it makes absolute sense. I'm taking these just to get an official one under my belt, I took the PSAT in 8th grade through John Hopkin's Search for Talented Youth, did fairly well for what I knew at the time. If I don't send them in, will I be able to at a later date if I like them? I'm guessing without a doubt, so there really isn't an advantage or disadvantage in sending them in early?</p>
<p>What is NM? So sending them in doesn't really do anything unless I want SLS and what is the difference between SAT and PSAT. Is it better to take the SAT for a practice or PSAT which is solely for practice. In other words will it hurt me to take the SAT for practice and not the PSAT for practice?</p>
<p>The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®)–a test which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.4 million entrants each year–and by meeting published program entry/participation requirements.</p>
<p>"So basically is it a bad idea to take them this early and send them to a school that isn't looking at me as of now? Or is it good practice and just like taking the PSAT, but in this case if they are good scores I can count them?"</p>
<p>It is NOT a bad idea to them this early. The more times you take the SAT and ACT the more comfortable you are taking them and the more likely it is that your score will rise. It's all about practice, practice, practice.</p>
<p>Whether to report the early tests is another decision. In my experience, it didn't seem to matter to the colleges/universities/academy that my 3 kids applied to. The schools eventually get all the scores anyway and they're used to seeing the scores increase with each taking.</p>
<p>When my d was doing the application process to WP last year, the admissions officer came to our area for an information briefing. If I remember correctly, WP does superscore the ACT test sections too.</p>
<p>W/r/t the PSAT and NM: If your school will allow you to take the PSAT as a sophomore as a "practice," do it if you can. As a previous post said, the more you practice these tests, the better most people will do. However, the PSAT is only a qualifying score for NM in the school year prior to high school graduation. Thus, only high school juniors (or sophs if they can graduate in three years) compete for NM.</p>
<p>Since the SAs urge candidates to take the SAT/ACT "early and often," I can't see that sending the scores would hurt in any way, unless you did worse every time you repeated the test. For other, competitive colleges, I suggest that you talk to your guidance counselor about whether to send scores or not.</p>
<p>The PSAT is only offered 1x a year, and that is in Oct. Our school makes all soph who have completed geometry to take it as a practice. The students then re-take in the fall of their jr. year for real results. The PSAT is proctored at school during school hours.
Dolci will not be able to take the PSAT until OCT of his jr. year.</p>