Preparing your SAT schedule? It’s can be challenging to choose the right SAT test date, craft the perfect SAT study schedule or even debate between the SAT vs ACT, especially when you’re already busy with schoolwork and preparing for college applications. College acceptance rates are often influenced by your SAT performance, so it is vital to prepare well for this test in every way possible. This means staying organized and creating a clear SAT schedule well ahead of time so you can get through everything as smoothly as possible. In this blog, we’ll cover everything you need to create an ideal SAT schedule, from SAT test dates to the best sample SAT study schedules.
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SAT Schedule: SAT Test Dates
Before you can create an SAT schedule, it’s important to review the latest SAT test dates. This can inform you on the upcoming test dates so you can start planning when to take the test!
How to Create an SAT Study Schedule
There are a few important steps to take when creating an SAT schedule, including choosing the best test date and preparing your study materials.
#1 Decide when to take the SAT
There are a few factors to consider when choosing your SAT test date. Most students take the SAT in their junior or senior year of high school, so they have time to release their scores to colleges before application deadlines are closed, and so they have time to retake the SAT if they aren’t happy with their score.
There is no limit to how many times you can take the SAT, but there are only so many test dates available per year. If you take the SAT in your senior year and want to retake before college applications are due, your choices may be limited, so keep this in mind if you decide to retake the test or choose a later test date.
You should also consider a test date that doesn’t coincide with final exams or other important commitments in your schedule. You’ll need some time to dedicate to studying at least a month ahead of the test, and you’ll want a clear schedule without distractions.
#2 Decide which study materials to use
Before you write down your SAT schedule and start studying, it’s a good idea to gather all your study materials together and decide which resources you’re going to use. There are hundreds of SAT prep resources, both online and off. You have course notes, prep books, videos and tutorials, SAT courses and of course, practice tests. Organize all your available resources and put together the ones that work best for you well ahead of time so you don’t lose valuable study time later.
#3 Take a practice test
To create a personalized, effective SAT schedule to follow while you’re studying, taking a practice test is the first step. A practice test helps you understand what your weak points on the test are, which subjects are most difficult for you, and so where to dedicate most of your study time. If math is your weakest subject, you’ll want to devote more hours of studying to mastering it. If the reading section of the test is slowing you down, add more weekly reading assignments to your SAT schedule.
#4 Decide whether you want study help
Getting an SAT tutor can be very useful to students, not only in helping them understand the SAT’s content but a tutor can also work with you to create your ideal, personalized SAT study schedule. A tutor keeps you focused and accountable to your SAT schedule, tracking your progress and ensuring you’re meeting your weekly study goals. College application help like an SAT tutor can be a great resource, but it’s not for everyone. Decide whether you feel you want some professional studying help or you prefer to self-study for the SAT.
#5 Set an SAT score goal
A good SAT score is no small feat to achieve, and you might consider setting a target score before creating your SAT schedule. This will inform how long you study and how often. For example, if your goal is to get a very high score, you might devote more hours each day to studying and study for a longer period of time. Having a clear and set goal also gives you something to work towards as you start studying, so it can be useful to set a target score ahead of time!
SAT Schedule: What’s on the SAT?
The next step for how to study for the SAT, and how to build an ideal SAT schedule that works for you, is to learn exactly what to expect from the test. The SAT is long at 3 hours of total test time for all 3 sections: the SAT Reading Test, the SAT Writing and Language Test and the SAT Math Test. Each section is timed and completed separately and evaluates different skills you’ll need to succeed in college and beyond.
Here’s a quick overview of the SAT’s different sections:
Digital SAT
The College Board is also transitioning to offer the digital SAT, which has a slightly different structure, but the same sections and question types as the paper SAT. The key differences are that the Reading and Writing Tests are combined into one section made up of 2 modules. The Math Test is also split into 2 modules.
Module 1 for both sections is fixed, meaning it includes a mix of easy, intermediate and hard questions. Module 2 for both sections is adaptive, and can contain either easy and intermediate questions or a mix of more challenging questions, depending on how well you scored in Module 1.
Otherwise, the content of the digital SAT is much the same. However, the digital SAT is also a shorter test, with just 134 minutes allotted to complete 98 questions, instead of the paper SAT’s 180 minutes to complete 154 questions.
SAT Schedule: 3-Month Sample SAT Study Schedule
Now that you know what’s on the SAT and you’ve done your study prep, it’s time to create your SAT schedule! Below we’ve included three sample SAT study schedules for 3 months, 2 months and 1 month, the most common studying timeframes for the SAT.
SAT Schedule: 2-Month SAT Sample Study Schedule
Month 1
Week 1
- Take an SAT practice test and review your answers. Confirm why your correct answers were right and determine the correct answers to any questions you marked wrong.
- Content review: your weakest subject area
Week 2
- Content review: Algebra
- Practice with SAT math questions
- Weekly reading assignment
Week 3
- Take a practice test and review your answers.
- Review algebra and complete practice questions
- Weekly reading assignment
Week 4
- Take a timed practice test, review your answers and gauge your time management
- Weekly reading assignment. Review grammar and sentence structure
Month 2
Week 5
- Content review: Geometry and trigonometry
- Practice with SAT math questions
- Weekly reading assignment
Week 6
- Content review: your weakest subject
- Weekly reading assignment
Week 7
- Take 1 or 2 timed practice tests and review
- Content review: your weakest subject
- Weekly reading assignment
Week 8
- Take 1 or 2 timed practice tests and review your answers
Day Before Test
- Relax and prepare for test day!
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SAT Schedule: 1-Month SAT Sample Study Schedule
Week 1
- Take an untimed practice test. Review your answers to evaluate why you answered correctly or why you got questions wrong
- Content review: Algebra and trigonometry. Practice with SAT math questions.
- Weekly reading assignment. Summarize your readings, including key points/arguments.
Week 2
- Take a practice test. Review your answers to evaluate why you answered correctly or why you got questions wrong
- Practice with SAT math questions.
- Weekly reading assignment.
Week 3
- Take another timed practice test and review your answers
- Content review: Algebra and geometry
- Weekly reading assignment.
- Content review: grammar and sentence structure
Week 4
- Take 1-3 timed practice tests and review your answers.
- Weekly reading assignment
- Content review: your weakest subject area
SAT Schedule: Longer and Shorter SAT Study Schedules
Students who are considering longer SAT schedules (longer than 3 or 4 months of studying) and shorter SAT schedules (shorter than 1 month of studying) certainly can succeed on the SAT, but there are a few things to consider.
SAT schedules longer than 4 months risk burnout, study fatigue and overstudying. By the time your test date arrives, you may have forgotten some of the things you studied, or you may not have the right mental focus needed for the real test. While it’s certainly wise to begin preparing for the SAT more than 3 or 4 months before your test date, prolonged studying can create new problems that you can avoid.
On the other hand, studying for less than 1 month might not be ideal, either. Some students can certainly ace the SAT with a very short study timeline, but most students will need a little longer for the information to sink in.
Of course, your SAT schedule is tailored to your preferences and study habits, so ultimately you decide what works best for you. Just keep in mind that you should give yourself some breathing room for any retakes or to allow your scores to be released to colleges on time, so don’t take the test at the last possible minute!
FAQs
1. What is an ideal SAT schedule?
Ideally, you should start preparing for the SAT in your junior year. Get to know the test’s content and structure, start putting together your study materials, and check out SAT test dates. Take a practice test so you have a baseline score and determine what score you need to get into your dream college or one of the schools on your university list. From there, you can even schedule an SAT test date and put together your study schedule. If you decide you want to retake the test, you can set another date in the fall or summer of your senior year.
2. How long should you study for SAT?
We recommend studying for the SAT for 3 months. Any longer and you can risk burning out on your studying. Any shorter and you risk not being fully prepared for the test. Although, each student is different so some students can succeed with a short SAT schedule and other students may want closer to 4 months of study to feel ready for the SAT.
3. Can you study for the SAT in 1 month?
Yes, it’s certainly possible to succeed on the test with just one month of studying. If you consistently score high on practice tests and you are comfortable with the test’s content, one month of studying may be sufficient for you to achieve the score you want.
4. How many hours is the SAT?
The SAT is a 3-hour long exam. The new digital SAT is a little shorter at around 2 hours and 20 minutes.
5. When are the SAT test dates?
The SAT test dates are typically offered in August, October, November, December, March, May and June.
6. What’s the best SAT test date?
There is some debate over what the best time to take the SAT is, since some students claim the SAT is “easier” in certain months. However, the best SAT test date will depend on the individual student. You should choose a test date that gives you enough time for a retake test if you need one, time for your scores to be released in time for college application deadlines, and that does not coincide with a busy time in your schedule.
7. What’s a good SAT score?
The best SAT score is the one that gets you into the college of your choice. On average, a decent SAT score would be anything above the 50th percentile range or median. A very good SAT score is anything above the 75th percentile range.
8. What is the best age to start preparing for the SAT?
Most students begin preparing for the SAT in their junior year, which is a good time to start preparing yourself to take the test, decide on a test date and start thinking about college applications.
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