In this post, Nurturing Wisdom President Pari Schacht demystifies one of the most common myths about the ACT and SAT.

I’m on a myth busting kick lately. I recently explained why both the ACT and SAT are accepted at all universities in the United States in my post on the Myth of Preference. Today, I want to talk about another common myth: junior year curriculum is needed for a student to take the ACT or SAT.

Many parents and students are told to wait to take the ACT or SAT until spring of junior year because junior year curriculum is tested on both tests.

In reality, there is almost nothing on the ACT or SAT that is covered in the junior year curriculum. Let’s look at this in more detail and address some of the most common misconceptions…

We tutor many students each year for the ACT and SAT and frequently advise parents and students on how to get the best results while fitting test preparation into the student’s life.  We know standardized tests are an important piece of the college admissions process; however, so are grades, extra-curricular activities, essays, and (not to mention) the student’s social life and overall well-being. Therefore, we have to balance tutoring for standardized tests with everything else.

We have one important strategy that helps students work “smarter, not harder” when preparing for these tests.  Pick ONE test.

Two common misconceptions are that colleges prefer either the SAT or ACT and that you have to take both tests. Neither is true!