Go deeper, not wider

What to do now

Take a free practice SAT and ACT now to see which one suits you. Doing this now provides you with the benefits of having a baseline score to go off of, as well as simply helping you to find out which one you should take later, without leaving you guessing.

Keep your grades up! 10th grade is not the time to be slacking off. Grades from this year are the second most important on your application, after those of 11th grade.

Take a leadership role in your main activity. Doing one now helps you build vital life skills and strengthens your future college and job applications. You also learn how to communicate clearly, solve problems, and manage your time on a higher stakes scale. Admissions officers are looking for dedication and initiative, not just participation. In 10th grade, you've hopefully been doing this activity for two or more years, meaning you have enough information and experience to guide others.

10th grade is also not a bad time to consider entering a competition in your field, or to do a summer program or internship. Doing any number of these can provide better recommendations, since you're working closely with mentors and professionals in your field, as well as introducing you to a professional working environment — both of which help you gain credibility and confidence.

What most people get wrong

10th grade is when you take the PSAT (Preliminary SAT), but it doesn't mean anything on its own. All it is is preparation for the SAT later on, but too many students waste their time worrying about their score when they could be focusing on taking practice tests that actually tell you something.

Worth knowing: the PSAT 10 is different from the PSAT/NMSQT you'll take in 11th grade. Only the 11th grade version counts toward National Merit — this one is purely practice too.

What counts

Aside from your first real leadership in something you've already done for a while, your 10th grade year is the first full year of grades colleges really consider. Yes, they see your 9th grade ones as well, but 9th grade is also the period most colleges view as a "transition period," while 10th grade is where your trends and habits truly establish themselves.

Course rigor also starts to matter more this year. Junior year is when colleges look closest at your schedule, so 10th grade is a reasonable time to start easing into harder classes rather than jumping straight from easy to hardest in one year.

Tests and deadlines

• PSAT 10 in the spring
• AP exams in May