RocketReview Revolution

Not all of these questions will be relevant to your situation now, but sooner or later most or all of them will be relevant. Read through the list of questions below and check off the ones you find that bear on your immediate or upcoming situation. Read these questions first, you can skim the others later. Since many of these questions involve long-range planning, however, have your parents read through all the questions.

1. What is the SAT?
2. What’s on the test?
3. How important is the SAT?
4. What’s a good SAT score?
5. When should I take my first SAT?
6. What if my school says I should take the SAT I on a certain date?
7. How many times can I take the SAT?
8. Who definitely should—and who definitely shouldn’t—retake the SAT?
9. Isn’t it true that my SAT score will go up each time I take the test?
10. Will colleges take only my best SAT scores?
11. Will my school sign me up for the SAT like it did for the PSAT?
12. Should I Take the SAT First Without Preparing?
13. Can I prepare for the SAT entirely on my own?
14. What should I be doing on my own to prepare for the SAT?
15. When should I start preparing for the SAT?
16. If I’m thinking about taking an SAT course or tutoring program, how do I decide which one to take?
17. What is the PSAT?
18. How is the PSAT different from the SAT?
19. Are my 11th grade PSAT scores good predictors of my 11th grade SAT scores?
20. Should I prepare for the PSAT?
21. What are the SAT II tests?
22. Do all colleges require the SAT II’s?
23. Which SAT II Subject Tests should I take?
24. Should I take an SAT II Subject Test if my teacher suggests it?
25. When is the best time to take an SAT II?
26. Can I take more than one SAT II on the same test date?
27. Should I prepare for the SAT II’s?

6. What if my school says I should take the SAT I on a certain date?

Your school may have various reasons for wanting your class as a whole to take the SAT on a certain date—such as administrative convenience—but my concern is you, not your school as a whole, so the advice I give here and throughout this book is always in your best interest, not somebody else’s.

Some schools, for example, “strongly suggest” or “encourage” all their juniors to take the SAT in December immediately after the PSAT—and sometimes even before PSAT scores have been returned. Taking the SAT so early is a Bad Idea for 99.5 percent of all students.

Still, however unenlightened such a suggestion is, you don’t want to go out of your way to antagonize any officials at your school (especially your college advisor, who may, after all, have an impact on which college or colleges accept you). In the unlikely event that your school insists that all juniors take the SAT on a date that you will not feel ready for, be tactful. Who knows, since you’re the one responsible for signing up for the SAT you might forget to register, or you might be ill on the test date.