While you prepare for the most important year of high school, the year that colleges use to really assess your college readiness, the year you have to keep your grades as sparkling as you possibly can, you also need to start thinking testing.

As a junior, you’re probably just starting to think about college applications and the SAT and ACT. Your best bet is to plan ahead and stick to the schedule you set for yourself.

Here’s what you need to keep in mind:

• The PSAT is in October of every year and you should take it, both for National Merit Scholarship potential and to get the first standardized test experience out of your system early.
• Every college is different: some require just the SAT or ACT, some require the ACT or the SAT plus several SAT Subject Tests, and some don’t require any standardized tests at all. Start doing some preliminary research now about what the schools you’ll be applying to will require of you–and the average scores of students there.
• You’ll probably want to take the SAT Reasoning Test or ACT more than once. That means you need to be aware of testing schedules and plan ahead. You can find this year’s schedule here.
• You may not want to take the SAT during your finals or AP exams at the end of your spring semester, but you probably will want to take SAT Subject tests in the same subject areas as the AP courses you may be taking.
• It’s not possible to take the SAT Reasoning Test and Subject Tests on the same day.
• Be wary of SAT Subject tests in language: many students who are native speakers or who speak these languages at home will be taking the test. That means they set the curve and you’re competing against them, so unless you have an amazing understanding of the language—literally, fluent—then consider steering clear.
• Planning to take the SAT and ACT in January or March is great because these are relatively low-stress times. You can always take the test in October (and even November) of your Senior year, but you’ll most likely be creating college essays at this point, too, so you’ll be busy. Plan on those dates as a last resort.
• When you’re prepping, remember that you want to take real practice tests made by the test companies. While their prep material obviously won’t teach you to outsmart their tests, their sample tests are your best bet for practice questions.

Ready to get the edge on the SAT? Learn more about OUTSMARTING the SAT.