I would take pre calc first.

Every kid is different. We tried to follow the advice of studying over summer before 11th to take early in 11th grade. That strategy didn't work for my kid- they took the sat and their score was lower than expected/lower than their practise tests. They switched to the act and took it at the end of 11th and got a great score in 1 sitting. (My kid was taking precalc Jr year) I think having more math content helped.

Anonymous wrote:SAT covers through Algebra 2, so the summer after your kid takes that is the best first crack. For a kid doing precalc in 11th (which is a very typical - perhaps the most common - progression), that would be the summer between 10th and 11th, so your kid is right on track.

I totally agree with this. My DS didn't take it until summer before his junior year when he had just completed Calc AB. So he was far removed from most of the math that was on the ACT/SAT. I think initially that was a disadvantage for him. He had to go back and rehash a lot of the algebra and geometry etc he took years earlier which is a majority of the test. However, it all worked out as he eventually got the score he needed and was admitted to Georgia Tech for the fall for engineering.

I agree with everyone here, and my DDs experience on the SAT was that, while everything could be solved with Algebra 2 knowledge, some things were easier to solve if you tackled them from a different direction with more advance math knowledge. I don’t know if that was just her experience or if other also experienced this.

She received a high math score so I have to assume her approach in fact worked.

For a student taking precalc in 11th grade, take the SAT in August of 11th grade. There is little to no precalc on the SAT. It is the verbal section that typically benefits from more time and experience in junior year AP courses, but worth taking a crack at the August test to see if your kid can get a high score in or both sections. This leaves plenty of time for a retake if desired.

Don't need pre-calc for SAT. Just solid algebra/trig, a few good strategies, deduction and time management.

SAT covers through Algebra 2, so the summer after your kid takes that is the best first crack. For a kid doing precalc in 11th (which is a very typical - perhaps the most common - progression), that would be the summer between 10th and 11th, so your kid is right on track.

Will taking the SAT summer before 11th grade or early in the year be a disadvantage if a student won’t take Precalc until 11th grade? Did your kid’s score increase a lot after the student took Precalc? TIA.