<p>Ok I know this is a really stupid question but please bear with me lol. Do you really have to take the SAT if you get national merit commended from the PSAT?</p>
<p>uhh....no</p>
<p>SAT is OPTIONAL
like you can chose to take the ACT or nothing at all if you dont want to go to college</p>
<p>but getting a good score on the PSAT doesnt have anything to do with not having to take the SAT.</p>
<p>lol</p>
<p>Colleges don't use PSAT scores for admissions. They only use the SAT or ACT, so you have to take one of them to get in just about anywhere...</p>
<p>PSAT = Practice SAT =) not Real SAT.</p>
<p>If you are only commended, not a semi finalist, then there is no need to take the SAT. I assume you would take the ACT or apply to schools that don't require the SAT. OTOH if you were commended, you are likely to score well on the SAT, perhaps even better than you did on the SAT (my son did anyway), so I'd go ahead and take the SAT and see how you do. Unless you already have a 36 on the ACT of course...</p>
<p>Ok, so it is good to take it if you do well enough to be commended or a semifinalist or whatever, but not required to be a finalist.</p>
<p>I think you're missing the point. If you want to get into a college that requires either the SAT or the ACT, you'll NEED to take one of them. Most colleges do require one of the tests. You should take whichever test you do better on. Your score on the PSAT has absolutely no bearing on whether you should or shouldn't take one of the tests, but the score might indicate whether you'll particularly good or bad at the SAT, and that might help you decide which test to take.</p>
<p>If, on the other hand, you don't intend to apply to any colleges that require the tests, you'd be wasting your time taking either one.</p>
<p>Pete is right. The PSAT is not considered in college apps. You will need to take either the SAT or ACT for most schools you'll want to apply to. Your PSAT score has no bearing on that.</p>
<p>And if I wasn't clear, if you are a semi finalist, you absolutely should take the SAT because it's required to become a finalist. But if you are only commended you are done with the National Merit requirements. Then you should decide based on what the colleges you are applying to prefer and which test you think makes you look better.</p>