tubaman93

I know that people are going to reply saying to take it at what I think is the best time, but could you guys suggest which month of next year is the best for taking the SAT?

I'm taking Math Level 2 in October, and I might be taking a language in November.

Also, should I wait for my PSAT results to come back first before taking the SAT?

sully264

may or june of junior years hands down. After you've been studying for finals/APs if you have them, you will be in tip-top shape for the SATs. If finals are the same week as the SAT, take it in the other month.

You should DEFFINITLY wait for PSAT results before you take sats, because you really don't want to f*** up the SATs your first time, as they send all your scores

ShanFan

Send scores where?

Oh geez, now I'm rethinking taking them in October.

Tonyt88

I would say take one in january/february and the other in may/june so that you can learn from your mistakes on the first one, yet it will generally be in recent memory when taking the second one as well as attaining more knowledge throughout your senior year.

tubaman93

My mom just told me not to take the SAT in October or November, as that's when most of the seniors take the SAT and be really competitive for some reason.

I am definetly going to take it after my PSAT results return. So that means any time on February-June, except May where I have massive AP Testing.

sully264

most people, at least CC people have massive ap tests, but still find the time in may for the SATs. Its really not that bad

Shazilla

April or May of your junior year... save June for SAT subject tests

Killer Veggies

In my school, a lot of juniors took it in April... is there something special about that month?

tubaman93

For some reason, there is no SAT in April.

Shazilla

theres no SAT in April next year? i took it in april because that was the first testing period during the spring...

tennisgal89

Think maybe they make it harder in the Fall so more people will not do as good and retake it in the Spring? That's what I heard they do with the ACT.

126230

Im gonna be a senior next year and i recommend doing what i did. Take the SATs in OCT/NOV. Yeah you wont have your PSAT scores and in fact you'll be taking the SAT before the PSAT. However this way you can take the SAT right after your summer of studying. In addition, in May you will be working on AP testing and that time is better reserved for SAT IIs (for example i took SAT2 US history the day after the APUSH test). Then come June i got an early case of senioritis so i personally wouldnt recommend taking the SAT then. Taking it early in the year and getting it over with is like taking a huge rock of your back for the rest of the year. That way you dont have to worry about it and instead worry about your grades throughout the year.

My SAT scores in OCT 05 = 2180
My PSAT scores in OCT 05 = 212 (5 more pts for semifinalist in Cali :| )

OH and BTW the curves are predetermined so taking it when Seniors are taking it will not affect your scores.

H20Poloer

agreed; however, the curves are kinda harsh in jan. my writing was down 90 point from my psat
psat- 78V 76 M 78 W
sat- 800v 800m 690W (66sub)
i don't recommend jan, it seems strange to have droped 120 point in writing (only subscore) and puts me in the dilemma of whether to retake or not.

cliff_hanger

H20Poloer, sorry to hear about your 90 point writing score drop.

How many points is the essay worth out 800? 260 right?

and will colleges care/be suspicious if someone takes the SATs three times? (2x junior year, 1x senior october)

tubaman93

Three times is generally a good number. There's a thread that discusses that.

Thanks for those responses! I'm taking SAT Math IIC in October, so maybe November should be a good date? My main reason for not taking it in the fall is because I have Marching Band and that already takes up a lot of time. My sophomore year PSAT scores were terrible, but that was without prep. Now I have a better overview of the SAT.

Does it really matter that I wait for my PSATs to come back?