Expert: Susie Watts - 12/28/2011

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I'm planning on taking the SAT in March. I want to buy a study guide, but I don't know which one is best for me. I know there is The Official Study Guide, but I've heard of others as well, like Barron's, Kaplan, and Princeton Review. I scored a 159 on the PSAT.

ANSWER: I recommend the official guide because the College Board is the company that publishes the SAT.  It is as close to the real thing as you can get.  Go over the reviews on the three different parts of the test and schedule a 25 minute time period where you can take a test.  Then check your answers and look up the explanations for any questions you miss.  The more tests you take, the better practice you will get, and the more confidence you will gain when you take the test in March.  I recommend every student takes both the SAT and ACT and finds out which test they do better on and which one they are most comfortable with.

http://www.collegedirection.org

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: And speaking of the ACTs... Is it okay if I take it my senior year? I've heard it's better to take it both your junior year and senior year, but I'm not sure if my schedule can fit it in. I changed my SAT date to May 5 instead, but it looks like it still won't work out.

Answer
It would be best if you could take both the SAT and ACT sometime your junior year so you could concentrate-if you wanted to-on the test which you think you can get the highest score.  There is an ACT is June which is usually after school is finished for the summer.  If it doesn't work out, there are a few dates in the fall when both tests are offered.

http://www.collegedirection.org