How long should I study for the SAT/ACT?

Hello everyone! In this week’s blog post, I’ll be answering a very common question asked by students: how long should I study for the SAT/ACT? It’ll be a very quick post, so read on to learn more!

This is a very common question asked by all high schoolers preparing for the test. However, there isn’t a standard answer. It’s sort of like asking how long you need to study for a biology test. Everyone has a different standard! Some students may be more familiar with the material, and may take less time overall studying for test. On the other hand, some students can be completely unaware of the concepts, and may take more time to develop a deep understanding of the material.

It’s a very similar concept in preparing for standardized tests. Every student is different, and every student takes a different amount of time to study. Most students prepare for around 2-3 months before the test date, but again, it differs depending on the student. You may find yourself vigorously preparing for 4-5 months, or you may only study for 2-3 weeks.

Here's one way to tell how much time you need to study: Take a practice test! This is the first step you should take when preparing regardless of the amount of time you have. After you receive your score, compare it to the averages at colleges you’re looking at. Aim to be in the 50th percentile of SAT/ACT scores of accepted students. It’ll give you a good base, especially since test scores are not the most important part of the application – they’re important, but not the biggest deal in the world.

After you compare your scores to that of your top colleges, try to approximate how much time you think you’ll need. If you’re several points away from your preferred score, then it may be a good idea to spend a couple of more weeks studying before your test date. This is an effective way to gauge the amount of preparation you may need to do.

Also, look at how you did on certain sections of the test. Students who are stronger in math may take less time to improve their math section score, and the opposite will be true for those stronger in reading/writing.

To sum it all up, there isn’t a definitive amount of time you need to study, and it depends upon each student. Try taking a practice test to see how your score is, and then decide on how much time you want to devote to studying. I hope you all found this post useful! Feel free to contact me with any questions!

Until next time, bye!