The Scholastic Aptitude Test, SAT is among the highly prestigious and most taken exams by students willing to complete their higher education in the United States. One of the challenges you will face with the SAT is figuring out what kind of study schedule works for you and will best prepare you to succeed. If you start too late, you won't get the highest score you're capable of. But if you start too early, you might struggle because you haven’t learned all the necessary content yet, plus you could forget things by the time the test rolls around.
So when to start preparing for SAT? We at Yocket will give you a recommended plan based on your college goals, and help you answer all your questions on-” When should I start preparing for SAT?”
|
Table of Contents |
When to Start Studying for SAT Exam?
When to start preparing for SAT in India is not a definite formula that applies to everyone. It takes into account a lot of variables like your baseline score, your target university, your other engagements, and a lot more. You can neither start as early as high school as you might not know most of the concepts of the syllabus then nor can you start too late as you might not have sufficient time to understand the pattern and prepare accordingly.
- To answer- “When should I start studying for SAT?”, we usually suggest that 3-4 months before the test date should be ample time for you to prepare for SAT.
- Yet to stay on the safer side, we advise you to take up a series of practice SAT tests before you actually start studying for the exam. Evaluate your own answers and grade yourself. This will give you a precise idea of where you currently stand.
- Now you can look up the score that your dream college asks for and calculate the difference between the required score and your baseline score. This is how much you have to work!
All about the SAT Exam Pattern!
|
Take into consideration your other engagements and make a well-spaced study plan accordingly. Be sure to include practice tests at regular intervals in your plan as it will be your control mechanism and give a precise graph of your growth. |
How to Choose the Length and Intensity of Study Plan?
Your study goals completely depend on your college goals. If you’re aiming at a state university, there will be less pressure on you to score high than if you aim at Ivy League universities like Harvard or MIT. If when should you start preparing for SAT, is still your concern, we will help you have an estimate depending upon which college you are aiming at.
1. Ivy League Universities
If you’re aiming at highly selective Ivy League Universities like Stanford, MIT, etc. getting a high score on SAT becomes really important. You should definitely take the PSAT* in tenth class to see how you are doing on the SAT prep. You should also take a full SAT practice test as well.
Once you have a starting score without preparation, decide your study pace. Your target SAT score should be higher than 2250.
2. Top Tier Universities
These are the universities that admit around half of the applicants. These universities are tough to get into but not as competitive as the Ivy League. Research online the SAT score ranges for your target universities. Set your SAT score target based on those numbers. About three months before your test should give you enough of a buffer to try a few study approaches and get comfortable with the test content.
Check Out the SAT Exam Syllabus 2022!
3. Less Selective Universities
Less selective universities are those that admit more than half of the applicants. This is the case with usually large public universities or small colleges. Your SAT score is important but isn’t required to be very high. Don't forget to look up the average SAT score ranges at the target universities and set your target score based on that range.
Suggested: What is the SAT Exam Eligibility Criteria?
How Much Do You Need to Study for SAT?
After answering when to start preparing for SAT in India, let us know about how much exactly should one study for SAT.
How many hours you need to study for the SAT depends on how large a point improvement you want to make. You'll determine this by figuring out the difference between the baseline score you got from your practice test and your target score for the schools you want to get accepted to.
Let us tabulate the most basic plan for how much is required to study for SAT based on the amount of improvement you require:
|
0-50 Point Improvement |
10 hours |
|
50-100 Point Improvement |
20 hours |
|
100-200 Point Improvement |
40 hours |
|
200-300 Point Improvement |
80 hours |
|
300-500 Point Improvement |
150 hours+ |
You could space this out (say, three hours per week for six months) or study intensely over the summer (16 hours per week for five weeks). You can hence gauge when to start studying for SAT in India. We hope you can prepare efficiently for the exam and clear SAT with an amazing score and fly off to your dream university abroad! For further queries related to the SAT exam, you can even connect with our Yocket Counsellors!
Frequently Asked Questions about When to Start Preparing for SAT Test
Ques. What’s Tested on the SAT? When should I start studying for SAT?
Ans. SAT consists of 2 major sections; the evidence-based reading and writing section and the mathematics section. Apart from these two there also is an optional essay section which you might have to opt for if your college asks for the essay. Starting preparation 3-4 months before the exam day should be sufficient.
Ques. What are some of the tips to when to start studying for SAT in India?
Ans. Here are some of the tips for starting preparing for SAT given by top professionals
- Take the PSAT or SAT practice test at the beginning of the eleventh class to get a starting score.
- Figure out the target SAT score based on the average SAT score at the most competitive school on the list of shortlisted colleges.
- Start studying either during the eleventh class or the beginning of the twelfth class. The intensity of your studies will vary by what kind of colleges you want to get into, and your starting score.
Ques. What concepts are asked in SAT Maths?
Ans. These are the most asked concepts of SAT maths:
- Numbers and Operations
- Algebra and Functions
- Geometry and Measurement
- Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability
- Trigonometry