Should I take the SAT?

Test Preparation
1

I believe I’ll end up having to take the SAT for National Merit, so to be more specific - should I aim for a perfect score? (a 1600, I think, on the new exam?)

I got a 36 on the ACT back in December, and I don’t find the SAT to be any more difficult test-wise, so I am reasonably sure that I could get a perfect score on it (or at least very close). However, to do so, I know I’d have to take the exam itself at least twice, and put a huge amount of my time into studying for it. I know that for prestige, getting a perfect score on both would be very impressive, but from a college admissions point of view, do you think there is any point? The ACT and SAT measure pretty much the exact same thing, so I’m not sure if a perfect score on both would be any more meaningful than on just one.

2

No, there’s no point in going for the perfect score on the SAT - adcoms see the difference between a 1600 candidate ad a 1580-1570 candidate rightly as statistically equivalent and more likely caused by test variation and your feelings that day. It’s not more impressive at all.

However speaking from my own experience, it is worth it to take the SAT for National Merit as that is seen as quite impressive and also gives you a guaranteed full ride to a large number of schools (or at least significant merit scholarships you don’t have to work for in the slightest)