Timing of first SAT

[Anonymous]

Check the colleges of interest first. Some really won’t take SATs from fresh or soph year. CMU is one.

[Anonymous]

I would wait. Don’t start stressing her out about the SAT now. As others have said, if she keeps taking math she’ll be fine. At most she’ll need a brief bit of review to get that stuff back front of mind but that will pretty naturally happen if she is doing any amount of test prep.

Aug/Sept of junior year is a good time. Can prep a bit over summer then has time for two more shots if needed. (Junior spring, senior end of summer)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of my child's friends took the SAT for the first time in March of 10th grade, did very well...but was recently told by the college counselor that colleges want to see test scores from 11th grade and on, so the student will be re-taking the SAT.

That’s not true in the slightest. I would be wary of anything that counselor says after hearing that!

I'm sure different admissions officers have different views on this. No hard and fast rules.

Not on this one. Zero percent chance that advice is good advice.

+ 1

-college counselor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I suspect the upperclassmen were effing with your daughter

DP, but not necessarily. The advice to take it soon after completing Algebra 2 is very common, it’s just that for most students that is after 10th (or 11th). There are drawbacks to taking it as early as 9th that the older students may not have been thinking about when passing on the advice related to math timing.

This.

SAT math covers algebra I and Algebra II, not higher. Knock it out afterwards.

Also don’t let your school do that BS 15 month gap between the two algebras. Geometry is a standalone class, should not be between the two for a whole year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my child's friends took the SAT for the first time in March of 10th grade, did very well...but was recently told by the college counselor that colleges want to see test scores from 11th grade and on, so the student will be re-taking the SAT.

Not true.
Most natl merit scholars take them the first half of high school and lock in a fantastic score, then onward and upward to focus on their tougher classes, any AP tests, independent study, ECs, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check the colleges of interest first. Some really won’t take SATs from fresh or soph year. CMU is one.

CMU accepts summer of 10th grade SAT

[Anonymous]

What CMU actually says:

We believe that college admission testing in the 9th and 10th grades adds to the anxiety of a process that students won’t encounter for several years. As a result, we encourage students to submit 11th or 12th grade SAT or ACT scores (tests taken the summer after 10th grade are appropriate). While earlier tests may measure knowledge at the time they are taken, that level of knowledge gradually evolves and doesn’t fully represent the knowledge students bring to college first-year courses. Should students present tests taken two or more years in advance of their first-year experience, we'd take the timing of the test results into consideration. The greater the amount of time prior to students' first year of college, the less we can rely on the test results as a fair representation of their knowledge entering Carnegie Mellon.

https://www.cmu.edu/admission/admission/standardized-testing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What CMU actually says:

We believe that college admission testing in the 9th and 10th grades adds to the anxiety of a process that students won’t encounter for several years. As a result, we encourage students to submit 11th or 12th grade SAT or ACT scores (tests taken the summer after 10th grade are appropriate). While earlier tests may measure knowledge at the time they are taken, that level of knowledge gradually evolves and doesn’t fully represent the knowledge students bring to college first-year courses. Should students present tests taken two or more years in advance of their first-year experience, we'd take the timing of the test results into consideration. The greater the amount of time prior to students' first year of college, the less we can rely on the test results as a fair representation of their knowledge entering Carnegie Mellon.

https://www.cmu.edu/admission/admission/standardized-testing

so what PP already said—CMU accepts summer of 10th grade. The rationale for later is understood, but some kids focus on advanced math classes and math competitions for 11th and 12th and still get into Ivy+ with earlier SAT scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What CMU actually says:

We believe that college admission testing in the 9th and 10th grades adds to the anxiety of a process that students won’t encounter for several years. As a result, we encourage students to submit 11th or 12th grade SAT or ACT scores (tests taken the summer after 10th grade are appropriate). While earlier tests may measure knowledge at the time they are taken, that level of knowledge gradually evolves and doesn’t fully represent the knowledge students bring to college first-year courses. Should students present tests taken two or more years in advance of their first-year experience, we'd take the timing of the test results into consideration. The greater the amount of time prior to students' first year of college, the less we can rely on the test results as a fair representation of their knowledge entering Carnegie Mellon.

https://www.cmu.edu/admission/admission/standardized-testing

so what PP already said—CMU accepts summer of 10th grade. The rationale for later is understood, but some kids focus on advanced math classes and math competitions for 11th and 12th and still get into Ivy+ with earlier SAT scores.

“Summer of 10th grade” is unclear — does that mean the summer before or after? Most HS, for example, put summer classes on the transcript for the following grade. As of June, a student is no longer in 10th, they are riding 11th. My current junior took a summer class for credit last summer (between 10th and 11th) and that credit goes towards junior year, for example.

So yes, summer after 10th is fine. Summer before 10th — which many might consider the “summer of 10th” — not fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What CMU actually says:

We believe that college admission testing in the 9th and 10th grades adds to the anxiety of a process that students won’t encounter for several years. As a result, we encourage students to submit 11th or 12th grade SAT or ACT scores (tests taken the summer after 10th grade are appropriate). While earlier tests may measure knowledge at the time they are taken, that level of knowledge gradually evolves and doesn’t fully represent the knowledge students bring to college first-year courses. Should students present tests taken two or more years in advance of their first-year experience, we'd take the timing of the test results into consideration. The greater the amount of time prior to students' first year of college, the less we can rely on the test results as a fair representation of their knowledge entering Carnegie Mellon.

https://www.cmu.edu/admission/admission/standardized-testing

so what PP already said—CMU accepts summer of 10th grade. The rationale for later is understood, but some kids focus on advanced math classes and math competitions for 11th and 12th and still get into Ivy+ with earlier SAT scores.

“Summer of 10th grade” is unclear — does that mean the summer before or after? Most HS, for example, put summer classes on the transcript for the following grade. As of June, a student is no longer in 10th, they are riding 11th. My current junior took a summer class for credit last summer (between 10th and 11th) and that credit goes towards junior year, for example.

So yes, summer after 10th is fine. Summer before 10th — which many might consider the “summer of 10th” — not fine.

Lol

[Anonymous]

What is the downside of taking it in 9th? Are you required to send those scores when you apply to college? I don't understand why you wouldn't just take it every year until you get the score you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the downside of taking it in 9th? Are you required to send those scores when you apply to college? I don't understand why you wouldn't just take it every year until you get the score you want.

The downside is the cost and your time for what will likely be a score that doesn’t reflect anything close to your best. Even if the kid is done with algebra 2 and ready for the math section (though my DS who got 780 on the math portion says there’s absolutely pre calculus on the SAT), the verbal will improve leaps and bounds after some high school English. There’s just not much upside and a million better ways to use your time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the downside of taking it in 9th? Are you required to send those scores when you apply to college? I don't understand why you wouldn't just take it every year until you get the score you want.

The downside is the cost and your time for what will likely be a score that doesn’t reflect anything close to your best. Even if the kid is done with algebra 2 and ready for the math section (though my DS who got 780 on the math portion says there’s absolutely pre calculus on the SAT), the verbal will improve leaps and bounds after some high school English. There’s just not much upside and a million better ways to use your time.

Wouldn't the upside be getting acclimated and help take away some test day nerves? Better use of your time maybe, but it's one day.

[Anonymous]

You need to take the SAT after Algebra II because it includes math thru Algebra II. It's a waste to take it before that. Did they mean after Sophomore year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need to take the SAT after Algebra II because it includes math thru Algebra II. It's a waste to take it before that. Did they mean after Sophomore year?

OP said their kid was on an advanced track and had Algebra 1 and Geometry in middle school, so likely taking Algebra 2 as a freshman.