By: Ben Sexton
Spring used to be one the heaviest testing seasons of the year. I’d always mark the May SAT on my calendar because that was the end of busy season and the beginning of a couple months of easy scheduling for me. But now, with the continued rise in importance of AP courses and exams, the May SAT is no longer ideal for most students. With AP exams occurring right around the same time, the May SAT has become one of the less used SAT dates.
Instead, many students have moved their SAT preparation to the fall. When the new August SAT introduced two years ago, it gave students a second fall option, along with October, that could be used for early decision. Furthermore, students could prepare for August without simultaneously managing the end-of-year crush of school. August immediately went from a lighter month to one of our busiest SAT months of the year.
Now, College Board has introduced yet another fall test – THE SEPTEMBER DATE. Falling on September 13th this year, the September SAT gives students yet another option for fall testing, again prior to early decision. And for regular decision, having the opportunity to take the test in August, September, October, November, and even December gives students a lot of flexibility in how they want to schedule their testing. Summer and fall have emerged as ideal times to prepare for and take the SAT.
Fall testing can work for both rising juniors and rising seniors. An academically advanced rising junior can take use two or even three of the five summer/fall dates listed above – in addition to the PSAT – to finish their testing before the busy spring of junior year even arrives. And a rising senior who hasn’t achieved their desired scores on the first pass has multiple opportunities to raise that score.
For many juniors, the March SAT is still an excellent time to take a first SAT. The March date is well before AP exams, and juniors will want to have some idea of where they’re scoring before the fall of senior year. But in the past, the natural plan for juniors was to follow up the March test with the May test. That plan may work for some people, but it’s no longer completely necessary. When the October SAT was the only viable fall option for early decision, doing most, if not all, of the testing in the spring made sense. Now, the fall provides many viable options in case the May and June SAT dates aren’t convenient. The June SAT can often fall right before or even during finals week.
A student certainly doesn’t need to take every test date available during a season. Most students mostly or completely top out after their second or third testing, anyway. But the additional flexibility is welcome, helping take a lot of pressure off students who might otherwise have a make-or-break test date in October.
We can help you evaluate your test date options and make a testing schedule that is most convenient and least pressure-packed for your student. Please contact us to learn more.
