Sophomore-Year SAT or ACT? Maybe a June ACT
Most sophomores should not take the exams . Rather, they should take the PSAT and wait until junior year for the SAT or ACT. The exception is for a sophomore who has already completed Algebra II. That student should take the ACT in June.
A June ACT, viewed alongside a 10th-grade PSAT, shows which of the two tests a student is better suited to before junior-year test prep begins. Families who skip that step may well spend a semester preparing for the wrong exam.
Do sophomores take the SAT? What Florida 10th graders take instead
Most Florida sophomores take the PSAT at school in the fall. State law requires that each public school district administer a 10th-grade readiness test, and the PSAT is their common choice. Many private schools give it as well.
The PSAT is a shorter version of the SAT, and its scores are designed to correspond with SAT scores, though the PSAT has a lower score range. Colleges never see the results. The junior-year PSAT is the one that can qualify students for National Merit Scholarships, so for students on a standard four-year track, the sophomore sitting is a no-stakes first look at the format. Our guide to understanding your PSAT scores explains what the score report tells you.
Why students usually wait until junior year to take the SAT and ACT
Two problems make an official SAT or ACT premature for most sophomores.
The first is content. Both exams assume a student has seen most of a standard high school math sequence. Sophomores midway through geometry will come face to face with questions based upon material they have not been taught yet, so the score will reflect the course calendar more than their ability.
The second is preparation time. Scores rise when a year of academic growth is combined with focused study of the test itself. A 10th grader who tests early has had neither. Junior year gives students both, with room to test and retest before senior-year applications. (Our piece on how many times to take the SAT or ACT covers the retest plan.)
Should you take the ACT sophomore year? The Algebra II exception
If your student took Algebra II as a freshman or sophomore, the math content problem largely disappears. The ACT, updated in 2025, reaches further into Algebra II and trigonometry than the SAT does, with logarithms, trig functions, and some precalculus. A student who has finished Algebra II has seen most of what the math section asks.
For these students, we recommend the June ACT at the end of sophomore year. This year's June test date, June 12, 2027,has a regular registration deadline of May 7. School exams are done by then, so Algebra II material is freshest.
Why the ACT and not the SAT? The fall PSAT already gives your student an SAT-scale score. A June ACT supplies the other side of an especially useful comparison.
Why a real test beats a practice test
A full-length practice ACT at home produces a comparison, too, and it is the right tool for students who are not ready for an official sitting. For a student who has finished Algebra II, the official test is worth the registration fee for three reasons:
Test-day conditions (a proctored room, a strict clock, some nerves) produce a more honest baseline than a kitchen-table practice run.
A strong score does not go to waste. ACT calculates a superscore from your student's best section scores across sittings, and a sophomore score can count toward Florida's Bright Futures test requirement.
Students with an IEP or 504 plan can get ACT accommodations approved in a low-stakes year, well before junior-year test dates.
Why a sophomore ACT is a low-risk test
ACT keeps each test date as a separate record, and students choose which test dates to send to each college. A June score that turns out weaker than later results does not have to appear on an application. (The SAT offers the same protection through College Board's Score Choice; the reason to choose the ACT here is timing, content, and format.)
A small number of colleges ask applicants to send scores from all of their sittings. If your student's list is still forming, check each school's testing policy before junior year. For most families, the risk of a sophomore sitting is negligible.
The updated ACT's science section is now optional, and the composite score is built from English, math, and reading. Sophomores can skip science unless a college on their early list requires it.
How to compare a PSAT score to an ACT score
By the end of sophomore year, your student will have two numbers:
a PSAT score from the fall, which reads as an approximate SAT score because the two tests share a scale
an ACT composite from June, taken after an Algebra II course has been completed
Put them side by side using the official ACT/SAT concordance table, which converts an ACT composite to its SAT equivalent. If the ACT converts to a noticeably higher SAT score, the ACT is your student's test. If the PSAT is stronger, focus on the SAT. If the two are close, choose the format that felt more comfortable. Some students prefer the ACT's steady pace and straightforward questions. Others prefer the SAT's more generous time per question and its adaptive format, in which the second module of each section adjusts to how the student did on the first module.
Treat a difference of a point or two on the ACT scale as a tie. The concordance tables date from 2018, before the ACT's 2025 update, so they are a guide and not a precise conversion.
This choice matters because a test-prep budget is limited by both dollars and hours. Preparing for two test formats at once splits a student's attention; committing to one early puts all prep time toward the test that counts. For a fuller comparison of the exams, see our breakdown of whether to take the SAT or ACT.
A 10th-grade testing timeline
Here is our recommended sequence for sophomores who are on track in math:
Fall of 10th grade: Take the PSAT at school. Review the score report for patterns by section, not just by total score.
Spring of 10th grade: Finish Algebra II. Register for the June ACT before the early-May deadline.
June: Take the ACT after a practice test or two to learn the format. The goal is a realistic baseline, not a peak score.
Summer: Compare the two scores using the concordance table and choose one test. If your student retakes the PSAT in the fall of junior year, check the comparison against that newer score.
Junior year: Begin structured prep for the chosen test, through our ACT preparation program or our SAT and PSAT prep.
Sophomores who have not finished Algebra II should skip the official June test. Take a full-length, timed practice ACT over the summer or early in junior year, at home or with one of our tutors, and make the same comparison against the PSAT.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should sophomores take the SAT or ACT?
Most sophomores should take only the PSAT and wait until junior year for the SAT or ACT. The exception is a sophomore who has finished Algebra II, who should consider the June ACT. That score, compared with the 10th-grade PSAT, shows which test to focus on in junior year.
Do sophomores take the SAT?
Most do not. In Florida, most sophomores take the PSAT at school instead, which previews the SAT on the same scoring scale without sending anything to colleges. The official SAT is usually best saved for junior year, after more math coursework and focused preparation.
Should I take the ACT sophomore year?
Take it in June of sophomore year if you have finished Algebra II. The ACT's math section leans on Algebra II and trigonometry, so students who have completed the course are ready for most of it. Students who have not should take a practice ACT instead and wait for junior year.
Do colleges see all of my ACT scores?
Usually not. ACT stores each test date separately, and you choose which dates to send to each college. A small number of colleges ask for scores from all sittings, so check the testing policy of each school on your list.
How do I compare a PSAT score to an ACT score?
Use the official ACT/SAT concordance table. Because the PSAT and SAT share a scoring scale, a PSAT score works as an approximate SAT score. Convert the ACT composite to its SAT equivalent and compare. Treat a small difference as a tie and let comfort with the format decide.
Score At The Top Learning Centers & Schools has helped Florida families prepare for the SAT, ACT, and PSAT for over 40 years. Our tutors can review your student's PSAT and ACT results and build a junior-year testing plan around the stronger test. To learn more, visit scoreatthetop.com.
