<p>That IS a long winded post to say January is the optimal date…except it falls right after mid-terms. Which means there is a good month the students do not specifically study for SAT, and that could mean they may not get much test practice. I tend to believe in taking the sat when a student feels they are ready. If they have devoted summer to SAT and all practice/strategy fresh in their mind and are scoring well in the practice tests in Aug/Sept, then maybe October is a good time. Else January.</p>