When to start your SAT prep- Start Early, Stay Ahead!

What do you think is one of the most defining tests for a high school student?

Indeed, it is the SAT exam and the score that impersonates a decisive role in finding a reputed college for the student.

Yes, it takes outstanding hard work and perseverance to crack the exam. Students are required to learn every concept thoroughly with an understanding of the subject basics. 

So certainly, the next question that pops up is when to start with the preparation?

As you all know, there are multiple subjects in the exam, and many students fear the vast syllabus of it. Especially when a student starts with his/her preparation a few months before they wish to give the SAT, they will find it challenging to deal with time management. 

This leads to ignorance of various topics. At times they keep aside the complicated topics till the last moment as they know it consumes quite a lot of time in understanding and working out complex problems. But when the exam day nears this can only build up pressure in their young brains forcing them to omit these topics and finally leading to a low score.

So we believe it is an excellent option to start the preparation of the exam as early as possible!

For most of the students, starting the preparation in the 11th grade or later part of 10th grade is a good option. Topics like Algebra, Geometry, and Comprehension are already introduced to them. So with some extra practice, maybe a dedicated time of 1 hour a day students can start the preparation for the SAT. Though some students even wish to start the preparation as early in middle school but taking up the SAT in middle school will be tough for students, yet not impossible. Still, it can only be considered for an exam experience because the SAT score is valid only for five years.

It is advisable to kick start the SAT preparation early with a proper SAT coaching along with the daily practice of 1 hour or more depending on the student’s attention span and capacity. We have also mentioned below some of the advantages of starting the SAT exam preparation early:

• Build a strategy: Yes, a strategy can only be acquired with regular practice. So students by taking the SAT mock test regularly can prepare a strategy for improvement in their weak areas. These include strategies for solving questions in less time, understanding which questions to start first and sorting out between hard and easy questions. To be precise, they can concentrate on the topics or areas on which they lack mastery.

• Backup exam: If a student takes up the SAT exam in September/October month of their 11th-grade, and they do not get the desired score in the first attempt they could opt for a backup exam in April/May. This way a student can comprehend the areas where they made mistakes, practice more on those areas for another six months, and give a boost to their confidence. So students should always have the choice of attempting the backup exam if they want admission to a better college.
• Eliminate stress: Starting the SAT journey as early as possible reduces the burden of the SAT exam in the final days. For example, if a student gets to cover the topics of basic arithmetic, algebra, and fractions early, they attain a strong foundation for more complex, mathematical concepts such as geometry. So with strong basics, they can start preparing early with the complex topics which are a better approach to eliminate stress.

• Topic awareness: Starting the preparation for the SAT early will develop a student’s “muscle memory.” It means the student gets acquainted with the topics and expected questions they had practiced, with this; they can easily solve questions quickly. This provides students with dominance increasing the chances of a good score.
• Vocabulary: Reading books, magazines or newspapers, right from the beginning can increase the vocabulary of students. Building an everyday reading habit may expand student’s vocabulary for their SAT prep and intensify their understanding of the English language. SAT reading passages become easier for those who are in the habit of extensive reading. A good vocabulary is important in the SAT as comprehension includes many tough words which can be understood if the student is familiar with it.

• Reading: Since the SAT exam is based in the US, it lays special emphasis on the Founding Documents, which covers the political and social history of the USA. It would be helpful for students to solve comprehensions if they read extensively right from the beginning.
• Utilize wide resources available: Students can practice a wide range of questions available with online SAT prep courses, and can even stick to help books and notes which will eventually make them perfect. These practices will even enhance their speed and confidence while solving the questions.

We believe starting your SAT preparation early with the right coaching is the most important initiative. And if you are looking for such a place online, 98thPercentile is a one-stop solution for SAT topics. It provides extensive and quality material for SAT aspirants. Regular assessments and live interactive classes are some of the best features of the website. With an amazing educator team, we ensure that each student is given due attention and feedback. To make quality education more affordable is the mission of the website. So start your SAT journey right away with 98thPercentile!