Who Should Still Take the SAT Test?

Test dates for the SAT are being cancelled left and right. Yet, you still may be wondering: Should I still take the SAT? It turns out some students should, while others should not. We will be reviewing which students would benefit from taking the SAT and which should spend their time and money elsewhere.

Who Should?

Who Should

11th graders looking to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship need to take the SAT. Approximately half of all Finalists for this award win a scholarship worth $2500 or more. Qualifying as a Finalist or Semifinalist, though, also looks good for college admissions since it is technically an award.

Who Shouldn’t?

Who Shouldn’t

11th graders who already have strong grades – mostly A’s – AND have taken the PSAT, do not need to take the test. Taking additional SAT exams provides virtually no value since colleges can already see the student’s demonstrated aptitude.

Recap and Conclusion

Recap and Conclusion

Take the SAT if you’re in 11th grade and looking to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship. Take it if you have something to prove due to low grades from the past. Otherwise, save your time for other admissions boosting activities. There are plenty!

See you soon!

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Sarah Gooch

Essay Editor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: I have five years' experience in coaching student writing, but this is my first year with ReadyEdgeGo.

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love helping students find depth and meaning in their own stories—but I also just love it when they make me laugh!

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In theory, I enjoy painting and writing poetry, but these days I actually spend most of my free time socializing or watching movies with my husband.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Don't just focus on achieving top grades and credentials because they look good on applications, or your education will be meaningless. The numbers and awards have their place, but stay connected to your sense of curiosity, discovery, excitement, and wonder so that the content you're learning is constantly transforming you—it's something you care about, something you remember after the final exam. Work on the aspects of yourself no one can measure, like integrity, wisdom, kindness, and compassion, so that you're not only developing your academic and career potential but also investing in the type of adult you're going to be, the person you'll have to live with after you clock out every day for the rest of your life.

Doing the hard inner work of building your character and learning deeply instead of just earning grades will set you up for a satisfying, well-rounded life. Strange as it sounds, it will also put you ahead in your academic and career goals, because colleges and hiring managers aren't looking for an empty set of data on a spreadsheet; they want a fully fleshed-out person marked by passion, creativity, and a story no one else has lived.

So go on studying hard for tests, but also spend some time asking yourself what matters in life and who your role models are. Read up on topics that amaze you, and build something incredible just for fun. Cultivate that spark of joy you feel when you're immersed in a subject that fascinates you. If you can hit that balancing act of doing your homework and meeting deadlines but also investing in the kind of person you want to be, then trust that all the rest will follow: schools will recognize you as a dynamic, all-star person, and you will also build a life of happiness, close relationships, and peace.

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