4 Reasons Top Students Should take the SAT Sooner Rather than Later

"We recommend that students take the SAT in the spring of their junior year and then decide if they want to take it again in the fall of their senior year."  
-College Board Website FAQ section

If you're a top student trying to figure out when to take the SAT and your guidance counselor gives you the above advice, don't take it.  

It's a dumb idea to blindly regurgitate anything from the College Board, given it's one of the most ass-backwards organizations in the history of the world.  Believe it or not, up until 2014, the College Board refused to acknowledge that SAT-prep (aka actually studying for the test) helped improve your score...pretty sad for a company that's been administering the SAT exam since 1926.

Thoughtful advice depends on the specific circumstances of the student and one such group are top students: those with high GPAs who are taking Honors/AP/IB classes and will be applying to super selective colleges/universities. ​If this describes you, here are 4 reasons you should ignore the College Board's guidance and take the SAT sooner rather than later:

1. Workload: Junior year is super tough, especially if you're a top student taking advanced courses. AP/IB exams take place in May and are followed by finals in June (for most high schools). Given the increased workload and stress during this time, why take the SAT on top of all that? It's paramount to go into the SAT exam as stress-free and well-rested as possible.  Believe me, I've worked with enough students to know that going into the test in optimum mental & physical condition can mean the difference of 200-300 points. 
   
   
2. Math Level: Most top students are take higher-level math (precalculus/calculus) when they're juniors. However, the highest level math tested on the digital SAT is Algebra 2. In fact, the majority of the math on the test are topics advanced students covered in 7th-9th grade (number properties, pre-algebra, algebra, basic geometry).
   
   Those students who take the SAT later (spring junior year/fall senior year) have to spend considerably more time reviewing old math concepts than compared to students who take the SAT on the earlier side (end of sophomore year/beginning of junior year).  
   
   While it may make sense for the average student to wait until late junior/early senior year to take the test , it's detrimental for advanced students as there's a higher probability they will be rusty the longer they wait to take the test.
   
   
3. Test Count: The majority of students take the SAT more than once for two main reasons. One, statistics show that the majority of students improve their scores the second time time around.
   The second reason is to take advantage of super scoring: a policy by which colleges consider your highest section scores across all the dates you took the SAT. 
   
   For example, say you take the SAT for the first time and receive a Reading/Writing score of 600 and a Math score of 680 (Total: 1280). Then, you retake the exam and get a  Reading/Writing score of 670 and a Math score of 620 (Total: 1290).  Universities with super scoring policies will take the highest combination of scores, which in this case would be a 670 for Reading/Writing and 680 for Math (for a super-score of 1350).
   
   So why does this matter? In short, taking the test earlier gives you more options. If you take the SAT for the first time in the spring, you only have 3 exam dates to choose from: March, May and June. However, if you take the SAT for the first time in the  later summer or fall, will have an additional 4 exam dates to choose from: October, November and December and late August.
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4. College Applications: Students applying to top ranked schools, who are completely done with the SAT's by the time their senior year rolls around have a much easier time, because that's one less thing to worry about. Senior year can be challenging: in addition to taking classes, you have to work on college applications as well.  Additionally, the grades you receive the first quarter  senior year are generally the last grades that get sent to colleges. You don’t want your college applications or your GPA to suffer because you still having to focus on the SAT.  
   
   Finishing the whole SAT exam process is especially important if you're applying for early decision/early action. as you'll have even less time to prepare your applications (early action/decision applications are typically due Oct/ Nov of senior year).

The unique circumstances of academically advanced students are just one of many examples of how students vary when it comes to their education & career goals. Therefore, giving the same blanket guidance to all students, regardless of their situation, is downright idiotic. Don't sign up for a test date simply because it’s when other students take the exam.

Students have different needs based on extracurricular activities, course loads, goals, and personality. If you choose the right test date based on your circumstances, you’re taking the first step toward successfully planning for the exam — and your future higher education.