What Grade Do You Take the SAT?

What grade do you take the SAT, most high school students are recommended to take the SAT in the spring of their junior year, even though the March SAT date is a large favorite of college counselors. The problem with this advice is that it is given without taking a few specifics into account, and many students are quite busy in the spring. 

In What Grade do you Take the SAT/ACT? 

Given that the SAT results are valid for five years, you might begin taking it as early as eighth grade. 

The spring of your sophomore year and the end of the summer of your junior year are the ideal times to take the SAT. 

When to Start Preparing for SAT

Starting early may give you more preparation time overall, but if you don’t have a target score in mind, you run the danger of spending more time on exam preparation than is necessary. What grade do you take the SAT, it matters more than asking. And that’s time you could use to improve your extracurricular involvement or GPA, two elements of your college résumé. 

Performing well in a competitive exam like SAT or ACT is dependent on many factors – in which the time of taking the test plays an important role. When the student zeroes in on the right time to take the test, they can have ample time to prepare and make a strategy about getting the highest score with good preparation ideas and taking ample time for the practice tests as well. Some of the factors the student needs to consider while deciding which grade is the right time to take the test are:

Check Your Schedule:

Understand your schedule and see where the productive hours are going. Having a thorough understanding of the schedule will allow you to make tweaks to it by adjusting the time accordingly to the exam prep. Hence. Check how packed your schedule is and make the necessary changes for it to ace the SAT with ease!

Know the SAT Test Dates:

It is a known fact that the SAT is conducted seven times a year: September, October, December, February, April, June, and July. People applying from New York State must be aware that the test dates in February and June are not available. Know these facts and plan accordingly during the junior year of the spring season, ideally.

Give Time Management a Priority:

Competitive exams like the SAT heavily rely on the timing and the way the student plans the schedule to prepare well. The student is expected to have great time management skills not just for the prep but also for choosing the exam day. Understand your most productive hours of the day and plan the prep accordingly. Even while choosing the test date, see how far the exam day is from the current day and brainstorm on whether you can attain it or not.

How Good Are You at Math:

This is an important question to ask oneself because SAT covers concepts from Arithmetic to pre-calculus and it is advisable to take the exam in December or March of your junior year- which can greatly increase the chances of preparing well and ultimately scoring high in the exam.

Which Grade are You Currently Studying:

As SAT scores are valid for five years after taking the test, one can start appearing for the SAT as early as the eighth grade. Academic experts say that SAT should be taken in the junior year – which is more effective.

But, depending on the student’s confidence levels, skillset, and planning abilities- the student can also appear for the exam in the senior year as well. But if the student takes the test in junior year, he/she will have time to plan about colleges, build up a strong profile, and eventually make an excellent application for admission into top colleges or Ivy League.

How Many Attempts Are Allowed for SAT?

This is a crucial question that bothers many students and parents alike who are eyeing the SAT as the right examination for career building. While there is no limit on the number of attempts you can take for the examination, it is advisable to take the test 2- 4 times but not more than that.

Getting a good score on the first attempt itself may not happen for all, but repeated attempts that are limited will greatly increase the chance of getting a higher score and also create an excellent impression when you apply for the top schools or Ivy League. Getting a good score in a limited number of attempts (ideally 2) gives an excellent impression to the colleges- which displays that you are good at cracking an exam and studying with great focus.

Understanding SAT Test Preparation:

Preparing for the SAT demands full focus and attention of the student and hence, the student should be doubly sure of how much productive time they can give after enrolling for the exam. Along with expertise in subjects such as Math and English Language skills, the student should also set aside a good deal of time for doing as many practice tests as possible.

Just like any other competitive exam, knowing the rules of the SAT and how the system scores your answers also becomes quite important in getting good results.

Knowing how the SAT scoring is done, and how each of the individual abilities of the student is analyzed can take the student a long way toward building a strong career ahead. The best way to be focused and score high on the exam is to understand its rules and also introspect on individual strengths and weaknesses.

Self-evaluation of the scores in the practice tests also boosts the student’s confidence in scoring higher on the SAT. The expertise in the English language alone may not be enough. Various aspects of the language such as Reading, Writing, Analyzing words, and excellent vocabulary- all these become important for acing the SAT.

The golden rule to remember for SAT prep is to give more time for practice tests – because it will help the student to apply the concepts learned and also gives a clear-cut idea of where they stand- in terms of the strong competition the examination has. As they say, “Practice makes a man perfect”- the rule is out and out applicable for acing the SAT.

Consider College Application Deadlines

Last but not least, knowing the college application deadlines greatly impacts the time you should take the SAT. Keeping track of admission deadlines for your dream college is quite crucial. For a high school senior, the deadlines are usually in December or January of every year or sometimes, even in earlier months such as November.

The SAT scores are usually out after three weeks of giving the examination and by considering all these factors, the student should decide on their SAT exam date.

Conclusion:

The ideal time to take the SAT test is dependent on various factors such as personal schedule, preferences, college deadlines, individual strengths and weaknesses, and the number of attempts the student is planning to make for the test. Consider all these aspects carefully before finalizing the test date.