<p>I've heard that people typically take them in their junior years.
When is the best time to take them?</p>
<p>I took 2 in my Junior year (January and May).
I took the SAT II’s in June.</p>
<p>I would highly recommend taking one SAT I before senior year, so you have an idea of which colleges to look for during the summer.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>I would recommend taking them in March if you are a junior and haven’t done them yet (but January of junior year if you are still a sophomore now). That gives you time for a retake before summer with some time to study between, as MANY students are not happy with their first attempt and want another go at it. If you get both attempts out of the way junior year, you are much better positioned going into the fall to know where you can apply. I think it adds a lot of stress to have to re-take in the fall and wait for results.</p>
<p>If you are taking subject tests, also take a shot in spring of junior year if you can. Planning ahead is good, since this means you want to take SAT Is on 2 dates (maybe) and SAT IIs on a third date. Not every SAT II is offered every time, so watch out for that. My kids both re-took one SAT II in the fall that they were not happy with, but that is much less stressful than needing to bring up your SAT I scores in the fall.</p>
<p>Generally, the “smart” (top 5%) students at my school take the SAT in October of junior year after studying for it over the summer. Very few kids at my school take it in January since we have first semester finals the same week. Also, not many take it in May because that is right before the AP tests. Most kids take the test in March of junior year and then retake October or November of senior year if they need to.</p>
<p>Don’t forget the value of taking a PSAT as well. Many high school students take the PSAT in their freshman and sophomore years, but you can take a PSAT at any time.</p>
<p>Also, I agree with intparent. Take the full SAT no later than March of your Junior year so you do have the opportunity to take another one (or two) in your senior year.</p>
<p>my son took it in October of his Junior year. He took a review course in summer. Therefore, Oct test time was ideal for him.</p>
<p>I would recommend taking the SAT in March rather than May/June. Although most juniors wait until May and June to take the SAT, this usually doesn’t work out so well. Most juniors have AP exams and finals in May and June. So throwing the SAT in during that time can be overwhelming. Instead, I would advise to get the SAT out of the way in March. Then, focus on AP Exams and finals in May and June. In addition, if you are taking AP Exams, you should take the corresponding SAT Subject Test in May and June. It’s like killing two birds with one stone!</p>