<p>So, first and foremost, I’m going to be a freshman starting this April. That’s because I’m an international student and I have never given SAT before. In fact, I didn’t even know what SAT was six months ago. Now, I want to give SAT Subject Tests and AP in my sophomore or junior year, should I give my SAT in my freshman year? I can very well work hard, so if I want, I can manage it.</p>
<p>As I have gained interest in Study abroad only recently, I believe that my ECs are going to be pretty weak, so I’d like to save some time at my senior year for that. So, is it advisable? If yes, when should I give and should I prepare for SAT starting from March, as soon as I get off my annual exams(they end around March 4).</p>
<p>Please reply, all kinds of feedback on my stance is appreciated.</p>
<p>Well it will definitely save you time during junior year (you usually don’t take as much during senior) you should start off by just doing sat vocab </p>
<p>Don’t memorize 2400 vocab words. Memorize 200 or at most 500.
Practicing the SAT since freshman year will be nice undoubtedly, but you may lose your drive to study it over time when you actually need the drive the most (like in your junior year).</p>
<p>Don’t study too much. Take the PSAT, see how you do, and then zone in on the sections or areas you are weak in.</p>
<p>No you shouldn’t. I guarantee you that you won’t do half as well on it as you would late in your junior year or early in your senior year. When you’re 14 years old, you simply don’t have the vocabulary, the critical reading ability, the grammar knowledge, the essay writing skills, or the intelligence to do really well on the SAT. That’s not to say you won’t do okay–you might write it and get 1700 if you’re smart–but what’s the point? You will likely be kicking yourself later in high school when you have to rewrite the SAT and you now have a bad score on record.</p>
<p>to be honest, Direct Hits Volume 1 and 2 are basically all you need. but since you’re a freshman, you can glance over the sparknotes top 1000 afterwards. more vocab = good</p>
<p>definitely start prepping during freshman year. you’ll have more time than you will in junior year(: it’ll be well worth your time!~</p>
<p>OK, as I have problem quoting all these posts, I’ll analysis the advices paragraph by paragraph.</p>
<p>The PSAT? As far as I know that the PSAT can get an American national merit, but does it help international students? Zooming into the sections where I have problems can be done by practice tests.</p>
<p>First of all, I don’t go to an American School, so does the SAT still will be on my record?</p>
<p>Should I take the CB SAT Guide, 2nd Edition? They say that it is the best book on the list. I have also heard of Barron’s 2400, is it any good?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t write it in ninth grade, especially if English isn’t your first language. Write a subject test if there’s a subject that you’re really advanced in MAYBE. You can start studying now (read lots, that’ll help your grammar, critical reading, vocabulary, and essay), but I wouldn’t take it until the end of sophomore year/beginning of junior year at the earliest.</p>
<p>And the PSAT is mainly useful for National Merit. I would advise that you take it if you haven’t taken standardized tests like the SAT before (so you could get used to the environment), but if you have, there probably isn’t really a point in writing it. I wrote it this year as an international, and I have no idea why I did. (It actually ended up putting more pressure on me for my SAT since I somehow scored well on the PSAT without prep, so I felt that I needed to score better on my SAT with prep.)</p>
<p>Won’t it save me time in higher grades? And if I want to opt for SAT Subject Tests and AP(which I’ll have to self study 'cause they’re not offered at my school), shouldn’t I try to get along with a good score as soon as possible?</p>
<p>It is true that I English isn’t my first language, but I’m more fluent in English than my native language. It sounds crazy, but that’s how it is. </p>
<p>From all this, I think that first I should first do some timed practice tests from the CB website, and then decide whether I’m ready for this or not.</p>
<p>Yes, definitely take one of the practice tests. If you score within 100 points of your target score, you can take it if you really want to, but if you’re further off…then you might end up retaking the SAT and wasting more time.</p>
<p>@econ981 "When you’re 14 years old, you simply don’t have the vocabulary, the critical reading ability, the grammar knowledge, the essay writing skills, or the intelligence to do really well on the SAT. "
Ok-aaay. That’s kind of offensive to me. I got a 2110 in 7th grade when I was 12. Sure, that’s not an exceptionally high score, but that’s way better than a 1700. Of course younger kids can do well on the SAT. Or maybe I just like to think that I have enough “intelligence”, even though I am still 14?</p>
<p>I’m not arguing that freshmen won’t score higher later in high school- they almost certainly will. I’m saying that there’s no reason not to take it, because it is possible to get a score you will be proud of. Of course, if you change your mind in Senior/Junior year and feel prepared to score higher, you definitely should take it again.</p>