<p>And in hindsight, do you wish they had taken them earlier or later? Also, what's the most common schedule? Is it PSAT in Fall of sophomore year and SAT in Fall of Junior? </p>
<p>Thanks for sharing your experiences!</p>
<p>my daughter took PSAT in fall of junior year ( I think- don't they have to take it in 11th to count for NMS?) She also took SAT in spring of junior year and spring of senior year.
As part of CTY she also took SAT in fall of 7th grade.</p>
<p>The PSAT is only offered once each year, in the fall. Sophmores can take it for practice, but the score does not count towards National Merit. The junior year PSAT is the one that is for NM. After that, most kids take the SAT some time in the spring of junior year. They also take the ACT at that time if they are going to do that one. Retakes often occur in June of junior year and / or fall of senior year.</p>
<p>My D took the "pre-PSAT" in 10th and PSAT in 11th. First SAT in 7th grade as part of NWTSY. We remarked that her scores as a 7th grader were higher than either Al Gore or GHW Bush's scores to enter college.</p>
<p>My kids have taken them fall of sophomore and Junior year and then SAT's in March and June of Junior year. This year Junior son took ACT in April besides the SAT's. I think this schedule makes sense for our area. I am hoping that the second SAT scores will be good enough that son will be done with that test and then he'll be good to go for applications starting in late summer.</p>
<p>PSAT in 9th and 10th grades, per our school's policy. Took a "practice run" at the ACT in March of this year. Will take the PSAT again next year for real. Plan on taking the SAT in Spring and Summer of Junior year, maybe also in Senior year, depending on the results. I feel pretty comfortable with this schedule.</p>
<p>My son took the PSAT in the fall of 9th, 10th and 11th grades. 9th graders took by invitation - honors students. Standard for 10th and 11th, but only 11th was official for National Merit consideration. Took SAT1 in March and May of 11th (this year).</p>
<p>PSAT - Fall of sophomore and junior years for my 2 sons
SAT 1 - March and May of junior year
SAT 2 - June of junior year and October of senior year if desired</p>
<p>My second son took the ACT in February of his Junior year.</p>
<p>The schedule seems to have worked out well for them. Their testing for college was done well in time for the fall applications. However, reading all the positive comments on the Johns Hopkins CTY program perhaps I should have had them take the SAT 1 as 8th graders to see if they would have qualified.</p>
<p>Mine took her last SAT I in what would have been 8th, and never took the PSAT.</p>
<p>I have to stick up for Gore and Bush- the SAT scores have been recalibrated several times since they took them.
Also student test scores from their school tests will qualify them ( or not) to take SAT in 6th or 7th grade. Your school should notify you if you qualify.
Even for kids who don't qualify you can get some good information about education at the CTY site. also hoagiesgifted.</p>
<p>Both of my sons first took the SAT in 7th grade as part of a talent search program. I also had them take the SAT in 8th grade, the last time they could take it for practice without it showing up on their permanent record that later would be sent to colleges.</p>
<p>Although their GC discouraged having kids take the PSAT as freshmen, I had my kids take it as freshmen and then as sophs. Both scored as juniors at the National Merit commended level.</p>
<p>Older S took the SAT one more time, and got a 1410, which for his purposes was fine. He wanted to go to a public institution known for sports, and his score gave him plenty of good choices.</p>
<p>Younger S, a junior, took the SAT in Dec. of last fall, this Jan. and in May. His combined V, M scores in May were 100 points higher than his previous high scores, putting him at the 99th percentile for both. His original junior year score was a 1420. For him, the practice was worth it as was the tutoring that I had him take through a free course at school and through a private tutor.</p>
<p>Our son took the PSAT twice and the SAT1 twice-once spring jr year and fall senior year. He also took it in 7th grade for the CTY program. I would say that was about the right strategy. He did a little verbal self study the summer before senior year and the 2 SAT1's he took and improved his score about 50 points.</p>
<p>If a kid takes the PSAT in the fall of his sophomore year, and does well, can he use the score toward a NMS? Or would he have to retake it (and hopefully do as well, or better?)</p>
<p>Only Junior scores count for NMS.</p>
<p>For what it's worth, my son only took the PSAT in his junior year. He was commended and lowest score was writing. Based on his SATII writing and SAT's, I think he would have been a semifinalist if he had taken a practice PSAT his sophomore year. My daughter took a practice PSAT her sophomore year (high school changed it's policy 2 years later and had all sophomores take it) and scored in the commended range, took it junior year and was a semi-finalist and then finalist. That said, all she got a slightly larger certificate than he did, so I'm not sure it really matters (even those who get scholarships get relatively little). Between SOLs (statewide no child left behind tests), AP tests, PSAT, SAT, SAT II, and whatever else I think the kids were really sick of taking tests.</p>
<p>From what I saw on the CTY site I thought that they took SATs taken later for their high school level courses. No?</p>
<p>I took my PSAT once in junior year, was NM Finalist, and took my SAT in November of junior year, got a 1500, never took it again.</p>
<p>I took the PSAT as a sophomore for practice and as a junior for possible NMS status. Most kids at my school do this. I took the SAT I in 7th grade for CTY, but that wasn't a big deal... I didn't really know what it was but I wanted to do the summer program. I just took my first "real" SAT last week (June 4), and I don't plan on retaking b/c I've devoted too much of my life to tests already. Most people in my school take the SAT in March or May (if they don't have a lot of APs) so they can retake in June or the fall of senior year if they want. I think taking the SAT in June took off a lot of pressure since most of my classes were APs so I haven't had much work lately (as opposed to in March or May) and I knew I only wanted to take it once so the lateness wasn't a problem.</p>
<p>I took the PSAT in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. It was given at the school to all students, seniors got the day off.</p>
<p>Then I took the SAT in like January of Jr year, then I took a prep class, and then I took it again in March or April. I got the same score, biggest waste of my parents money ever... though I did refuse to memorize all their vocab words, I had too much actual school work.</p>
<p>Hello All,
Our S took a practice PSAT in the 8th grade. He sat for the actual PSAT as a 9th, 10th, and 11th grader. The school district he is enrolled in pays for the PSAT for 10th and 11th graders. We paid for the PSAT his freshman year.</p>
<p>He took the SAT and ACT his sophomore year. He took the new SAT last weekend and sits for the ACT again this coming weekend (during his junior year).</p>
<p>He tests very well and has excellent scores but we and he were looking to improve them just a bit. At this point he is pretty "tested out" and looking forward to the end of the school year.</p>