Mine was never able to squeeze it in but he did alright. I really liked the way his JHS prepared interested kids. Every spring they offered a free PSAT testing to anyone who wanted to take it. It was a very low pressure, let’s see how you do. All 3 years, our S had the highest score of his grade but showed that his math splits weren’t nearly in line w/ his verbals.
That was such key info for us!! And for that alone, I always rec’d sitting a test as early as possible. We were able to get him some very quick tutoring before he even got to HS. He was able to successfully complete HS in a subject he saw a merely a means to an end. And while his math splits never reached his verbals, he got them to the point that he felt good about them.
Since he sat the PSAT at such a young age, and knew how valuable it could be, he went ahead and sat the first real SAT and ACT in the spring of his Freshman year. Now, he didn’t do all that great, but that wasn’t the point. It was just having the experience of knowing what to expect for later down the road as well as showing a few areas that could use some attention.
He took the SAT one more time the following year, and then concentrated on the ACT thereafter. I believe he took the ACT a total of 4 times, but once was a free sitting mandated by the high school in the spring of his Junior year. Fall senior year he finally reached his goal without any additional test prep.