When to take the SATIIs (and which to take)?

<p>ok, so i took the SATs in january and, like most people who didn't study for their first time, i was disappointed with my score (1890). i have since studied for about 6 or 7 hours a week for the past month through various test prep books, and feel confident that i will raise my score when i retake in may.</p>

<p>Now, only a couple schools i'm looking into require 2 SATIIs (pomona, and a couple back east). Pomona is my top choice.</p>

<p>i can't, however, begin studying for the SATIIs until after May 3, because all my energy must be put into studying for the SATs.</p>

<p>So, I have three questions:</p>

<p>1.) which SATIIs should i take? should i take the one pertaining to my prospective major (english-creative writing), meaning literature, even though i will do poorly on it (if collegeboard.com's sample problems are any indication), or should i take ones i will do well (US history and math)?</p>

<p>2.) should i take the math I or II (i am in pre-calc and have gotten straight As in it, but i will do better on math I).</p>

<p>3.) should i take them in june, even though i will only have a month to study, or should i wait till october? it makes me nervous to wait till october, though, because i may want to apply ED somewhere in november.</p>

<p>thanks for your help.</p>

<p>Take it in June.
See, I'm a sophomore and I take Chemistry Honors. My chem teacher encourage use to take SAT Chem in June and she holds review sessions after school for free. She said we should take it right at the end of the course as possible, so our memory and knowledge are still fresh. But we have to do a lot of bookwork before we can take the test.</p>

<p>Which to take? Um, take those you are very confident that you can get a great score on. I had Bio H last year, but decided not to take SAT because I knew I was not going to get a great score if I take it.</p>

<p>gamayshark: Generally you take a subject test in an area you are finishing studying (e.g. DS had AP Bio & Pre Calculus in 10th grade, took those two SAT 2s in June). The exception is Math, which should be taken after Pre Calc since there is no calculus on the test. As for math 1 or 2, some colleges do not accept 1 (Stanford and UCs come to mind) so check what is accepted where you plan to apply.</p>

<p>I'm a fan of June, while the knowledge is still fresh. Then you also have Oct. to fall back on if things don't go well. Colleges usually look at your 2 or 3 best scores (in different subject areas). We bought a book on Amazon called "The Official Study Guide to All the SAT Subject Tests" (you can probably find it in the reference section of your school or public library). This is NOT to study by though, look at the sample questions to get a feeling for your general knowledge in the subject areas you are interested in taking before you sign up. This year S is taking subject tests following AP classes so we bought whichever AP study book was best rated for each subject. I'm sure there are SAT 2 books, too (and you can probably find some recommendations here at CC).</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>I'm taking them in June (i recommend you do too) because I will have everything still in my head. It also leaves time to retake in the fall if you dont like your scores.</p>