Any pros to taking the SAT as a sophomore?Answered
I've been practicing on khan academy and pretty consistently scoring in the 1400s...so would it be beneficial to take an official one now, or just wait until I'm a junior?
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I took mine the summer before junior year, and I thought that was pretty good timing. I got to practice over the summer without the added load of schoolwork, which helped me a lot in terms of stress. Taking it at the end of this summer could also help if you want to retake it later on because you won't be in a time crunch. Hope this helps, good luck!
You are a special case because most sophomores do not score in the 1400s in 10th grade. What I recommend you do is take multiple paper tests like 4-8 of them, from the Official Red SAT book and mark them and see where you end up in the next 6 weeks. If you get into the 1500s, then I would sign up for a real SAT test in August before your junior year. If you score 99% percentile say from 1520-1600 on a real test that will be very helpful.
The reason I say this is because CollegeBoard allows all pre-juniors the ability to submit their SAT scores instead of the PSAT score to qualify for the Merit Scholarship, which will qualify you as a 1st round semi-finalist. If your grades and scores are high enough (I'm not sure what the criteria are exactly) you will move on to being considered as a National Merit Finalist. This doesn't have a large cash award (Max $2500) but certain schools like USC use the honor to give their accepted applicants a 1/2 tuition scholarship. There are not very many privates that use this award for those purposes but enough to make it worth your while to apply. There are no Ivys or Elites on the list.
Based on how well you do, you may decide not to take the PSAT at all.
If your target is 1550 and you are stuck in the 1400s, then I would make post a new question and ask for add'l resources to help you get from a 95% percentile score to a 99% percentile one.
Good luck.
take one now you can always take it again. it would be nice to see where your at get some colleges in mind.
Honestly, you should give it a try! Many colleges just look at your highest score on the SAT and by taking it your Sophomore year, you are just giving yourself more time to practice taking the test as well as improving your score. You can take it multiple times whether you start in your junior year or sophomore year so starting early just gives you more practice and if you get a score you are satisfied with, you won't have to take it after. But there are certain times where schools might require you to submit all of your previous SAT exams so if you plan on applying to a college with these requirements, you might be a little more cautious taking your SATs early but otherwise, go get extra practice!
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That makes sense about practicing over the summer, I think that's what I'll do. Thanks!