When Should You Begin SAT Preparation?
Students preparing for the SAT are often confused about how much preparation is needed and when they should begin. There are no simple answers since each student’s preparation process is unique. Here are a few tips to help you better understand the planning stage and also check SAT Syllabus, Eligibility & Exam Fees.
When do you take the SAT?
Given the college application timeline, you can attempt to take your first SAT exam during the months of September and October of your eleventh class. If you are unhappy with your score and want to improve it, you can retake the SAT in April-May or after your eleventh-semester final exams. If you do well on your first attempt, your twelfth grade will be completely free for college applications.
When do you start planning for SAT?
You must choose between an intensive study schedule of 10 hours a week for two months or a gradual study schedule of a couple of hours a week for at least six months for the SAT. Both methods are equally effective and will result in significant improvements in scores. So decide on either of the plans depending on your study style and time.
If you opt for the gradual and longer schedule, you can begin studying immediately following your tenth board exams. Start the intensive two-month plan in July-August, or when the eleventh-grade classes begin.
How do you decide on the duration and pace of your SAT Preparation Plan?
Your study objectives are entirely dependent on your college objectives. If you want to go to a state university, there would be less pressure on you to get good grades than if you want to go to an Ivy League university like Harvard or MIT.
To help you figure out the best SAT study plan, use the three plans below for different universities.
1. SAT Preparation Plan for Ivy League universities:
If you want to attend highly selective colleges such as Stanford, MIT, and others, a high SAT score is crucial. In tenth grade, you can probably take the PSAT* to see how you’re doing with your SAT prep. You can also take the whole SAT practise exam. Determine your study pace once you have a starting score without any planning. You should target an SAT score of at least 2250.
For example, if your practice test score is 1900 and your goal is 2300, you must improve by 400 points. This could be spaced out over six or two months. Take the SAT for the first time at the end of eleventh grade, and if you don’t get 2300, retake it in early twelfth grade.
2. Top-tier universities SAT Study Plan
These are the universities that accept about half of the applicants. These colleges are difficult to get into, but not as difficult as the Ivy Leagues. Search on the internet the SAT score ranges for the universities you’re interested in. Set a SAT score target based on those numbers. Determine your study strategy once you have your base score and target score from the full practise SAT test.
3. Less Selective Universities SAT Study Plan
Less selective universities are those that accept more than half of their applicants. This is the case with usually small colleges or large public universities. Your SAT score is important but isn’t required to be very high.
Look up the average SAT score ranges for the universities you want to attend and base your target score on that range. For example, if you want to attend Kean University, you should aim for a score of 1700. If your SAT practise test score is 1600, you need to increase by 100 points. This could be done in four weeks during the summer or spread out over a few months.
SAT Self-Prep
Advantages
- Many students prepare for the SAT on their own, using prep books, online tools, smartphone apps, and other resources.
- You have complete control of what and when you study. If you know exactly what you need to work on, this is perfect because you can easily tailor your study programme to your specific needs.
- This is the most cost-effective choice, particularly if you make use of free resources and get materials from the library!
Disadvantages
- It’s difficult to stay motivated. This is why it’s important to let someone else know when you’re going to study so they can help hold you accountable.
- It’s a big effort! You must identify your own weaknesses, find resources, and so on. As a result, you must be able to make an additional investment in planning.
- It can be difficult for you to self-diagnose your own weaknesses if you have a lot of improvement.
SAT Online Program
The online SAT prep programme is a newer addition to the SAT preparation process.
Advantages:
- A good online preparation programme is a good investment.
- It can reliably diagnose your strengths and weaknesses and assign lessons and practise problems based on them.
- A successful curriculum will also assist you in creating a study schedule and keeping track of your progress.
- It will also provide content analysis and practise questions of high quality and clarity.
- It will also show you how to prepare for the SAT!
- TheScoreBooster offers a comprehensive online SAT prep curriculum that is tailored to your specific needs.
- Many online services are far less expensive than hiring a private mentor or enrolling in a prep course.
Private Tutor for SAT Preparation
Having your own SAT tutor sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? Here are the advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages
- A good tutor is truly priceless. They’ll assist you in creating a study plan, identifying your weaknesses, explaining concepts you’re unclear on, and implementing an SAT approach that works best for you. Tutoring provides you with an expert to guide you and takes the guesswork out of making a study plan from high-quality tutoring professional.
- Furthermore, a tutor will assist you in staying motivated.
Disadvantages
- A poor tutor is a waste of both time and money. If they aren’t a high-scorer (at the very least, 95th percentile) who is also a great teacher, tutoring is a case of the blind leading the blind. You want someone who is a real expert who knows everything there is to know about the exam.
- Tutoring to a one-on-one basis is extremely costly! As a result, this choice isn’t open to everyone.
These are the steps that we advise you to take for SAT Prep.
- To get a starting score, take the PSAT or SAT practise exam at the beginning of eleventh grade.
- Calculate your target SAT score using the average SAT score on the list of shortlisted colleges.
- Start studying in eleventh grade or the beginning of twelfth grade. The amount of time you spend studying will depend on the type of college you choose to attend and your starting score.
- Excellent SAT Preparation Resources to Help Your Studying like thescorebooster.com
- Take the SAT between September and October.
