As an SAT tutor, I like to have all the answers – but I admit to being stumped when asked, “When is the best time to start SAT preparation?” I’m not sure that this question has a correct one-size-fits-all response. After all, students have different starting points, SAT score goals, and competing extracurricular commitments. But having said that, I do point to one strategy that consistently works well for my students: starting SAT preparation during the summer after sophomore year and taking the test that October. As I explain below, this strategy helps students balance various commitments and can also be advantageous in terms of scoring well on both the SAT and the PSAT.
First, preparing for the SAT during the summer makes students more likely to put maximum effort into their practice tests and other assignments; there’s no looming APUSH project or Chem AP exam competing for attention. It’s true that the October SAT test might overlap with the first round of fall semester tests at school, but students who use a bit of foresight can continue to prepare for the SAT without compromising their schoolwork. Junior year will only become more hectic.
Another benefit of summertime test prep is that students can potentially be completely finished with the SAT before the junior year workload becomes extra-challenging. This benefit cannot be overestimated: even before the SAT is added, the second semester of junior year is challenging enough with its AP exams and school finals, not to mention SAT subject tests. Finishing with the SAT in the early part of junior year can bring benefits in the form of better school grades and reduced stress levels.
Also, students who take the test in October of their junior year grant themselves “wiggle room” in case they do not score as well as desired. Schools that recommend taking a later test, such as the March test of junior year, assume that students will perform their best on the first attempt. I do not advise this strategy for my students. Simply put, if their first attempt results in a score below the target level, then their senior year and the college application process will become complicated by last-minute SAT concerns.
One final argument for prepping during the summer before junior year is that this schedule also gets students ready for the PSAT. By extension, it can help students become recognized as National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) semifinalists. Becoming a NMSQT semifinalist is yet another achievement that students can list on their college applications. For students who can easily reach the National Merit cutoff with a bit of SAT coaching, this distinction is low-hanging fruit that should not be passed up.
To conclude, I emphasize again that there is no one perfect time for SAT preparation. My students have performed well on all different test dates. In fact, two students who recently received perfect scores did not follow the strategy of preparing during the summer break. Nonetheless, I believe that preparing for the SAT during the summer after sophomore year allows students to prep for the SAT while reducing stress levels and leaving the most time for their schoolwork and other activities.
