When people ask me what my purpose is in doing what I do, obviously the primary goal is to help people perform better on standardized tests. However, if that was the only thing that I was really up to I think I would have tired of this endeavor a long time ago. The truth is that although my primary focus is on raising people’s test scores since obviously that is what people are paying me to do, a secondary and almost as important motivation for me is to help people learn how to think critically.

Many people bemoan the SAT and believe that it has no value whatsoever. Again, if I agreed with that I would probably have quit tutoring people for the test long, long ago. Although I don’t believe that the test is a measure of innate intelligence, I do believe that it does get at a certain type of logical reasoning and critical thinking. This is important for colleges, especially the more competitive ones, since success at those schools depends in part on one’s ability to think critically. I know because in my first couple of years at Yale I struggled a bit because I was never taught how to read critically and it took me until about my Junior year to really understand what I was missing, and it was eye opening. And I don’t just think its important for college – I think its important for success in life in general.

Let me give a few examples of how reasoning and critical thinking factor into the SAT. I think most importantly its relevant to Reading Comprehension on the SAT. Whereas in high school most students read fiction, most of the passages are non-fiction, and not of the textbook variety that students encounter in school. They are usually persuasive types of passages where the author has a very definite (though not necessarily obvious) purpose. Students aren’t meant to just read the passages and learn what the author is telling them, but to recognize that the author has a particular agenda and that he or she is not necessarily “right.” In other words other authors may have a different perspective on the issue and one must read the passages very critically in order to be aware of the author’s intention, his or her biases, the tone or attitude of the writing, etc. This is a skill that, though not well taught in high school, is critical for success in college and in life more generally.

Turning to the Math section of the SAT, I would argue that one of the most important factors and one that the test clearly rewards is the ability to problem solve creatively and effectively. Most students never learn this. They learn Math and they learn how to regurgitate what they are taught, but they never learn how to problem solve creatively and to use whatever they can to figure out how to answer a question. Its like the exact opposite of what happens in Math class, where you are rewarded for showing your work and for following the steps that you were taught even if you don’t get to the right answer. The SAT is the exact opposite – you get no credit for the steps that you take and in fact it doesn’t matter how you solve a problem so long as you can get to the answer (or guess really well) and do it in a reasonable amount of time. And I probably don’t need to state the obvious at this point, but the SAT writers tend to construct questions, especially hard ones, that are tedious and difficult when done in a straightforward manner but that are fairly easy to solve when you take a creative and clever path.

Again, I would argue that skills like these – reading critically, problem solving creatively – are key to success in college and probably more importantly in life in general. So when I am working with students, my emphasis is on teaching them how to reason and think critically, not just because I know that these skills are crucial for success on the SAT, but also because I believe that these are skills that kids need to acquire in order to be successful in college and beyond.

There is a lot more that I could say about this issue, and I plan to do so in future posts. But specifically as it pertains to reading critically, I plan to roll out a blog series that aims to help students learn the skills necessary to read more effectively by linking to a series of passage (such as pieces in the NY Times, National Geographic, or some other similar publication) and analyzing the author’s intention, tone, use of evidence, etc. In this way I hope to help students acquire the skills necessary for the SAT but also help them see how those skills are applicable in a real world context. Stay tuned!

Every year the 11^th graders that I am tutoring face the prospect of having to take the PSAT. For those who don’t know, the PSAT is essentially a slightly shortened version of the SAT. The questions are basically the same, but there are fewer of them and the overall structure of the test is a little different from that of the SAT (including the fact that there is no essay on the PSAT).

Nevertheless, if a student is preparing for the SAT and doing practice SAT questions, they are essentially preparing themselves for PSAT questions as well. So why prepare specifically for the PSAT then? Well, in most cases you shouldn’t. The PSAT really doesn’t count for anything unless you score very, very high on the test (top 1%). If you are in that group you will likely qualify for a National Merit Scholarship, which is extremely prestigious and looks very, very good on your college application (to say nothing of the fact that, hey, it’s a scholarship!). But for the rest of the test takers the PSAT will be essentially meaningless and schools will never see the scores.

The trouble with the PSAT that is coming in October of 2015 is that it will be in the same format as the new version of the SAT that is set to debut in March of 2016. This presents a bit of a dilemma. First of all, if you plan to try to stick with the old version of the SAT and test before March of 2016 (see my post about that for more information) then you probably don’t want to confuse yourself with the new format of SAT so in that case I would definitely not prepare for the PSAT (since it will reflect the format of the new version of the SAT).

If, however, you do plan to take the new version of the SAT then preparing specifically for the 2015 PSAT might have merit (again if you think you will score very high on the test). The problem even with this scenario is that there will not be a lot of prep material for the new version of the test. There will be SAT materials out and preparing with those will indirectly prepare you for the PSAT since the questions will be very similar. But in the past, I would have students actually take practice PSAT’s so that they could get used to the format and work on proper time management.   This will be difficult to do for the October 2015 test. At best College Board will release a practice PSAT that will reflect the new version to be administered in October 2015 (again probably distributed at the schools) so that people who want to take a practice PSAT would be able to do so, but as far as I know that is not guaranteed. So unfortunately the best a person will be able to do for sure is practice on released SAT questions (there will be a new version of the SAT Official Guide out this Summer) and perhaps rely on some third party sources for mock PSAT’s, if they become available this Summer or early Fall.

This year really complicates a lot in the world of SAT prep, but since most people don’t need to worry about studying for the PSAT, the bigger question that needs to be answered (and the one that would determine what to do about the PSAT anyway) is which test do you want to take – the current version or the new version of the SAT? To repeat, for those wanting to stick with the old version of the test, I would recommend not worrying at all about the PSAT. For those electing to take the new version, only those who are likely to score very high on the PSAT would be well served to consider preparing for it (so that is a very low percentage of the people) and those who do choose to prepare will probably have to do it somewhat indirectly by using the new SAT question that will be released in the coming months and maybe some third party practice PSAT’s if they become available. Unfortunately the next couple of year will be a difficult period of transition for students who have to deal with the SAT. Poor class of 2017!!!

Parents and students alike are often unsure when to begin preparing for the SAT or ACT. Like most things in life there is no simple answer to this question and it depends somewhat on the student and his or her circumstances.  We’ll go into much more detail in the following paragraphs, but a quick answer is:  generally not before Summer between 10th and 11th grade and possibly not until Fall/Winter of 11th grade (though not later than that!).

Understanding the Timeline

For most students, preparing for the initial test should be a roughly 2 or 3 month process.   Remember, however, that it’s usually a good idea to take the tests at least 2 or 3 times, so while 2-3 months is a good benchmark for lead-in time to the initial test, the process usually extends beyond that.  Test prep does not necessarily need to continue unabated throughout all of those retakes, but since many schools “superscore” and since even the ones that don’t won’t penalize students for lower scores, it’s to the student’s advantage to try to maximize their score by taking the tests a few times, especially once the time and money and effort have been spent preparing. 

So if you want to take the SAT or ACT for the first time in October of 11th grade, it’s a good idea to begin studying over the Summer, perhaps July or August.  If December will be the first try, then starting in September would be ideal.  Again, just remember that the process will not likely end there.  If a student takes the December ACT, they’ll almost certainly take the February test and possibly the April one as well.  

Choosing the Right Starting Point

So how do you target the optimal starting point?  This is where the student’s individual circumstances need to be considered.  Does the student play a Spring sport, but have a lot of time in the Summer and Fall?  Would the student (and parents) be more comfortable getting the tests out of the way early so that they can better plan for school visits in the Spring (with the knowledge of which schools are realistic given the student’s SAT and ACT scores)?  Is the student going to have 5 AP classes and therefore 5 AP tests in May of 11th grade – clearly that is NOT a good time to be taking the SAT if that is the case.  Did the student take Algebra 2 and Trigonometry in 10th grade or will they be taking it in 11th grade?  Algebra 2 and Trig are tested on the SAT and ACT, so students who are not taking that Math until 11th grade might benefit from a later starting date!

Below are some specific considerations that will help you make an informed decision:

Again, it’s helpful to think about when distractions are most likely to get in the way of a student.  When are their most intense sports or extra-curricular activities?  Do they have a lot of free time over the Summer when A LOT of serious prep can happen?  End of 11th grade is an intense time for most students and this is part of why many informed parents get their kids started with SAT and ACT prep early.  Remember, 11th grade is probably the most important year grade-wise in terms of college applications, and the end of Junior year is particularly brutal with AP exams, finals, etc.  That’s not to say that prepping in the Spring is always bad (see below), but it’s important to anticipate how hard that time of year can be.

Another thing to consider is the intellectual and academic development of the student.  As mentioned above, many kids don’t take Algebra 2 and Trigonometry until 11th grade, and those topics ARE tested on the SAT and ACT.  Even some pre-calculus topics are sometimes tested, especially on the ACT.  So for students who have not taken that Math, starting later, perhaps in the Winter of Junior year, might be best.   Verbal ability also continues to mature as students progress in school.  Some kids are just better, more sophisticated readers at the end of 11th grade or beginning of Senior year than they were a year earlier.

Ok, so why not just wait and take the tests in the Summer after 11th grade and Fall of 12th?  Well, it’s a lot of pressure at that point since by Summer after 11th grade there are only a few tests left that can be taken before application deadlines, especially if you plan to apply Early Decision.  Additionally, it makes it hard to plan college visits and strategize applications when you don’t even know how you will net out on the SAT or ACT.   So it is NOT a good idea to begin prepping in the late Spring, since that might mean the student’s first test is June or even July/August (the SAT and ACT have Summer test dates).  

That said, those later test dates CAN be good options for a second or final test.  For example, if a student starts prepping in January and takes the April and June ACT, taking the July test can be great.  By that point the student will probably have had 3 or 4 weeks without school and can really focus on making a strong push up to that July test date.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there is no right answer for when one should begin prepping for the SAT or ACT.  There are certainly better times and worse times, but it’s really very student-dependent.  However, it’s never a bad idea to start thinking about the tests early:  once you have a plan in place you’ll be in good shape, even if that plan is to not start prepping until January of Junior year.  To that end, it can be good to have your child take a diagnostic SAT and ACT early on (even near the end of 10th grade), just to get the wheels turning and to start thinking about which test to aim for in the first place.  Please see our dedicated page on how to choose which test to take, SAT or ACT, for more information on that very important initial step.  And feel free to contact us for guidance on the overall timeline and process for prepping for the SAT or ACT.   We are here to help!