Taking the SAT

My most important comment about the SAT is the timing for taking the SAT.  The SAT should be taken before the end of the junior year.  Juniors should start taking the SAT during the second semester while they are deeply engaged in math, lab science, and English literature classes as this is the moment when they will be most acadmically prepared.  Waiting for the summer to pass by and taking the SAT in October of the senior year will cause a decline in their SAT scores unless they have dedicated their summer vacation to serious SAT prep.  Furthermore, it is important to recognize that seniors will have too much to do with college and scholarship applications to give serious energy to maximizing their SAT scores.

On a related note, students can take the SAT as often as they want in an attempt to get a better score.  Colleges do not frown upon repeated attempts but rather see such diligence as a sign of seriousness.  Colleges will simply count the best score.  It does not matter if the best score was the first attempt or the last attempt.  Really.