How long should I study for the SAT? Tips + Timelines
How long you should study for the SAT and when you should start preparing for it depend on your academic strengths and weaknesses, as well as your goals. For most students, the answer is sometime during your sophomore year. We dive into details in this blog.
The SAT is a big part of the college admissions journey. Parents and students ask all the time how long to study and when to start studying for the SAT. While the most basic answer is sometime during sophomore year, we break down when and why to start studying at specific times depending on your goals, abilities, and start date.
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How long should I study for the SAT?
The short answer: anywhere from 1- 12 months depending on your individual strengths and weaknesses.
The long answer: it depends. We break down several timelines and possibilities in the “When Should You Start Preparing for the SAT” section. With that said, we encourage parents and students to come see us their Sophomore year to create the plan that they’ll need. Before we do anything else, we’ll have the student take a MindPrint assessment. This test isn’t about what you know, but rather how you process information. It is essentially a strengths and weaknesses assessment for how you think. The results will show us what stands between you and the score you’re hoping for and allow us to give you an accurate plan of study.
One thing MindPrint is especially good for is learning how strong of a verbal reasoner each student is. Because the SAT is essentially a reading comprehension test, a student’s strength or weakness in verbal reasoning has an outsized impact on their score. Students who are very strong in verbal reasoning will need a much shorter timeline of study than those who are weaker. Completing the MindPrint assessment Sophomore year (ideally in the fall) ensures you have plenty of time to shore up weak areas and be ready for the SAT.
Another consideration is when you or your student will take Algebra 2. The SAT tests few advanced math concepts. Most of what students need to know is taught in Algebra 2, with some geometry and “basic” math (like fractions) as well. For most students, when they take Algebra 2 aligns perfectly with their SAT prep. Students who are advanced in math and already into pre-calc or calculus as a sophomore may need a refresher course, however, to have it top of mind for testing.
How Long Should I Study for the SAT Every Day?
Thirty to ninety minutes is a good bet, but the answer is highly dependent on you. At a minimum, you should be reading 25 pages a day of quality writing (we go into this more here). This will take 15 - 45 minutes depending on your reading speed and the complexity of the material. If it’s taking you less than 15 minutes, you’re probably not reading something challenging enough.
Whether you take additional time depends on what skills you’re trying to learn and the distance between where you are versus where you want to be. Students in our SAT Boost course attend four, 60-minute sessions a week and spend 20-30 minutes a day on individualized practice.
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When Should You Start Preparing for the SAT?
To determine when to start preparing for the SAT, look at when you hope to be done and work backwards. We recommend students aim to be done taking the SAT by the end of December of their junior year. For most students this will mean beginning study sometime in their sophomore year. Typically we recommend beginning the summer between sophomore and junior year, but if your student will struggle to find time or focus during the summer months, starting in January of sophomore year is best. Below we offer several example timelines. The students are fictional, but based on student profiles we see regularly.
Example SAT Timeline 1 (Aggressive/High Performer)
Stephanie is highly driven. She’s taken MindPrint and it’s shown she has no areas of concern, and that her verbal reasoning skills are mid-range. Academically, she has strong Algebra II skills and stable reading comprehension fundamentals. Stephanie will have no trouble getting herself to study during the summer. We recommend Stephanie begin studying for the SAT in June of her sophomore year. Her study and testing schedule will look like this.
Summer between Sophomore and Junior Year
June: Stephanie takes an SAT diagnostic test to establish a baseline. She decides to begin SAT Boost as it seems the best program for her.
July: She continues attending Boost classes and doing her independent study.
August: She takes the SAT for the first time and continues studying.
Junior Year
September: Stephanie has a cross country competition the day of the September SAT. She skips this administration of the exam.
October:Â Stephanie takes the SAT as well as the PSAT in school.
November: Stephanie schedules to take the SAT administration this month as Katya recommends taking it 4 times. She gets bronchitis and has to miss.
December: Stephanie takes the SAT for the 3rd and last time.
After each time Stephanie takes the SAT, she should ask herself “What do I wish that I had more training in?” In other words, what was harder than expected that she wants to be prepared for the next test?
Example SAT Timeline 2 (Standard 3–4 Month Plan)
Abe is a good student but requires some assistance from his parents to stay on task. He’s advanced in Math but doesn’t enjoy English. He spends most of his summer as a robotics camp counselor and definitely won’t use his free time to study. His parents reached out in January of his sophomore year. Here’s what his timeline looks like.
Sophomore Year
January: Abe takes the MindPrint assessment. It shows he’s below average in verbal reasoning skills. His parents hire him a one on one tutor who insists Abe reads 25 pages a day.
February: Abe continues with a tutor and takes an SAT practice test. He realizes that he’s forgotten some of the Algebra concepts. His parents enroll him in SAT Boost along with continuing his tutoring.
March - May: Abe continues with SAT Boost and reads 25 pages a day. His tutor focuses on reviewing math concepts that Abe learned a few years ago but will show up on the SAT.
June - August: Abe is away at camp and pauses studying for the SAT, though he tries to keep up with his reading.
Junior Year
September: Abe comes back to SAT Boost and takes the SAT for the first time.
October: Abe continues studying, takes the SAT a second time, and takes the PSAT at school.
November: Abe continues studying and takes the SAT a third time.
December: Abe takes the SAT for the fourth and last time.
Like Stephanie, Abe notes what he was surprised by or felt unprepared for after each taking of the SAT so that he can work on those skills before the next test.
Example SAT Timeline 3 (Longer 6–9 Month Plan)
Chloe is a gifted student, but she didn’t realize she needed to start SAT prep so early. She took the SAT for the first time in March of her Junior year and she’s disappointed with her score. After speaking with an SAT expert at Ivy Tutors Network she determines that her best course of action is to use the summer to study and take the fall administrations of the SAT. Here’s what her schedule looks like.
Junior Year
March: Chloe takes the March SAT and gets the scores back at the end of the month. She’s not happy with the results and reaches out to Ivy Tutors Network.
April: Chloe takes MindPrint which shows advanced verbal reasoning skills. She goes over her March SAT results with a tutor to pinpoint areas of concern and enrolls in SAT Boost.
May - July: She continues SAT Boost.
Senior Year
August: Chloe takes the August SAT and finalizes her college list.
September: Chloe gets her August SAT scores back. They’re better than she expected and she adds 3 more colleges to her list. She can’t make the September SAT date.
October: While happy with her August scores, Chloe takes the October SAT on Katya’s recommendation. Her scores are even stronger and she changes her Early Decision school as a consequence.
As you can gather, when to start studying for the SAT is highly dependent on student abilities and personality. And these are just three of many timelines possible for students. One thing we want to make clear is why we recommend students be done with the SAT by December of their Junior year.
- Other tests and college admissions. For many students, the second half of Junior year is spent preparing for AP exams. As soon as those are over, they’re on to thinking about college applications, especially if they’re planning to apply Early Decision. We find being done by December of their junior year allows them to focus on one academic hurdle at a time.
- It avoids the March SAT. College Board, the creators of the SAT, make the most changes to the test between January and March, and new, often experimental, questions appear on the March SAT. It’s not uncommon for even well prepared students to have their worst score on the March exam. May and June can be a mixed experience. For this reason we recommend students take the August - December exams. While students can certainly take the SAT during their senior year, for the reasons mentioned above, it’s often ideal not to.
If you’re looking at the best time for you or your student to start studying for the SAT, the answer is almost always sometime in their sophomore year. If you’re already a Junior or a Senior, the best time to start is now. Begin by determining your areas of strength and weakness so you can focus your efforts on the weak areas. A one-on-one tutor or an SAT Prep program can help you meet your goals quicker and more effectively.
At Ivy Tutors Network, we provide several SAT prep courses. Our most popular is SAT Boost, but we also offer regular “crash courses” in verbal and math for students concerned about just one area and looking to get up to speed quickly. We also offer diagnostic SAT tests, one-on-one tutoring, and MindPrint Assessments because we believe knowledge is power - especially when it comes to test prep. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed, feel free to book a consultation to understand your best next steps.
