I’m not taking the ACT, but I am taking the SAT with Essay in August. Good luck, @collegeready33 and @needtosucceed27 on your ACTs!
Have a good day!
@collegeready33 What’s ur goal score and what score are u at rn? How many practice tests have u taken? I’m taking the ACT 7/14 and I’ve taken like ~9 practice tests in the past month and a half. Will have taken 11 before I take it.
@excoverer Thanks, good luck to you too! 
@needtosucceed27 Thank you!
Have a good day!
@needtosucceed27 I haven’t taken any practice tests as I have been really busy, but my goal score is 34 or above. I haven’t taken it before, September will be my first one
@excoverer: I’m taking the SAT in August as well!! Good luck! (I hope we don’t get screwed by the curve like the poor students who took the June SAT.)
@needtosucceed27 @collegeready33 You both will do amazing, don’t worry! For me, the most difficult part was the time crunch, which was especially noticeable in math. However, I’m a fast reader, and I believe it’s not uncommon to struggle with English/reading sections.
Remember that science does not in fact rely on actual science knowledge, but extrapolation from the passage! For science tips, I very much recommend skimming the passage/tables/graphs through to get a gist of things (but don’t get bogged down in the details the first time around) and then going back as you encounter each question. Questions usually, if not always, focus on just one table/graph/data set; there’s most likely not going to be a need to re-read the whole thing.
@phanakin why are you taking the SAT? You already got a 36 on the ACT and I wouldn’t want to put myself through the pain of preparing and taking those tests ever again.
@Max147: Honestly, that’s a hella good point. I’m actually taking it under advice from my counselor, because a) if you’re aiming for National Merit Finalist, then you need an SAT score to “verify” your PSAT score, and b) she says it’s another data point for admissions officers, and if it’s a decent score (1500+, but I’m hoping for higher lol), then it most certainly can’t hurt.
Also, because of my family’s low-income status, I have a fee waiver, and it covers two SATs and two SAT subject test sessions.
@phanakin I see, but do you know if you can verify National Merit with an ACT score? I really do not want to have to take the SAT in addition to the ACT to qualify for finalist status. In theory it should be the same since these tests are very similar but maybe collegeboard wants people to take their tests, although the scholarship foundation that does this stuff is independent of collegeboard. Do you know their exact policies on this?
@phanakin I’m surprised you’re taking the SAT after getting a perfect score on the ACT, but your reason makes complete sense. Thank you so much for your good luck wishes. Good luck to you as well!
Have a good day!
@Max147 only SAT verifies PSAT score for NMF.
@Max147: I believe @BingeWatcher is correct; it has to be the SAT, probably because they’ll make some argument about how the tests are more similar in format than the ACT and PSAT, yada yada (but the real reason is most likely because CB wants money lol). It’s honestly a nuisance.
@excoverer: Thank you! In about a month and a half we can commiserate together.
@phanakin That really sucks, I do not want to have to study for another test. I was planning on one take of the ACT and being done but now I have to take the SAT too. Do you know if you have to submit it with essay? Since the PSAT has no essay, I think it would be without. I absolutely hate the SAT essay but if collegeboard is going to force me to take it then I’m thinking I might as well think of submitting it in replacement of the ACT if I get a really good score.
@phanakin Sounds good!
Have a good day!
Has anyone here taken AP Music Theory? If so, how would you rate it in terms of difficulty and interest?
@Foreboding I have not taken it, but at my school, it is known to be a pretty challenging class even though you are required to take regular Music Theory before taking the AP class. This may vary at your school.
Have a good day!
@phanakin *insert crying emoji here" I don’t want to take the SAT haha, but thankfully it’s required in IL to take it, so it’s free for all students! ACT was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do mentally, and my brain still feels exhausted even a day after. I hope I get a 35, but many people in the ACT discord complained about the difficulty of certain sections, so I’m not getting my hopes up too high. I hope to get FInalist like you too, when I’m a senior. GL!
Sooo I wasn’t planning on taking the August SAT because I thought I had enough going on (vacation, summer class, summer homework for AP class that starts in August), but now I’m thinking maybe I should? I just checked the dates and I can’t take the October one because it’s a mandatory day for work, and I don’t know my November schedule but that seems a bit late for my first SAT, you know what I mean? I want to be able to retake it if need be so I don’t want to take it too late, but also I haven’t studied for the August one. At all. And I’d only have 12 days to register before the regular deadline, so there’s that curveball.
@phanakin and @excoverer I’ll admit I don’t know the slightest about the SAT curve besides that it exists. What happened in June?
Someone’s probably answered this question already, but I’m too lazy to find it lol, but how does the PSAT compare to the actual SAT? I didn’t qualify for National Merit finalist (well duh, I was a sophomore, but my selection index was just off from qualifying had I been a junior) if that helps.
^November isn’t too late to take your first SAT. I took the PSAT in October and then took my first SAT in May of my junior year. There are plenty of SAT dates per year that you will have ample time to retake the SAT before your college apps are due.
Guys Im back after 2 months!
@Max147: It really is super inconvenient, but you’re super smart and I know you’ll do well! To the best of my knowledge, you don’t need the essay in order to verify your PSAT, but you’re 100% welcome to take it regardless.
@needtosucceed27: That’s amazing! Our ACTs are free if we take them this one specific day in school in junior year, but because I got a head start, I ended up paying for mine. Still, I can stay home that one day that everyone takes the ACT. Fingers crossed on your ACT, keep us updated!
@HS student: Don’t feel pressured to take the August SAT, but also if you want to take it, go for it! I’m taking it early so I can see my weak points and so I know how/what to study if I were to retake it. Also, the June SAT pissed many people off because the curve was ridiculously harsh; people who missed a single math question on the whole test received a 1570. Many who missed up to ten questions less (if not more) on the June SAT as opposed to previous one actually got lower scores than when they missed more questions on different days.
@Mahindra: Welcome back!!