When Should You Take the SAT?

Every month, around a quarter of a million students sit down to take the SAT, a two-hour examination that plays a significant role in college admissions. At Stuyvesant High School, juniors have the opportunity to take the test free of charge in March through the SAT School Day program run by the NYC Department of Education. As a result, students look upon this as the default time to take the test. Additionally, many choose to take it in their sophomore year or the summer before their junior year, and some instead wait until the start of their senior year. The range of dates students choose raises the question of when the optimal time is to sit down for the exam. 

Currently, underclassmen are beginning to plan out when the best time for them is to take the SAT. “I’m a bit worried about the timeline, but I’ll probably start preparing the spring of this year or next summer, considering that I’d probably take it in the spring of my junior year,” sophomore Zahra Kumar reflected. On SAT School Days, underclassmen are instructed to arrive at school in the afternoon, which is one of the first ways they find out that Stuyvesant offers the test to students. Thus, many start planning their college applications with this SAT date in mind, and later may choose to take it at additional dates due to preference. 

Several rising juniors opted to take the SAT over the summer, emphasizing their desire to have sufficient time to retake the exam if need be. Junior Alicia Kosior shared her decision to take the August SAT: “I feel like I’m taking it at a good time, as it’s not too early that I don’t feel like I didn’t get enough prep, and I have many months to attempt the SAT again,” she explained. Taking the SAT as a rising junior over the summer gives one ample time to study hard, learn from mistakes, and reflect along their SAT journey. Those who take it before their junior year have a whole year ahead of them to determine their best course of action in terms of retaking the test and submitting scores.

However, taking the SAT at a time other than March requires students to find somewhere other than Stuyvesant to test, and the search for an open seat at an alternate testing center can be challenging. Since seats are in high demand, especially over the summer, it can be hard to secure one at a desired or nearby school. “I tried to register at the same location as my friend, but the school instantly ran out of seats a few minutes later,”  junior Rahul Azam detailed, who is taking the September SAT. The high demand for seats can leave students with both testing stress and unsatisfactory testing locations. Because the SAT is already a high-pressure exam for high school students, it is imperative that factors outside of the actual test are controllable. Students should consider whether they are comfortable testing at a different school, potentially even at a faraway location. The demand for seats also pressures students to decide on their testing dates early so they can reserve a spot and avoid unexpected testing hurdles. 

Juniors taking the SAT early on in the process appear to be making a smart decision, as seniors who chose that path are glad they have already taken the test. “I took it in September of junior year because I knew I wouldn’t be in the right headspace to take it during the school year,” senior Hilda Liang shared. Getting the test out of the way before junior year allows students to put more effort into other activities without worrying about scores and test preparation.  Attending an academically demanding school such as Stuyvesant can make it hard to feel like the time is right for the exam during the school year. Not only is it chaotic in terms of new courses and activities, but many are generally exhausted on the daily, attempting to find balance as students. Taking the exam earlier additionally lets juniors get a feel for the structure of the test before most of them take it for free in March, which can help them improve their performance and feel more confident in their abilities. 

Other seniors who did not take the test earlier are starting to feel the pressure when it comes to the application cycle. Senior Troye Kim is preparing to take both the upcoming August and September tests. “It avoids the final college application sprints and the season to record vocal performance portfolios,” Kim explained, looking ahead and considering other aspects of college application. Because Kim is a singer, he not only has to face the burden which comes with the SAT, but also must consider the specialized audition process of performing arts colleges. His decision leaves him with a mere five months until the Common Application is due. “I am taking it too late, in my opinion, because I didn’t start really thinking about it until junior year. I would imagine my journey [would be] less stressful if I started at least studying for it in freshman year,” he described. 

Senior Josh Arthur, who is taking the upcoming October exam, feels similarly to Kim. To Arthur, taking the exam at this time means “risking a lot because this is the last one before early decision,” he said. Students who decide to take the test close to college applications have to manage the pressure that comes with simultaneously completing test prep, writing essays, and finishing supplementary materials. For those who handle this kind of multitasking well, it may not seem like a challenge. However, procrastinating taking and preparing for the SAT can stress students out.

In the end, each student has to decide for themselves when they feel ready to take the SAT. While it may be helpful to take it prior to junior year, it is not necessary to take it early in order to do well. Taking the March exam removes the struggle of finding a testing center and provides a convenient location for juniors. Taking the exam earlier spaces out the various things that students have on their to-do lists for college admissions. Still, there is no “correct” time to take the exam: it varies student-to-student based on personal preference. What is most important is that every student goes at their own pace and finally sits down for the test when they feel confident in themselves.