should i take the sat?

My school requires the ACT, so I’ll definitely be taking that, but I’m not sure whether or not I should take the SAT as well. I’ll definitely take the PSAT next year when I’m a junior, and I’ll take a few subject tests as well (additional question: is more than three subject tests too many? And which subject tests look best on applications?).

Lmk your opinions. Thanks fam.

The amount of subject tests that you should take depends on your college; some recommend taking 2-3, requiring to take them in specific disciplines, so you should definitely check on that. Others do not require any! I would not recommend taking more than three because this is excessive, just focus on doing 2-3 with a good score if needed. Most people going into STEM fields take a science, math, and sometimes a humanity like US History or language.

I would suggest taking a practice SAT and ACT sometime around or before this upcoming summer to see where you stand with regards to the SAT and ACT; some people are naturally better at one than the other. One benifit of studying for the SAT is that in doing so you are also studying for the PSAT, since the PSAT is just a shorter and less rigorous version of the SAT. Keep in mind that taking the PSAT as a junior and doing exceptionally could earn you a merit-based scholarship.