I'm an incoming sophomore and i was wondering, do you HAVE to take the PSAT before you take the SAT?

No it's optional but highly recommended...it's a good idea to take it

Im a junior now and i took the test last year, i thought it helped tremendously, and my advise is to go in without studying since you're a sophomore and see where your strengths and weaknesses are so you can study effectively, by the way without studying i got a 1650 which shows im highly qualified, i suggest dont study to find your weaknesses but be warned the results may not be as pretty as mine.

Although it's not absolutely necessary, it's serves as good practice, and you want all the practice you can get! Although prep books and programs are are great they are often too expensive. What helped me most on the PSAT, SAT, and ACT was repetition. I have come across this app called "SAT Daily" on the android market that is immensely helpful. Although it's new, I downloaded it and was amazed. It gives you new question (with a thorough answer every time) and a new vocabulary word DAILY. And a new tip weekly. This kind of constant exposure really helps. And if you're an apple user, there is a SAT question of the day app although it pales in comparison to it's android counterpart. I am sure it will boost your score on SAT and ACT as well. Also, I scored in the top 98th percentile. I found the link to the android app: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mag.sat&feature=search_result If the link doesn't work, try searching "SAT Daily" in the android market.