My Junior student just took the PSAT11 in October and we are in a holding pattern for the results. He was using a practice mobile app and that app’s blog says the results will be announced around mid December. We are in a holding pattern and don’t know what we should be doing right now. Also, once PSAT scores come in, that will be helpful but we still don’t know exactly where to go from there.
Are there other parents of Juniors in this forum? What should we be doing in terms of SAT or ACT prep?
We have continued to study the SAT material in November and will take Dec 3 SAT and then again Jan 21 2017 and hopefully BE DONE. We are on a bit of a compressed schedule because my kid plays a year-round sport. High school varsity season just ended at the end of October, so she is continuing to strength-train and practice and hopefully get some good competition in this winter and spring. We will do some more college visits this spring and we want to have a decent (and a final) SAT score to show college coaches (we are looking at Division III east coast LACs). Her sophomore year community service project was just recently finalized, and we are taking advantage of the “lull” before the next phase of her volunteer work ramps up in mid-January. With everything going on, she does not have enough time to study both SAT and ACT, so we had to pick one. She decided to concentrate on SAT because she felt the PSAT-prep she did lended itself well to the SAT.
The March 2017 SAT isn’t an ideal time due to a class trip, but we will hold that date in reserve in case Dec and Jan scores are a disaster. The May SAT collides with AP testing and high school finals and frankly that is too much stress on her. June SAT collides with our sport’s district summer competition and October SAT also not an option because varsity season will be in full swing again.
Perhaps take a look at the testing schedules for SAT/ACT and decide which dates your Junior could feasibly sit for the test and then work backwards to develop a study plan. It’s ideal to have your student take as much ownership in this planning process as possible, so hopefully you don’t have to nag about studying 
You need to pick your test date(s) for the SAT or ACT, and subject tests if appropriate. As noted above, this may have to do with activity schedules and when he has time to study. You don’t need PSAT scores back to do this.
You need to set your budget for college costs, including money from parent and student income, savings, and loans.
if your budget won’t cover the full cost of college, you need to understand how much need you demonstrate according to the financial aid formulas. Run the EFC estimator on the college board website and then NPC calculator(s) on some colleges popular with the kids at your high school.
Once you have test scores, you can look at whether he might qualify for merit aid, too.
Ideally, your son is thinking about what he might like to major in, whether he might like a small or large campus, how far from home he does or doesn’t want to go, etc.
By the end of junior year, you want all testing done if possible (last minute testing through the October test date of senior year is possible, but adds to stress) and a preliminary list of colleges.
The main things I would recommend now are to take a practice SAT and ACT and decide which to focus on. (DS did well enough on the practice SAT that we didn’t bother with ACT, but many kids need to figure out which one is best for them.)
Start studying for the one he picks. Keep on top of all other school work. Junior grades matter. Plan to take it in Jan and/or March.
Figure out which SAT subject tests he’ll take (if any). Plan to take those in June but don’t worry about them yet.
Review your finances so that you’re all clear on what you can afford.
If you’re thinking you want to do visits over spring break, put in a vacation request with your employer now. I would wait, though, to plan this trip until he has scores. Not only is it a waste of time to look at schools that are too much of a reach, it’s also demoralizing for your kid who might be thinking that’s what you expect of him when he’s unable to deliver.
If he’s thinking about any local options that are not too reachy, check the calendar for events that might interest him (games, performances, lectures ) that are also open to the public. This can be a great way to get a feel for a school’s vibe.
“Not only is it a waste of time to look at schools that are too much of a reach, it’s also demoralizing for your kid who might be thinking that’s what you expect of him when he’s unable to deliver.”
Bless you for that.
My junior did the SAT prep in the past summer, I was hoping she could prep for PSAT as well. I realized NMSF would be a high reach, hence registered her for ACT test as I thought ACT is more suitable for her (and she later agreed). She got a 32 and i am okay with it. But she wanted to get at least 34 (not because of Ivies or anything, just that it was the type of scores her friends got), she didn’t really have any specific area of weakness. I didn’t want her to spend her Saturdays in taking ACT even a 34 may open more doors for merit scholarships, hence we planned for her to take in February…April is too closed to AP tests and June is near Final.
I like her to finish the standardized tests by end of Junior year so that we know the type of reaches and safeties for her.
I second taking a practice ACT and SAT test so you know which test to focus on. Next, look at the testing schedule. When would you like all testing to be completed? Junior spring or Senior year fall? Realistically, you should be prepared to take the test 2 times with some time in between to study. These tests are not offered during the summer. If you plan to apply to some elite schools, they require subject tests and they cannot be taken the same day as the SAT . PSAT results are only important IF you are a finalist. If not a finalist, they are simply for your practice benefit.
@twocollegekids I believe SAT added Aug 2017 test date