Balance

When and how many times should you take the SAT?

The answer for this is different for Bodsat Prep students (i.e. the top 20 percent) than it is for most.

We recommend calling us for a consult and we can help you with whatever spot you’re in. But our general advice is:

Prep wisely. Prep once.

We believe that SAT success means reaching your goals without driving yourself crazy. With that in mind, we recommend prepping for the March SAT of your Junior year. That means attending Bodsat Prep during January and February in order to be well-prepared in March. If that doesn’t work well for your schedule, then prep leading to the May or June test is usually a good second choice. But don’t plan to take the SAT cold; it’s not worth the stress. If you want a benchmark, look at your PSAT score.

Avoid “SAT Fever.”

There are a number of factors in choosing when and how many times to take the SAT. Here are a few factors that can contribute to “SAT fever.” Being aware of them can help you to avoid catching it.

• Do you have a heavy AP course load? If so, then avoid the May test date. You’ll be too busy to sleep, let alone to study for the SAT.
• Do you find finals week relaxing? If you don’t, you’re not alone. Avoid June.
• “Score Choice”: not as handy as it seems. Score Choice allows students to take the SAT multiple times and only report the scores of their choosing. At first glance, this seems like a good idea. In practice, though, the policy incents highly competitive students to take the test as many times as it is offered. We find this to be the hallmark of the most stressed-out students we meet. Choose school activities—or almost anything else—over studying for the SAT many times.
• Don’t take it too early. The later in your school career you take the SAT, the better. Unless you broke the 95th percentile on your Sophomore PSAT, there’s probably no reason to take the SAT before March of your Junior year.
• Once should be enough. If you dedicate yourself and really focus, then you only need to prepare once. In other words, work hard and do it right the first time. Sure, you might get lucky by taking the SAT over and over. But those lucky gains are not nearly as significant as the value of spending that extra time on other pursuits. (Valuable both to your own wellbeing and to the college admissions boards.)

In other words, put the SAT in its place.

Beat it. But don’t allow it to interfere with schoolwork, extracurricular activity, or personal development and downtime any more than is required. We can help you with that.