Your Summer SAT Study Plan
Today we have a guest post from Jennifer Cohen, the President and Chief Word-Nerd at Word-Nerd.com SAT Vocabulary Prep.
Summer is the ideal time to focus on getting ready for college entrance exams, like the SAT. You’re free from school, homework assignments and extracurriculars that demand most of your time during nine months of the year. During those three months of summer, you should still spend a lot of your time relaxing and recharging for the school year ahead, but a couple of hours of SAT prep each week shouldn’t cut into your loafing schedule too much! The keys to making the most of the summer are:
- Make a commitment to your prep. It’s one thing to have the intention to study. It’s another to actually follow through. You don’t want to be THAT guy or girl that realizes a week before school starts that he or she never cracked open that SAT book once! While taking an SAT class isn’t essential (it’s more than possible to do all the work on your own), signing up for a course can keep you on track if you think you need some external structure.
- Start by taking a baseline, timed practice test. Downloading the free test from the College Board’s website is a great place to start. This will give you a starting point by helping you pinpoint your weakest areas. Of course, if you’ve already taken an SAT, this step is optional. The point is to know exactly where you need to spend the most time so you can plan accordingly.
- Keep track of how much time you’re spending. College entrance exams are serious business, and you don’t want to shortchange yourself just because you’re not putting in the time. Plan to average about two to three hours a week on your prep, so over the approximately 12 weeks of summer you’ll have spent about 24 to 36 hours. That may sound like a lot, but when you spread it out over time it’s manageable. It’s fine to spend a half hour here, fifteen minutes there. Three hours of focused time every week isn’t essential. Log your time to keep yourself honest! You may be surprised at how much, or how little, time you’re spending.
- Don’t burn yourself out, or use all of your study materials by the end of August. If you do your prep over the summer, you’re almost certainly planning to take the test in October. Save some quality practice questions, like those from the College Board’s Official Guide, for the weeks before test day. In September, when school has started, keep yourself fresh by spending at least an hour each week on SAT prep, primarily taking practice sections under timed conditions.
- Be sure to register for the October SAT administration early! This is a very popular test date, and spaces fill quickly. It’s a good idea to register with the College Board’s website and sign up for their email newsletters which will keep you informed about test dates and registration deadlines. While you’re at it, definitely sign up for their SAT Question of the Day, too!
You’re making a very smart decision to complete your SAT prep during the summer. Just keep yourself on track, and your hard work will pay off in the fall. Enjoy your summer!
