So, I’m in the class of 2017, and I’m debating over whether I should take the old SAT or the ACT. I think I have the potential to do well on both if I study, but I’m worried that there won’t be enough time for me to score high in SAT. I plan to take the SAT on October and January, but I’ll have no chance to retake later. The only thing stopping me from studying for the ACT is National merit (they still take old SAT scores, right?) My PSAT score (sophomore year) was 195, if that helps.
Why would National Merit stop you from studying for the ACT? You realize that the fall PSAT is going to be like the new SAT coming in spring? And if you budget your time, you should have more than enough time to study for the old SAT.
Is there any point in taking both the sat and the act?
To see which you’re better at? Generally people are more inclined to one or the other. The SAT is thought of as confusing, but objectively easier than the ACT. Although you could easily decide this while taking practice tests.
If you devote some time to taking practice tests (ideally timed/under testing conditions), commit yourself to reviewing your mistakes and studying some vocabulary (Direct Hits) over the summer, I think it is possible to take the SAT in October and then January if you are not happy with your October scores. You could be finished at that point. If not, you could start prepping for the ACT with a goal to take it in the late spring. If you are a good test taker, you could do well on both. My daughter took diagnostics for both tests in her sophomore year and got a 32 on the ACT and a 2160 on the SAT but decided to take the SAT because she preferred the format. People told her to take both but after she did well on the SAT, she had no interest in doing any additional standardized tests. ACT tends to be more straightforward but time is an issue, particularly with the reading. SAT reading and math tends to be trickier.