Standardized test scores are one of the most important components of the college application (2nd only to your child’s GPA/high school transcript)…

So it’s important to know when should your child begin preparing for the SAT or ACT.

In an ideal world, the preparation timeline should look like this:

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AT A GLANCE:

• STEP 1: Encourage your child to practice one SAT or ACT question each and every day during their Freshman and Sophomore years of high school
• STEP 2: Ensure that your child registers for an official SAT or ACT test prep program during the summer between their Sophomore year and Junior year
• STEP 3: Encourage your child to take the SAT or ACT for the first time at the very beginning of their Junior year (August – October)
• STEP 4: Encourage your child to retake the test 1-2 more times during their Junior year if they wish to improve upon their scores
• STEP 5: Encourage your child to take the test one last time at the beginning of Senior year if they still need to improve their score before applications are submitted

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IN MORE DETAIL:

FRESHMAN & SOPHOMORE YEAR

Encourage your child to practice just one standardized test question each and every day of Freshman and Sophomore year of high school. By doing so, they will become familiar with the types of questions asked on standardized tests, feel less intimidated when the time comes to study for and take the real test, and will already have dozens of hours of practice under their belt with hardly any effort at all. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are perfect SAT and ACT test scores.

Resources:

Click here for the SAT question of the day

Click here for the ACT practice question of the day

 

SUMMER BETWEEN SOPHOMORE & JUNIOR YEAR

The summer in between Sophomore and Junior year is the ideal time for your child to sign up for an official SAT or ACT prep course. Some children do well taking an in-person class, others thrive via online programs, while some children desire one-on-one personal tutors. But regardless of the method that is right for your child, I recommend setting aside one to two months of time in which your child will commit to really put in the work to study for this test.

Click here to download your free, printable standardized test prep timeline

JUNIOR YEAR

The very beginning of Junior year is the ideal time for your child to take the SAT or the ACT for the very first time (August or October for the SAT & September or October for the ACT). By taking either the SAT or the ACT at the very beginning of Junior year, your child will have plenty of time to study more and retake the test another time (or two!) before senior year begins. Many students take the SAT or the ACT 2-4 times, and it’s best to have the final score secured before the college application season kicks off at the beginning of senior year.

2018-2019 TEST DATES
SAT TEST DATES	ACT TEST DATES
Aug 25, 2018	Sep 8, 2018
October 6, 2018	October 27, 2018
November 3, 2018	December 8, 2018
December 1, 2018	February 9, 2019
March 9, 2019	April 13, 2019
May 4, 2019	June 8, 2019
June 1, 2019	July 13, 2019

 

SENIOR YEAR

If your child isn’t satisfied with any of the SAT or ACT scores that they received form Junior year, they can take the test again at the beginning of Senior year between September and December, depending on the application deadlines for the schools they choose to apply to. While I never recommend taking the test for the very first time Senior year, it’s okay to get one last test in hoping for improvement.

 

STARTING LATE?

While the timeline above is ideal, encourage your child to begin studying as soon as possible and aim to take either the SAT or the ACT for the first time during their Junior year of high school. It’s important to know a baseline score in order to know which schools are safety, match or reach schools.

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Questions or comments? Leave a note below!

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