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When Should I Prepare for and Take the SAT or ACT? Part II

Mar 8, 2024 | SAT/ACT, Test Prep

In the last blog, we talked about questions to consider when planning your SAT and ACT test dates and preparation for those tests during junior and senior year.  You can check out those questions here.  Now that you know what to consider, it’s time to put that schedule on paper.  Below are two sample schedules.

General Schedule: This is a good general schedule for most students.

  1. Summer Before Junior Year: Take a practice SAT and ACT.  Decide which test is showcasing your strengths and begin preparing for that test.
  2. Summer Before Junior Year and Fall of Junior Year: Begin preparing for the test of your choice.  Start with a review of content that you will see on the test.  Then, focus on timed sections to work on pacing and test-taking.
  3. Fall of Junior Year: The PSAT is given in October.  This is good practice at taking a standardized test.  Keep in mind that scores and results will not come back until the middle of November.
  4. Winter of Junior Year: For the ACT, try your first test in December or February.  For the SAT, try your first test in December or March. Order a copy of your test questions and answers for the ACT, if available on your test date (Note: test questions and answers are not available for the SAT).
  5.  Spring of Junior Year: Scores will be released.  Use the score report and your questions and answers from test 1 to determine areas that still need some review.  Continue preparing for test 2.
  6. Spring of Junior Year: For the ACT, take the April test; for the SAT, take May.  Again, you can order your questions and answers back for the ACT to help you review during the summer.  You can order after you receive your scores.  This way, if you have reached your goal, you won’t need to waste money ordering.
  7. Summer Before Senior Year: If you have not reached your goal based on the schools in which you plan to apply, continue to prep during the summer.
  8. Fall of Senior Year: For the ACT, take the September or October test administrations.  For the SAT, take August or October.  This way, you can be finished with testing and focus solely on college applications in the winter.

 

Schedule for Students Applying to Highly Competitive Schools: This is a slightly modified and accelerated schedule for students that have taken more advanced coursework by the end of 10th grade and may need to dedicate more time to preparing for AP tests in spring of junior year.

  1. Summer Before Junior Year: Take a practice SAT and ACT.  Decide which test is showcasing your strengths and begin preparing for that test.
  2. Summer Before Junior Year and Fall of Junior Year: Begin preparing for the test of your choice.  For advanced students, I recommend getting a lot of the prep done during the summer since the school year tends to be busy with advanced coursework.
  3. Fall of Junior Year: The PSAT is given in October.  Not only is this good practice but it also qualifies students for the National Merit Scholarship.  For this reason, it is worth putting some work into preparing for the PSAT even if you are planning to take the ACT.
  4. Fall/Winter of Junior Year: For the ACT, try your first test in December. For the SAT, try your first test in October, November, or December. Order a copy of your ACT test questions and answers, if available.
  5.  Winter of Junior Year: Scores will be released.  Use the score reports from test 1 and your PSAT, as well as the ACT questions and answers booklet if applicable, to determine areas that still need some review.  Continue preparing for test 2.
  6. Winter/Spring of Junior Year: For the ACT, take the February or April test.  For the SAT, take the March administration.  Again, order your questions and answers back on the ACT, if available on your test date.
  7. Spring of Junior Year: Use the spring to prepare for AP exams and finals.
  8. Summer Before Senior Year: If you have not reached your goal based on the schools in which you plan to apply, continue to prep during the summer.
  9. Fall of Senior Year: For the ACT, take the September test administration.  For the SAT, take August or October.  This way, you can be finished with testing in time for early application deadlines.