The alarm clock rings, startling me out of sound REM sleep. I grab it furiously, switch it off, and hurl it to the floor. Then I glance at the time, and—YIKES! I’m late! I leap out of bed. It’s Saturday morning and I’m missing the SAT’s! I’m in a cold sweat until I realize it’s just a dream. Whew! I’m 55, my son is in college, and…I don’t ever have to take the SAT’s again. But I still have that nightmare. Doesn’t everybody?
At Position U 4 College, I advise students still living that nightmare. Recalling my test anxiety, I recommend a schedule of standardized tests that gets the biggest bang for the least amount of testing. Still, I suggest whatever regimen that is practical for a student’s specific goals. Let’s go through a potential test schedule, year by year, and I’ll show you what is optional and what is not.
9th Grade: No worries yet. If you have a passion for a pre-health career (especially an accelerated medical program) and are enrolled in freshman biology, take the SAT II Subject Test in Biology. Take it in June after you have mastered the year’s content and it is still fresh in your mind.
Caution on SAT II Subject Tests: only take them if you are proficient in the subject. You don’t take them with a general college-bound population (like SAT I or ACT); you take them with students who excel in this subject. Check the percentile rankings. If you get 700 in Biology, you are only in the 84th percentile in that highly skewed group. Conversely, 700 in the SAT I Math section puts you in the 93rd percentile.
10th Grade: In most high schools, your kid will take the PSAT (Preliminary SAT I) twice (in school, in October). It is truly practice for sophomores, in school under genuine test conditions. Should you urge her to practice with a test book? I say yes: success breeds confidence. However, it is too early to stress your teen out about testing. She has not had all the math necessary to ace it, so interpret results with a grain of salt.
The 9th Grade Biology approach works for 10th Grade too. If interested in pre-health, especially accelerated medicine, take SAT II Chemistry in June after a year of Chemistry. Verbal students can take SAT II Literature, if familiar with British and American literature, but study a test book for terminology on figurative language.
10th Grade testing decisions are opportunistic and case-by-case. My son’s high school actually offered the full AP (Advanced Placement) US History curriculum in 10th Grade, so he took SAT II US History in May the Saturday after the AP Test. The idea is to take a test after a year of content, while it is still fresh in your mind!
11th Grade: The year from hell! First, your junior will take the PSAT-NMSQT, in school in October. This one counts, not with the colleges, but for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Also, note the National Achievement Scholarship Program for African-Americans and the National Hispanic Recognition Program.
Of the 1.5 million NMSP entrants, about 50,000 qualify for recognition. More than two-thirds of qualifiers receive Letters of Commendation; a third of the 50,000 become Semifinalists, 94% of whom go on to become Finalists. Over half the Finalists are selected for merit scholarships.
When applying to college, your kid will be thrilled to have academic awards to fill in. NMS Commendation is a great one! Qualifying scores vary by state. Alas, my state NJ has the highest cutoff score.
Now, the question to which I devote an entire post: Should I Take SAT, ACT, or BOTH? Your junior has essentially taken the SAT I twice, since the PSAT is so similar. You get 11th Grade PSAT results by December. If you are disappointed, register for ACT in February, with tutoring if you can afford it.
By end of February, you will know which test to choose. Compare SAT vs. ACT scores by looking at internet comparison charts. Your student will then either sign up to take the ACT again to slightly improve, or abandon ACT and go SAT all the way. All US colleges accept both. The SAT/ACT test date pattern goes like this: Jan-SAT, Feb-ACT, Mar-SAT (no Subject Tests), Apr-ACT, May-SAT, Jun-Both, Sep-Both, Oct-Both, Nov-SAT, Dec-Both.
Next burning question: How many times should you take SAT or ACT, once you have decided on one or the other? It varies by individual, but I say twice is nice, no more than thrice. Both SAT and ACT offer choice of which test dates to send in. (However, when colleges look at your SAT scores from multiple test dates, they take the highest score from each section.)
June of junior year, take one of the SAT II Subject Tests in Math. Math Level 1 tests algebra, geometry, basic trigonometry, algebraic functions, and elementary statistics. Math Level 2 covers numbers and operations; alegbra and functions; coordinate, three-dimensional and trigonometric geometry; data analysis, statistics and probability.
Compass Education Group says you need to have completed pre-calculus with a solid “B” or better to feel comfortable on Math 2. The content of the Math 1 test extends only through Algebra II and basic trigonometry. Only quantitative college majors, such as engineering, require Math 2.
12th Grade: Your teen will probably retake SAT I or ACT in the fall, as well as a few SAT II Subject tests, depending on how selective his college list is. Compass offers a list of what is required where. Some schools “require” SAT II’s, some “recommend” them, some only “consider” them. Specialized majors and accelerated programs may demand more than their university requires. Some schools do not require SAT II Tests if you take the ACT with Writing, so check each school’s website for specifics.
Delay foreign language tests until November, assuming you are still studying the language. You want to be as advanced in the language as possible. November offers “with listening,” which sounds hard, but is not.
“STOP! “ you say. “You said you were going to help minimize testing!” I know. Depending on where you go, you may need NO standardized tests. If you’re applying to a large state university, you will probably need the SAT or ACT. But many small private liberal arts colleges are now test-optional, listed at FairTest.org, So you may not have to wake up from that recurring dream for the rest of your life.
Related posts: Should I Take the SAT, the ACT, or BOTH?, What Is Important to Colleges? Top Ten Factors.
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