When to take SAT and ACT

4,089 Views | 21 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by Kool
OregonAggie
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AG
I have a high school junior and we need to sign up for these tests.

What is the best time of year to do it? I'm thinking springtime or even early summer between junior and senior year?

Also, do colleges just take your best score?

Thanks y'all.
FriskyGardenGnome
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AG
I think sooner is better if you think they'll need to retake the test.

Our Junior is sitting for the ACT in September. This is to see where they stand relative to the score they want/need. It gives enough time to prep and retake the exam, if needed. Ours is also being recruited for sports and needs a score to provide to coaches. Hopefully, testing and prep will be over for us soon.

To your second question:
It depends on the school. Some colleges want to see a single sitting test score and others will let you super score - that is, use the highest score on different test areas (i.e., math and verbal) to make a super score. Some schools want not only your best score but all of your test scores.
HECUBUS
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Our's took it October of junior year.
OregonAggie
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Appreciate the feedback y'all!
TXTransplant
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My son took both tests multiple times starting the summer before his junior year (last summer). His ACT superscore is a 32, so he's not even taking it again senior year.

His SAT score is lower, so we are using ACT for college admissions and scholarships.
Another Doug
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My junior is taking SAT next week and in October probably. Prepping for the October one is a good idea, because PSAT is right around then too. A great PSAT score is a gold mine at some schools (A&M Included).

double b
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Students with a National/Very Selective college list should have their ideal score by December of their Junior year. This allows those students to focus on AP coursework and submit 4/5s to further buff out their testing profile for college applications.

Those pursuing less selective schools should have their scores by June/July freeing them up to work on college applications.

Most importantly, you want to wait until your child has taken Algebra lI first before they heavily invest any time into test prep.

DannyDuberstein
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I recommend the fall. My daughter took it in September of her junior year (fall 2019) which happened to become the year of covid. She scored great, then broke her wrist on her writing hand in November, then covid hit. Having that good score posted was extremely helpful in ways that couldn't have been predicted at the time. But even in a normal year, having plenty of runway to improve it by taking it again is helpful

All that said, one factor to consider is when your kid took Algebra II. If it was as a sophomore like mine was. I think taking these tests early in their junior year while that is still fresh is helpful. If they aren't taking Alg II until they are juniors, then waiting until spring would make more sense
KatyAggie01
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Another Doug said:

A great PSAT score is a gold mine at some schools (A&M Included).
We have junior this year as well. He will take his PSAT in Oct. I'm curious as to why a PSAT is a gold mine. Can you please elaborate? Our plan is to have him take both the SAT and ACT in Jan/Feb. He goes to Katy High and plays football so the fall is pretty rough for him. Any other thoughts/recommendations?
Another Doug
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Reggiesankles said:

Another Doug said:

A great PSAT score is a gold mine at some schools (A&M Included).
We have junior this year as well. He will take his PSAT in Oct. I'm curious as to why a PSAT is a gold mine. Can you please elaborate? Our plan is to have him take both the SAT and ACT in Jan/Feb. He goes to Katy High and plays football so the fall is pretty rough for him. Any other thoughts/recommendations?
PSAT is the only factor in National Merit Semi-finalist, and almost all the Semi-Finalist become Finalist.

NMSF and NMF have automatic scholarships at a ton of schools ranging up to cost of attendence+ , NMF is pretty much half off tuition at A&M.

KatyAggie01
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Interesting. I guess they use the PSAT because everyone takes it and not everyone takes the SAT. Is that right? What score is needed to get into the NMSF discussion?
ag97tx
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AG
Does the SAT have Pre-Cal in it? You mentioned Algebra 2 and kids needing to be fresh on that so try to take SAT fall of junior year. If the test only goes through Algebra 2 is there any harm in taking SAT fall of sophomore year? My daughter took Algebra 2 last year as a Freshman so if she waits until Junior year it will be a year since she took Algebra 2.
DannyDuberstein
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Pretty much algebra II, although I think there are usually a few simple trig questions
Another Doug
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Reggiesankles said:

Interesting. I guess they use the PSAT because everyone takes it and not everyone takes the SAT. Is that right? What score is needed to get into the NMSF discussion?

It varies by state with Texas being one of the harder ones.

In terms of the tradionally way we think of scoring PSAT/SAT, roughly ~1450+ range on PSAT (which is about the equivalent of 1500+ on the SAT). But the scoring for NMSF is different becuase they wiegh the sections equally. The PSAT/SAT score counts math as 50%, and the 2 verbal sections as 50%, the NMSF comes up with your "index" score by taking the 3 PSAT sections and weighing them each as 33%.

double b
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AG
ag97tx said:

Does the SAT have Pre-Cal in it? You mentioned Algebra 2 and kids needing to be fresh on that so try to take SAT fall of junior year. If the test only goes through Algebra 2 is there any harm in taking SAT fall of sophomore year? My daughter took Algebra 2 last year as a Freshman so if she waits until Junior year it will be a year since she took Algebra 2.
The SAT primarily has pre-algebra and algebra concepts. You will find 5-7 geometry questions and typically one trig question, which is very elementary.

Houstonag
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SAT verbal is the hard one for most students. The math is really simple. My assessment . To score well on the verbal a student needs to be a good reader and focus on the material. The test is tricky so the the answer is the "best answer". Eliminate the two most unlikely then choose between the three. Practice, practice ahead of time. My kids and grandkids did well on SAT and they practiced. Smart but not gifted. I knew people who made 1600 on the SAT and they were gifted.
aggie93
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My son is a Sophomore taking Pre Cal and is very focused on his PSAT and taking it later this month with the big one next year. Really pushing for National Merit but it will come down to verbal most likely. Really tough to get big scholarship money without it since he won't get any needs based consideration most likely.

PSAT is all about scholarship money, not the NM itself but so many schools will pay big if you have it. SAT/ACT is much more about admissions.
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Kool
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double b said:

Students with a National/Very Selective college list should have their ideal score by December of their Junior year. This allows those students to focus on AP coursework and submit 4/5s to further buff out their testing profile for college applications.

Those pursuing less selective schools should have their scores by June/July freeing them up to work on college applications.

Most importantly, you want to wait until your child has taken Algebra lI first before they heavily invest any time into test prep.


I have a junior and we haven't started on his Common App yet. I had thought the AP scores were only important after you were granted admission, in order to determine how many credits the university may or may not give credit for. How important are the AP scores in terms of admissions to more selective schools? This is something I had not even thought of as of yet. I am not sure how many of those he will have taken by the end of his junior year, so far he has only taken three AP tests. Thanks
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double b
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They're VERY important for the more selective schools. It further separates the wheat from the chaff.
Kool
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double b said:

They're VERY important for the more selective schools. It further separates the wheat from the chaff.
Interesting, thanks for your response.
He took 3 as a sophomore and got a 3 (Chemistry) and two 5's. He says he will take 5 tests this spring as a junior. He does have high aspirations in terms of schools, hopefully he does well this round.
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No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
double b
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Kool said:

double b said:

They're VERY important for the more selective schools. It further separates the wheat from the chaff.
Interesting, thanks for your response.
He took 3 as a sophomore and got a 3 (Chemistry) and two 5's. He says he will take 5 tests this spring as a junior. He does have high aspirations in terms of schools, hopefully he does well this round.
Yes, if your child is looking at any schools with a selectivity of 20% or less, I strongly recommend taking as many APs as your child can manage without sacrificing their most essential ECs. Furthermore, scoring as many 4s and 5s as possible on these tests with further bolster their testing profile. Lastly, if you're "unhooked", it is essential to have a narrative or personal passion to go along with these stats to further help your odds for admissions.
Kool
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.
Avoid the rush. Start hating Socialism now.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
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