A friend of mine told me that he was so busy in applications, essays, etc. in the fall of his senior year (plus beginnings of winter) that he shivered at the thought of taking the SAT in October. Is this usually the case? I know that it most probably isn’t if we’re talking regular decision, but even early action seems not to be that stressful in the month of October. Maybe it is stressful since early action deadlines are mostly November 1 or 15, but if I started solid, relaxed SAT studying from now until the October test, would I suffer in October? (I’m talking here about SAT 1)
Quick question: is it guaranteed that SAT test dates are in the same months as every year (slight differences in days)? Or may there be surprises like “no October SATs anymore”? (My question here concerns both SAT 1 and 2)
What about taking the SAT subject test(s) in November? Is this a good choice (whether I’m planning early or regular decision)?
Do you plan to apply ED/EA (often with a 31 October submission deadline)? If so, perhaps your friend’s concern has “some/limited” legitimacy. For RD (frequently with a 31 December or early-January deadline) however, I can’t see how October SATs would be even remotely detrimental. With this said, if you’re significantly dissatisfied with your first SAT results, October testing provides an additional month to prepare for a second SAT examination, which might be quite important.
Thanks for replying! I took my first SAT in the previous December, and I’m satisfied with my score but want to improve it. I’m choosing between May and October. It seems that for RD, even taking a SAT in November isn’t that bad, but with early action it may be.
I think you might end up just skipping it if you wait until October, if you’ve already taken it, because as your friend says, senior year course load will be heating up just then (and many kids take their stiffest load yet senior year, and getting good grades is critical), you’ll be trying to finish up your essays (especially if you’re applying anywhere ED) and generally flat out working hard. At least, that’s how my kids were. If you can take it in June, you’d still have the option to try again in October if you really wanted. OTOH, if you haven’t taken any subject tests yet, and you’re taking courses this year that would set you up to take at least one–and the schools to which you’re applying want them–I’d think you’d be better off taking them in June, when the subject was fresh, and retaking the SAT 1 in the fall, rather than trying to hold on to concepts and facts over the summer.
I recommend trying to finish testing by the end of junior year if possible. Senior year is stressful, you’ll be trying to balance ECs, schoolwork, and college apps. Throw test prep in there and I could imagine it being terrible. If you end up not doing as well as you would have liked in May or June, you can always regroup, study over the summer, and retake in October. The turnaround time is much worse if you take it in October. One month may sound like plenty of time, but you won’t know your score and whether you need to retake and what you need to focus on until at least two weeks after you take the test.
I also recommend trying the ACT. Some people do better on one vs the other.
Try for May or June. You have plenty of time to prep. Go get a Blue Book and get studying. You can do it!
Taking subject tests in June is exactly what I’m planning to do. That’s why I’m choosing between May and October. The only thing that made me reluctant to choose to take both is the fact that taking the SAT three times is worse that taking it twice. However, it doesn’t seem that three times is that bad from opinions of ppl I ask (at least not as bad as five or six). I’m not from the USA but thinking of studying there; since most of u are from the US, what do u think of taking the SAT three times (according to USA colleges’ preferences, the norm there, etc.)? Thanks a lot for encouraging and helping me!
I would take it in May…You will have had Math for a whole school year and it is fresh in your brain…in October you will have just gotten back in to school and you will want to be targeting colleges based on your SAT score so that might be a bit late if you are interested in ED/EA. If you want to take it again for the 3rd time after studying all summer then that is fine too.