There are several questions that I have been asked over and over:
1. WHEN should a student take the SAT?
2. Should the student study before taking the first test or wait to take a test as a real SAT to "get your feet wet" and benchmark/practice; see where the student is before making any decisions?
3. When should a student start studying?
4. Should the student study on their own, in a class or with a tutor one-on-one?
5. How many times should a student take the test?
The answers are as varied as the people who ask the questions.
Generically I suggest that a student begin to practice SAT questions as a freshman and set out a long term game plan of maximizing scores to have more options. Long term studying is less stressful and is absolutely proven to be more effective. If the student is strong, take the test in the spring of sophomore year
1. When should a student take the SAT? Sophomore year may be too early for some but if the student is serious and has lofty ambitions, 10th grade is an excellent time to start. For an AP student, much of the SAT math is very basic and was taught long ago. As she advances into AP Calculus, the old math is not being used. It gets stored away in some dusty part of the brain and gets rusty.
Junior year is most typical. Spring starting in January is what I see the most.
Senior year is a very viable option to take the test. Colleges are now accepting scores as late as January for regular admission. The October test can still be taken and results sent in time for Early Decision or Early Action.
2. Take it first or study first? Study first. If a parent and student think it is best to take a test and "see how she does," great; baseline results are valuable. I never disagree with that approach. But why waste time and money? For anything that matters in life, practice is rewarded with better performance.
3. When to start studying? My answer is always the same: "Yesterday!" Studying vocabulary starts from the first time you speak to your baby on the day she was born. It takes an incredible amount of concentration and effort to learn a language. Research has shown that studying increases the number of connections between neurons in the brain. Get this: studying actually makes you smarter, duh. Working with any material over a long period of time increases your ability to recall it when needed.
I have met many juniors with excellent grades who do not remember simple math formulas. For an honor roll student who wants a competitive college, that is ridiculous. Practice. Study.
4. First let me caveat this entire post: I get PAID to teach kids the SAT/ACT, so should your kid start tutoring? YES and Do you have any money?
Forgive my bad attempt at humor. Bottom line: balance goals against abilities. If a competitive college is the goal, a student should start preparing for the SAT as soon as possible. If your daughter wanted to be in the Olympics, when would she start practicing? Would she have a coach?
Independent study is an excellent way to go. Students should learn how to teach themselves, for that is a valuable life skill. The key consideration is if the child is self motivated. There is plenty of material available online, in the library, and in the guidance office. Go to a bookstore and walk the prep book section, look on Amazon, and read my blog.
Classes and groups are okay. But they waste a lot of time. Time is very precious to the busy honor roll student. Wasting time listening to people ask questions about things that the honor roll student already knows is not optimal. But it is training and it is more than doing nothing.
One on one is best. There is no place to hide and hopefully your tutor makes the sessions about you the student not on any agenda or schedule. You should work on what you don't know.
5. How many times? My stock answer: "Did you get a perfect? No? Take it again." If the student has reached her goals. STOP and move on in life. If she has not, practice and believe in improvement. Three is the magic number and the advice that I have given the most.
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