<p>D (sophomore) is planning to take the May SAT in 4 days. She had signed up a few months ago but the only prep she has done is taken about 3 practice tests. In those, she scored around 2000, well below where she eventually wants to be, so she is certain to retake the exam at least once in junior year. </p>
<p>She wants to go ahead and take the test now to try it out and see how well she performs on the real thing, and to find out her weak points. Her plan is to prep for the SAT over the summer and then take it again in the fall of junior year. Of course she could just take another practice test at home but she feels that no matter how hard you try to simulate it, a practice test taken at home is not the same as a real testing environment that she knows will result in an official score report. Besides, there is no other way to get a reliable score on the essay. Postponing to June is not possible due to a conflict with an E.C.</p>
<p>What do people think? Is it crazy to waste her time taking the actual SAT just for practice? Did anyone else do this- and if so, do you in retrospect think it was a bad idea?</p>
<p>I’d go for it also. Virtually all colleges will take her highest scores and you never know, she may surprise herself. It’s also really nice to have the SATs under your belt. Even if you’d like to raise your scores a little it’s nice to know that you COULD never take the SATs again if you so desired.</p>
<p>I’m a sophomore, and I’m taking the SAT too. =)
I think it’s a great idea to start now. As for her not feeling that taking tests at home mirror the <em>real thing</em>, she just needs to get used to it. </p>
<p>Btw, if she broke 2000 with just 3 practice tests… I want to say I’m impressed.
Most sophomore start with a 1500~1600.</p>
<p>That is fantastic! I took the ACT as a soph and I was in a situation akin to your daughter’s - ended up with a 32, and am giving the SAT a shot next month :).</p>
<p>ACT and SAT are both Standardized Tests considered by colleges for admission.</p>
<p>On the SAT there are 3 sections: Critical Reading, Math, and Writing. Each section is scored from 200 to 800. The lowest score you can get on the SAT is a 600; the highest score is a 2400. A composite score can be calculated by adding only the Critical Reading and Math scores (thus, out of 1600). Usually, colleges don’t pay much attention to the Writing score, but it still counts towards one’s overall SAT score out of 2400. Hope I didn’t confuse you too much!</p>
<p>The ACT has an English, Reading, Math and Science section. A composite score between 1 and 36 is given based on the average of 4 sections</p>
<p>So, when tetrisfan said she got a 32, she meant she got a 32 on the ACT. This, btw, converts to a 1420/1600 on the SAT.</p>