Just a comment about the SAT/ACT, and I recognize this may not apply to everyone. My 2019 and I sat with an IVY HC last winter after attending his camp. It was a pre-arranged meeting. He advised us to have son take the SAT/ACT asap so we would have a baseline score to work from and time to improve (if necessary). Was it a little self-serving on coach's part? Of course. But son took it in May as a sophomore, got the (good) result in June and was able to use the score to market himself this summer to several high academics, two of which offered. Turns out it was great advice for us and it's nice to know that admissions has already blessed the score. Taking the test early allows you time to get help on the subjects needing improvement before a re-test and/or to narrow your target list of schools. I guess my point is that with all the discussion about getting or keeping good grades, it also might not hurt to take a standardized test on the early side. Again, just my humble opinion.