Having to figure out when to start preparing for different aspects of admissions is the root cause of a lot of stress. Often, people err on the side of being overprepared rather than underprepared, and they begin working on parts of the process earlier than they should. In the case of standardized testing, this can actually be counterproductive.
There is a finite number of practice tests and practice resources available that do a good job of approximating the exam, and starting early can exhaust those resources well before your student is ready to take the test. And the longer the gap between preparing for the test and actually taking the test, the less effective that preparation tends to be. Students will forget how to manage certain question types the longer they go without practicing.
You might think the solution to this is to just prepare early and take the test early, too. This will solve the problem of a long lag time between preparation and the actual SAT or ACT exams. But taking the test too early has pitfalls all its own.
Why not take the test as a sophomore?
The first thing to consider is the Math section. The SAT leans heavily on Algebra and Algebra II concepts. It’s true that many—but not all—students are on an accelerated Math track that sees them complete Algebra I in middle school, but that means they start high school in Geometry, and do not complete Algebra II until the end of sophomore year. Trying to take the SAT prior to completing Algebra II is not the best idea, if you can help it. For students on an accelerated Math track, waiting until they complete Algebra II gives them the best chance at understanding every single Math concept they’re likely to see on the test.
The ACT leans more on Geometry concepts. There will likely be at least one Algebra II concept on the test, so Algebra II is nice-to-have but not as critical as it is for the SAT. So students should not attempt the ACT until they have completed Geometry. Unlike the SAT, the ACT does not provide a reference sheet with common formulae. So students are expected to know, recall, and implement the formulae from memory, and that might be a tougher task if they haven’t completed Geometry yet.
But what about students not on an accelerated math track? Their task gets harder. For the ACT, it’s not as bad, because many high schoolers take Geometry as sophomores. But for the SAT, they might not finish Algebra II until junior year, which leaves very little time to take the SAT before other priorities take over. This is when we have to compromise. Beginning to prepare for the SAT midway through Algebra II will work for these students. This will prepare them to take the test at the end of junior year as they wrap up Algebra II.
The other area to consider is Reading. The reality is that even voracious readers are often ill-equipped to deal with the SAT reading passages. Afterall, how many students choose to immerse themselves in Madison’s Federalist 51? How many students have read Jane Austen as a freshman and are prepared to grapple with eighteenth-century syntax and vocabulary? On the SAT and ACT, students will be expected to read historical passages, and excerpts from English or American literature that can be up to 200 years old.
The more English courses your student can complete, and the older they become, the more exposure they will have to a variety of literature and the more mature they will be. These two factors combine to better prepare students to succeed on the SAT or ACT Reading sections. Freshmen and sophomores, on the whole, will be less successful in this realm. But obviously this does not apply to everyone: there will be younger students who can manage this level of material. This is where knowing your student and their capabilities will help you make a more informed decision on when to take the test.
So when should my student take the SAT or ACT?
For accelerated math students, I generally recommend preparing for the SAT over the summer before junior year. They will have finished Algebra II by then, and they can take the test beginning in August as school begins.
This will also ideally situate an accelerated math student to be in “testing mode” when the PSAT 11 rolls around in October. The PSAT 11 is also known as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, or NMSQT for short (not that it’s actually any shorter). Scoring highly in your state can put your student in consideration for at least $2,500 in scholarship money for freshman year.
Ideally, accelerated math students will take the SAT in August, October, and December, or the ACT in September, October, and December; and then they’ll have January–April to study for their AP exams in the first two weeks of May.
For traditional math students, the timeline is a bit tighter. They’ll need to be prepared to deal with AP tests, SAT/ACT, and finals. I recommend beginning to prepare for the SAT or ACT midway through junior year. Winter break in December–January provides a natural starting point where students can get in good, solid preparation. They should then take the late winter/early spring test: ACT in February, SAT in March. After that, regardless of their scores, students should prepare for any AP tests in May (if your student has none, continue ACT/SAT prep). Then resume prep after finals and take the summer tests: SAT again in June, ACT again in July. If your student still thinks they can score better, then they can spend time over the summer to study for a third test at the start of the school year: SAT in August, ACT in September.
After that, their focus really should be on their extracurriculars, grades, and their college applications.
In either case, I tend not to recommend students take the SAT or ACT more than 3 times. Taking it more than that might signal skewed priorities to college admissions officers. And after 3–4 attempts, scores are unlikely to increase dramatically without significant preparation, so you’ll see diminishing returns for the time invested.
Wrap up
Having your student prepare for the SAT or ACT too early can cause problems. You’re likely to run out of quality test prep materials well before your student is ready to take the exam. And if you push up your student’s exam date before they have finished Algebra II, and before they’ve read enough and are mature enough to handle the SAT and ACT Reading, then you’re likely to cause frustration and stress for everyone involved.
Whether or not your student has completed, or at least mostly completed, Algebra II is the baseline for preparation on the SAT; the same is true of Geometry for the ACT. For the Reading sections, it’s more about breadth of reading and overall maturity and ability to grapple with difficult passages.
Preparing for the test either in the summer before junior year (if your student is accelerated in Math), or midway through junior year (if your student is not accelerated in math), gives them the best chance of being successful on the SAT or ACT without having to take it more than a few times. Taking the test more than 3 times can signal to colleges that your student cares more about test scores than extracurriculars—like making an impact in their community—and due to diminishing returns, it’s not a wise way to invest your student’s time for the limited return.
Whatever the scores end up being, students should stop taking their standardized tests after August or September of senior year. By then, they should be focused on their applications, maintaining grades for their last full semester that will go on their transcripts, and their extracurriculars.
Having your student prepare for the SAT or ACT too early can cause problems. You’re likely to run out of quality test prep materials well before your student is ready to take the exam. And if you push up your student’s exam date before they have finished Algebra II, and before they’ve read enough and are mature enough to handle the SAT and ACT Reading, then you’re likely to cause frustration and stress for everyone involved.
Need more expert advice on your child’s path to college? Schedule a free consultation to make sure your student doesn’t stress about things too early or start preparing for college too late.