Preparing for the SAT

A well-structured SAT prep plan can help you maximize your study time and achieve your best possible score. In this article, we'll discuss how to create an SAT prep plan using Khan Academy's free SAT prep courses, including suggestions for when to start studying, when to take practice tests, and how to use your prep time most effectively.

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###When to start studying

The ideal time to start studying for the SAT varies depending on your individual circumstances. However, a general rule of thumb is to start preparing for the test at least 3-6 months in advance. If you’re planning to take the SAT in the spring of your junior year, it's a good idea to start studying during the summer before your junior year if possible. This will give you plenty of time to cover all the material and to take several practice tests before the real thing.

You can also take the SAT in the summer before or fall of your senior year, but if you plan to apply for college, it’s generally a good idea to aim for the spring of your junior year anyway. That way, if you’re unsatisfied with your score, you’ll have time to practice more and retake the SAT in the summer or fall.

If you're looking to maximize your score on the PSAT/NMSQT, which is usually administered to students in their first semester of 11th grade, it's a good idea to start prepping in the spring (second semester of 10th grade) or summer before 11th grade.

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###When to take practice tests

Taking practice tests is an important part of preparing for the SAT. Practice tests help you get familiar with the format of the test and identify areas where you need to improve. To make the most of your practice tests, it's important to take them at strategic intervals throughout your prep period.

• Start your SAT prep journey by taking a practice test. Your first practice test will give you a better understanding of the test and show you your starting point. Based on that first test, you can build confidence on the parts of the test you performed well on, as well as identify the parts of the test where you need more practice. Learn more about taking practice tests here.

• After that, you should plan to take a practice test at regular intervals leading up to your exam date. This will give you enough time to work on your weaknesses between tests while also allowing you to track your progress over time. It will also help you become comfortable with the timing of the test and build your stamina for test day.

• Finally, take one last practice test a week or two before the SAT. While it’s tempting to cram a lot of studying and practice in at the last minute, you should take the last few days leading up to test day to rest and restore your mental energy. This final practice test will bring together all the preparation you’ve done and build confidence for the official test.

If you're looking to maximize your score on the PSAT/NMSQT, you should do essentially the same thing: take a PSAT/NMSQT practice test on Bluebook before you start your prep journey, work your way through all the levels of Khan Academy's SAT courses, and then take another PSAT/NMSQT practice test a week or two before the real PSAT/NMSQT. There are currently two practice PSAT/NMSQTs available on College Board's Bluebook™ app, which, along with our SAT courses, should be enough to help you practice and prepare for the PSAT/NMSQT. We recommend saving the SAT practice tests for when it's time to prep for the SAT!

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###How to use your prep time most effectively

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your prep time:

####Focus on your weaknesses

The SAT consists of a Reading and Writing section and a Math section. Khan Academy offers free SAT prep courses for both sections. Each course is broken down into three levels of difficulty: Foundations, Medium, and Advanced. Each level includes articles, videos, and practice questions for every skill you’ll see on test day.

In general, we recommend creating and following a schedule that allows you to complete the entire course before test day, breaking it down into a few lessons per week. However, you don’t need to go through the units in order: in fact, you should begin your prep with the areas in which you need the most improvement. Every time you take a practice test, you should identify the question types you missed on that test—especially any question types you consistently miss. Plan to spend extra time working through the lessons for those question types to ensure that you are fully prepared for the test.

If you’re not sure what skills you’re struggling with, and aren’t able to take a full practice test, you can take the Course Challenges in Math and Reading and Writing. Each Course Challenge will give you credit for skills you’ve already mastered and help you identify areas of weakness.

####Practice, practice, practice

Practice is key to improving your SAT score. If you can, you should work through the practice problems in every lesson. This will help you become familiar with the material and improve your test-taking skills. If you’re ever unsure why an answer is correct, take time to read the rationales we’ve provided to help you better understand the reasoning that leads to the correct answer.

####Time yourself

The SAT is a timed test, so it's important to become comfortable with the timing of the test. The practice tests in the Bluebook™ app are timed, and you should also be mindful of time while doing practice questions on Khan Academy. Different questions will take more time than others, so there isn’t a hard rule when it comes to timing. As a general rule of thumb, try to stick to a little over a minute for Reading and Writing questions, and a minute and a half for Math questions.

Learn more about time management strategies for the Math section and time management strategies for the Reading and Writing section.

####Take breaks

Studying for the SAT can be mentally exhausting. Make sure to take breaks as needed to rest and recharge. This will help you stay focused and motivated throughout your prep period.

####Get help when needed

If you're struggling with a particular concept or question, don't hesitate to ask for help. Reach out to your teachers, the free tutors on Schoolhouse, or your peers for assistance. You can also use the discussion forum on Khan Academy’s SAT course pages to ask questions and get feedback from others.

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###Sample student SAT prep plan

Here’s a sample four-month prep plan, using Khan Academy’s free SAT Reading and Writing and Math courses. There is a lot of content in our SAT courses, and everyone’s prep process will be different. You might have more or less time to prep, and you might find you already perform well in some skills and decide to focus on the skills in which you struggle the most. That said, this is a strong, followable prep plan for any student that gets started at least four months before their test date!

As you go through each Khan Academy course, it’s best to read the lesson articles, watch the videos, do practice questions, and take quizzes when they arise. At the end of each lesson, try to “level up” (get at least three out of four practice questions correct) before moving onto the next lesson. When you reach the end of a Unit, you can take a Unit Test to review what you’ve learned and further level up your skills progress.

####Month 1: Math + RW: Foundations

Week 1:

• Go through Unit 1, Lesson 1 “About the SAT” for both Reading and Writing and Math.
• Create a College Board account and download Bluebook™.
• Take practice test 6 on the Bluebook app
• Get your practice test score and analyze the question-by-question breakdown. Read explanations and rationales for any questions you missed. Make note of any patterns: are there certain kinds of questions you missed more often than others?

Week 2:

• Math Unit 2: Foundations: Algebra (including Unit test)
• RW Unit 2: Foundations: Information and ideas

Week 3:

• Math Unit 3: Foundations: Problem solving and data analysis
• RW Unit 3: Foundations: Craft and structure

Week 4+:

• Math Unit 4: Foundations: Advanced math
• Math Unit 5: Foundations: Geometry and trigonometry
• RW Unit 4: Foundations: Expression of ideas + standard English conventions

####Month 2: Math + RW: Medium

Week 1:

• Take practice test 5 on the Bluebook app
• Get your score: how did you do compared to the last practice test? Be proud of any gains you’ve made—even small ones! Analyze the question-by-question breakdown. Read explanations and rationales for any questions you missed. Make note of any patterns: where have you improved, and where do you still need work?

Week 2:

• Math Unit 6: Medium: Algebra
• RW Unit 5: Medium: Information and ideas

Week 3:

• Math Unit 7: Medium: Problem solving and data analysis
• RW Unit 6: Medium: Craft and structure

Week 4 +:

• Math Unit 8: Medium: Advanced math
• Math Unit 9: Medium: Geometry and trigonometry
• RW Unit 7: Medium: Expression of ideas + standard English conventions

####Month 3: Math + RW: Advanced

Week 1:

• Take practice test 4 on the Bluebook app
• Get your score: how did you do compared to the last practice test? Be proud of any gains you’ve made—even small ones! Analyze the question-by-question breakdown. Read explanations and rationales for any questions you missed. Make note of any patterns: where have you improved, and where do you still need work?

Week 2:

• Math Unit 10: Advanced: Algebra
• RW Unit 8: Advanced: Information and ideas

Week 3:

• Math Unit 11: Advanced: Problem solving and data analysis
• RW Unit 9: Advanced: Craft and structure

Week 4 +:

• Math Unit 12: Advanced: Advanced math
• Math Unit 13: Advanced: Geometry and trigonometry
• RW Unit 10: Advanced: Expression of ideas + standard English conventions

####Month 4: Targeted Practice and Mastery

Week 1:

• Take the RW Course Challenge. Go back to the lessons in which you struggled the most. Review the lessons and do more practice problems as needed.

Week 2:

• Take the Math Course Challenge. Go back to the lessons in which you struggled the most. Review the lessons and do more practice problems as needed.

Week 3:

• Math and RW: More targeted practice. Challenge yourself to get as many mastery points as you can!

Week 4 + (one to two weeks before your practice test):

• Take practice test 3 on the Bluebook app
• Get your score and analyze the question-by-question breakdown. Read explanations and rationales for any questions you missed. Compare your score to the score you got on practice test 1 and be proud of how far you’ve come!

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Happy prepping—you’ve got this!

Doing well on the SAT is not just about answering questions correctly: it's also about managing your time effectively. In this article, we will explore some time management strategies that students can use when taking the Reading and Writing section of the SAT.

###Understanding the test structure

The SAT Reading and Writing section consists of two 32-minute modules, for a total of 64 minutes. Each module contains 27 questions, for a total of 54 questions in the section. That means you’ll have just over a minute per question.

The SAT is adaptive: The first module of each section contains a broad mix of easy, medium, and hard questions. Based on how you perform on the first module, the second module of questions will either be more difficult or less difficult. On the real test, you won’t be able to move onto the second module until your 32 minutes for the first module are up. On the practice tests, you can skip to the second module earlier, but we recommend against it (more on this below). Note that there is no break between the first and second Reading and Writing modules—instead, your first break happens at the end of the section, before the first module of the Math section begins.

###Important time management tips and strategies

With this structure in mind, here are the key tips and strategies for effectively managing your time on the Reading and Writing section:

• Save time on easier questions. You’ll find that some questions on the test require more reading than others, which can be a slow process. You may also find that while you can answer some question types quickly and easily, others consistently take you more time. If you can work quickly on the questions that feel easier, you can save more time for when you need it!

• Make predictions. Whenever you can, you should come up with a prediction in your mind for the correct answer, and select the choice that best matches your prediction. This will help you avoid spending too much time reading through the choices and comparing them against one another. This is the biggest time-saver for most Reading and Writing questions—and it can greatly improve your chances of getting the question right!

• Use the process of elimination. When you can’t make a prediction, or you can’t find a choice that matches your prediction, you should read the choices and rule them out one by one. If you can’t eliminate three choices, take your best guess between what’s left.

• Don’t second-guess yourself! Go with your gut. Don’t worry if a question seems “too easy” or “obvious”. Your first instinct is usually correct—especially if you’ve been studying and doing plenty of practice questions!

• Leave time at the end of each module to review your answers. If you find yourself stumped on a question or stuck between two or more choices, just take your best guess and move on. This should leave you time to come back to the question later, once you’ve finished the rest of the module. Which brings us to…

• Mark questions you’re not sure about for review. The Bluebook™ app contains a tool that lets you mark the question you’re on for review. This option appears right next to the question number. When you get to the end of the module, you’ll see a review page, and the questions you marked for review will be flagged. You can click back into these questions and re-read them and check your answer. Then, at the bottom of the question page (where it says the question number out of 27) you can click back to the review page. Note that you can click back into any question until time is up—including the ones you didn’t mark—but it will be much easier to remember which questions you want to come back to if you do mark them for review. A good way to review Reading questions in particular is to go back to the passages and make sure there is evidence to support your answer.

• Don’t leave any questions blank! The SAT doesn’t penalize you for wrong answers, so no matter how stumped you feel on a given question, you should always take a guess. You should select a choice the first time you encounter the question, even if you mark it to come back to later—just in case you run out of time before you get back to it.

• Don’t start the second module early on your practice tests! The practice tests give you the option to start the second module before the time allotted for your first module is up. However, on the real test, you won’t get this option—you’ll have to wait until those 32 minutes are over. So, when you finish the first module on your practice tests, we recommend that you use any leftover time just like you would on the real test: to review the questions you’re not sure about.

Happy prepping!

You’ve studied for weeks, taken your practice tests, and now testing day is finally here. In a few short hours, you’ll be past this—the end is in sight! To help make sure you’re ready for anything, let’s talk about your Test Day plan, starting with the night before.

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###The night before:

• Make sure you know where you’ll be testing and how to get there. The SAT is given at testing centers all over the place. Make sure you know which one you’re going to—you don't want to be late on the big day!
• Get a good night's sleep. You might be tempted to stay up late cramming, but it's better to be well-rested. Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep.
• Pack everything you’ll need to bring to the testing center. Check out the next section to find out what you’ll need!

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###What to bring to the testing center:

• Your fully charged testing device with the Bluebook™ application installed (see detailed device requirements)
• Face covering (if required at your test center)
• Your up-to-date admission ticket
• Acceptable photo ID (see ID requirements)
• Pencils or pens for scratch work
• An acceptable calculator for use on the Math section of the test (learn more here)
• A watch without an audible alarm (not necessary, but may be helpful for breaks)
• A charging cable—even if your device can hold a charge for three hours, it’s better to be safe than sorry!
• A bag or backpack (optional)
• A drink and snacks (for your break)
• An epi-pen, if needed (contact Services for Students with Disabilities for other accommodations)

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###The morning of:

• Eat a good breakfast. You'll need plenty of energy to tackle those tricky questions. Go for something healthy and filling, like oatmeal or eggs.
• Double check that you have everything you need for the test. You don’t want to be sent home because you forgot your computer!
• Check for any testing center closings.
• Arrive at the testing center early — at least 30 minutes before the test starts. This will give you time to find your seat, use the restroom, and get settled in.
• Make sure you know all your testing center’s policies. These are described below.

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###Testing center policies:

• Don’t come in if you feel sick. Instead, contact customer service by the end of the day for a refund.
• Doors open at 7:45 a.m., and testing starts between 8:15 and 8:45 a.m. Doors close at 8 a.m., so make sure you’re on time!
• Your mobile phone will be collected by staff. If possible, it’s best not to bring it at all, because if it makes any noise, you’ll be dismissed without a refund.

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###During the test:

• Be aware of your time. There are two modules for each part of the test (two for Reading and Writing, and two for Math). You can toggle back and forth between questions within a module, but once you’ve submitted that module, you can’t go back to it. You’ll likely be done before noon.
• Once the test begins, it's all about staying focused and calm. Remember, you've been preparing for this moment for a long time. Trust yourself and your knowledge.
• If you come across a question that stumps you, don't panic. Take a deep breath, and try your best to work through it. If you're still unsure, make your best guess and move on. You can always come back to it later if you have time.
• Use your break to recharge and refocus. During the test, you'll get a 10-minute break to stretch your legs, use the restroom, and have a snack. Remember to stay positive and remind yourself that you're doing your best.

Finally, when the test is over, take a moment to congratulate yourself. You did it! The SAT is hard work, and you should be proud of yourself for taking it on. Now, go celebrate your accomplishment!