Knowing the best time to start prepping for the SAT^® and finding your personal “sweet spot” can increase scores and make the process a lot less stressful.  While most students should begin preparing no later than fall of the sophomore year, it really depends on your situation and goals.  Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

Are you an A-student who hopes to attend an Ivy-League or highly selective college?

The stronger the student, the earlier you should begin preparation. The sweet spot for these students is to begin the preparation process the summer before sophomore year, taking the first SAT^® no later than October or December of the sophomore year.

Since many highly selective colleges superscore the SAT^®, we always recommend A-students take the SAT^® a minimum of 2-3 times. This student group, however, often has a very busy spring schedule with AP exams and SAT^® Subject Tests, so getting a head start is really important. 

Are you nervous about sitting for the SAT^®?

For these students, putting off test preparation can actually make them more anxious. So start early in the sophomore year! Many students are nervous about testing but once they start watching the Kranse Institute online videos they find that the SAT^® is not nearly as difficult as they imagined. 

Are you a Varsity athlete?

If you play sports, try to concentrate your SAT^® prep when athletic schedules will be the least hectic. Fall sports are probably the trickiest, especially for A-students, because the season can last from late summer to early December, prime test prep and testing time. If you are one of these students, plan on using your summers wisely and taking the August SAT^® in the sophomore or junior year before your schedule gets too crazy.

Is your weak subject Math?

If you have not taken geometry or basic trigonometry it might be wise to put off taking the actual SAT^® until after you have finished these subjects. These students, however, can still begin preparing for the SAT^® anytime in the sophomore year, but just delay testing until the math skills are stronger.

Does your family like to travel over school breaks?

If you are planning any major trips, make sure that you know when the SAT^® will be offered and avoid accidentally scheduling a vacation over one of the testing dates! This happens more than you would think, especially for the August, March and June test dates.

Remember: Successful students plan wisely. At Kranse Institute, we offer 18-months of access to our online SAT^® program because we want our students to customize our program to fit their testing schedule. Very few tutors or companies are willing to make that long-term commitment to their students.

So what are you waiting for? Sing up now and invest in your success.

Get 30% off digital SAT^® PSAT/NMSQT^® prep course enrollment with code COACH30 when ordering online at www.Kranse.com.