[VIDEO ANSWER] As a sophomore should I focus on the new SAT or the old SAT?

Test Prep Authority – Office Hours #1 – Question: “As a sophomore this year, is it wiser for me to take the SAT twice when the new one comes out or should I take it twice in the first half of junior year, when the old SAT is still in effect?”

[toggle title=”Click to Open Video Transcript” color=”gray”]As a sophomore this year, is it wiser for me to take the SAT twice when the new one comes out, or should I take it twice in the first half of junior year when the old SAT is still in effect? Just in general, how should the class of 2017 deal with the new SAT? The new SAT…again, my favorite subject in the universe. Basically it’s sort of like the New Coke fiasco, if you know about the Coke versus Pepsi wars. The College Board is making a huge mistake doing this. I don’t really know why they’re doing it, except that they’re losing market share to the ACT and they want to make their test more like the ACT and they’re also bringing the scores back to the old 1,600 point scale so that they can go back to the format that everyone seemed to know and love even though they hated it.

But basically what do you do about this new SAT if you’re in your sophomore year? Honestly, I would say just prep for the ACT or prep for the SAT right now and get it done. As I said right at the beginning of the program, you either want to just do this and get it over with, or you want to stick with the ACT if you’re doing a longer term plan. So really the answer is this: are you taking the SAT within the next six months? Take the SAT. It’s fine. If you’re taking any longer than that and test prep is on the horizon, try focusing on the ACT instead. It’s just more solid and you’re going to know what to expect. That’s the short answer.

The longer answer is, use the guide on TPA. Find out which one you should take and then if it recommends the SAT, blast SAT prep now. Take it. Get it over with and honestly, if it recommends the ACT, blast ACT prep. Get it over with. If you’re in seventh grade, you don’t need to worry about it right now. Wait until after ninth grade to even begin, but if you’re in tenth grade, you should be studying for these tests right now. Do not let this process wait. When parents call me and they say, “It’s the summer and my son’s going into his senior year and he hasn’t studied for the SAT yet.” It’s manageable. It’s not ideal. It’s far, far, far, far from ideal. You don’t want to be taking your backup SAT or your backup ACT as you’re submitting applications. You want to be taking your backup SAT or your backup ACT your sophomore year when you still have two years left and then you can focus on everything else. So the real answer to this question is, start early and if you’re taking the SAT, get it out of the way right now. Otherwise, ACT.[/toggle]