PWN the SAT Q&A • I’m a senior who has taken the SAT twice and I was planning on doing the SAT in Oct., and subject tests in Nov, but based on my recent practice tests results I don’t feel like I’ll be ready for my final shot in Oct. If I do Dec instead I’ll be more prepared because that will give me 2 more months to do practice tests. My parents are pretty adamant in thinking I should just do Oct like the rest of my peers, despite the fact that I feel I need more time; It’s my last shot!! What do you think?

Anonymous

Anonymous asked:

I'm a senior who has taken the SAT twice and I was planning on doing the SAT in Oct., and subject tests in Nov, but based on my recent practice tests results I don't feel like I'll be ready for my final shot in Oct. If I do Dec instead I'll be more prepared because that will give me 2 more months to do practice tests. My parents are pretty adamant in thinking I should just do Oct like the rest of my peers, despite the fact that I feel I need more time; It's my last shot!! What do you think?

You can decide whether to really do this based on the kind of relationship you have with your parents, but after reading your letter my first thought was that you should say to them: “If all my friends were going to jump off a bridge, would you be adamant that I do, too?”

The December test is usually fine for applications other than ED/EA applications. But if your parents are really having issues with it, and you really feel like you need more time, then you should consider all your options. One compromise you might be able to make is to take your Subject Tests in October and take your SAT in November. Maybe your parents would be OK with that?

You should also consider the trade-offs involved in delaying your SAT by 2 more months. Yes, you’ll have more time to study for the SAT, but that’s also 2 more months to be assigned homework in school that’s going to cut into your study time. Further, for many kids, the December SAT comes right in the middle of midterms. Is that the case for you? Do you really want to do that to yourself? You’ve got 2 scores already on record. Is the potential score gain you could see in December really such an improvement that it justifies that aggravation? I would say, unless you expect an increase of at least 100 points, it probably isn’t.

Obviously I don’t know you, so I’ll just make this last point generally. I see a lot of kids make the decision to put a test off simply because the idea of the test is unpleasant—the same way I put off making dentist appointments. Many kids don’t do any extra studying between their originally planned date and the date they actually sit for the test 2 months later. They just postpone the test as it approaches because the anticipation stresses them out. Then they justify it by saying they’ll study more in the meantime, etc. This is not a great reason to put a test off.

I hope this is helpful. Good luck!