Help! I Only Have One Month to Study for the SAT!

M​aybe you've taken the SAT once or twice before, but you're taking it again because you're just not satisfied with your score. Maybe you've never even sat for the test, but you know that your target score is going to be difficult to reach. Maybe you haven't even started the studying process and you're just curious as to what you should expect for when you do.

N​o matter what stage of the process you're in, the guidelines we outline below will make your study habits more efficient and effective.

I​n order to produce this successful study plan, you'll need to identify a few key components of your schedule:

• B​alance the books. Of course, studying for the SAT is going to be a prominent aspect of your routine for the next few weeks. But don't let your other priorities suffer because of this; your grades in school, extracurricular activities, and leisurely hobbies are all important to your application as well. 

• W​hat went wrong. Be able to identify which concepts you're struggling with and which you might have already mastered. For questions you're having trouble with, make sure you understand its explanation rather than simply moving on to the next problem. This way, when you stumble across a similar question later, you'll know how to tackle it.

• I​dentify improvement. The purpose of your schedule is to show the progress you've made! You can keep track of this by taking practice tests (which are found on the College Board's website), keeping a journal of concepts that you consistently have trouble with, and charting the number of questions you answer correctly each time you take a test.

E​ven with these three things in mind though, you can't just blindly come up with a schedule that suits you well. There are many aspects that factor into this equation, so we're going to show you how to come up with the best plan for you!

1. F​irst and foremost, you need to pinpoint your target score. This will be your end goal, the score that will give you a better chance of admission in the application process. But how do you know what this number should be? First, compile a list of colleges to which you want to apply and look up their 25th and 75th percentile scores. Find the school on your list with the highest 75th percentile score, and there you go: that's your golden number. You might think this is setting the bar a little high, and you're right; this way, you have some wiggle room to score below your goal and still be a competitive applicant. 

2. Y​ou can't make any progress without a starting point, though. In order to see what your baseline score is, take a practice SAT test under conditions that are realistic as possible. Having this score will allow you to identify how far you are away from your goal, how much time you need to dedicate to studying, and the necessary intensity of your study routine. 

3. S​peaking of time, you'll need to figure out how many hours you need to put into studying. Subtract your baseline score from your target score to see how many points you need to improve by, then reference the information below to see how many hours this number corresponds to.
   0​-30 points: 10 hours
   3​0-70 points: 20 hours
   7​0-130 points: 40 hours
   1​30-200 points: 80 hours
   2​00-330 points: 150+ hours

4. N​ow that you know how much time you're going to need for this project, you're going to need to set a date! Whatever date you choose, make sure you'll have ample time during the week to accomplish any studying that needs to be done. With this one, it's especially important to keep in mind any dates for scholarships or applications.

5. E​verything looks like it's ready to go! Just one last step: gather the goods. Make sure you have an approved scientific calculator, #2 pencils, plenty of scratch paper, and adequate resources before you begin taking any practice tests. Official practice problems, study guides, and tests can all be found on the College Board website. 

Okay, so now that we have our time frame and our goal, let's look at our one month study plan. Remember that, because you're studying for only four weeks, this schedule is going to be more time consuming and intense!

W​EEK ONE

T​ake a practice test (4 hours)

S​core your test and see where you went wrong (2 hours)

F​amiliarize yourself with the format of the test by cycling through different types of questions and looking at the ways in which they're scored (2 hours)

U​nderstand the format of the Reading section by sorting through different passages (1 hours)

U​nderstand the format of the Writing and Language section by comparing it to the Reading section (1 hour)

U​nderstand the format of the Math section by exposing yourself to relevant content, calculator vs. no calculator questions, and multiple choice vs. grid-in questions (1 hour)

W​EEK TWO

C​ommit to memory general grammar and punctuation rules (2 hours)

M​ake sure you understand central math concepts such as integers, fractions, linear functions, inequalities, and polynomials (5 hours)

M​emorize important formulas, such as the quadratic equation (1 hour)

E​xperiment with different strategies for the Reading section to find the one that works best for you (2 hours)

W​EEK THREE

T​ry different strategies for reading passages in the Writing section and use the one that works best for you (2 hours)

L​earn Math, Reading, and Writing strategies that will save you time and effort, such as plugging and chugging answers and eliminating incorrect answers (4 hours)

T​ake another practice test and see how much progress you've made compared to your initial test from Week One (5 hours)

W​EEK FOUR

A​ddress the weaknesses you identified in the weeks prior, expose yourself to more question types, and learn any new strategies that you think might be useful (10 hours)

*R​emember to take a break from studying the day before the exam-- your brain needs to relax! 

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