Why The March SAT Date Is So Important

(Especially for AP students)

Considering just how many times the SAT is offered in a given year, students and their parents might be forgiven for thinking that every test date is equally viable. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, if you are an 11th grader on an honors track or committed to a spring sport who hasn’t earned your best SAT score by January, then the March SAT is probably your last best chance to finish testing in junior year.

Why can I deliver this assertion with such confidence? Decades of watching students encounter the same challenges over and over again have solidified my contention that May and June are often the worst times to take the SAT. What’s wrong with those months exactly?

MAY – AP exams, spring sports and activities, Spring Break, prom, maybe finals

JUNE – maybe Finals, championships for spring sports, exhaustion, etc.

Most high schoolers—especially those taking two or more AP exams—succumb to the inexorable grind of a long academic year. Honors and accelerated students should take advantage of the slow winter months and try to complete prep and testing by the March SAT or April ACT. Failure to do so will likely extend the process into senior year.

Not convinced? Here’s more detail on The Case for the March SAT.