High school juniors, take the SAT or ACT this fall to gain an advantage with college coaches

Posting an acceptable score can push prospects to the next phase in recruiting

High school administrators, guidance counselors and teachers often advise their students to delay taking the SAT or ACT until the fall of their senior year.  For most students, that is good advice, but for athletes, getting a standardized test score on the record is essential during the junior year.  To that, we advise all juniors anticipating playing college sports to take the test as soon as possible.

Because of the nature of recruiting these days, college coaches need to know if a potential recruit will meet their school’s admission standards and if, in the case of NCAA-affiliated institutions, the athlete meets the minimum academic requirements.  The sooner an athlete is able to demonstrate that they indeed meet both of those standards, the sooner a coach can legitimately place them high on their recruiting boards and proceed with the recruiting process.  Without this assurance, an athlete remains in limbo with coaching staffs and can lose their leverage as a potential scholarship recipient.

We have learned over the years that the scores earned in the junior year do not significantly improve during the senior year.  So, while logically it may seem obvious that taking a few additional core classes might enhance a student-athlete’s chances of posting a higher SAT or ACT score, the evidence does not show proof of that theory.