How many months do you need to study for the SAT?
The most-asked question of any student aspiring for SAT exam remains the same every year. It’s almost like an ever-green question every SAT applicant asks another.
“How long does it take to study for the SAT?”
If you’re an aspiring SAT candidate, then you must know the weight this one question contains. Once you have successfully registered yourself for the most competitive exam to study abroad, a.k.a, the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), it’s time for you to get serious and chalk out an SAT study plan to achieve your SAT score goals!
It is the answer to this question that would determine your study preparations for the SAT and ultimately, how well you score in the final test.
A perfect way to ace your test is to create a 3-month SAT study plan.
So, let’s see in detail what does SAT 3 month study plan contains and
how you can plan your hours week-wise for the entire duration of 3 months.
Keep reading till the end to find out a special tips for preparing for the SAT exams that no one tells you about!
How Long Should You Study for the SAT in 3 Months?
Three months is a more than sufficient amount of time to study for the SAT exam.
If you are determined towards your goal and have a well-structured study plan & understand the SAT exam pattern well, you won’t find it difficult to actually perform well on the final day.
For a total of three months, you should aim to study for at least 3 to 4 hours every week.
Yes, you read it right.
You do not necessarily need to sit every day with a ton of books for hours to crack the SATs. With consistent efforts and focus on your goal, 3-4 hours of studying every week will be sufficient for you.
The SAT Study Plan for 3 months you should follow
To get a brief outlay of the study plan your should follow for 12 weeks, refer to this table below.
SAT Study Plan for 12 Weeks
Week | What you should do |
1 | Take a 3-hour SAT practice test and review your own performance. |
2 | Based on your review, start working on the areas that require improvement. |
3 | Continue working on your weak areas. |
4 | Focus on foundational concepts. |
5 | Take another SAT practice test. |
6 | Compare results of both practice tests and find areas of improvement. |
7 | Revisit all 3 sections of SAT. |
8 | Review your practice tests once again. |
9 | Take a practice test with an aim to score high. |
10 | Review your practice test to find key areas of improvement and plan your next 2 weeks accordingly. |
11 | Strengthen your weaknesses and take a last SAT practice test. |
12 | Rest your body and mind to give a fresh SAT exam. |
Here are a few things you should keep in mind before making the 3-month SAT study plan:
- Before you start making an SAT study plan, sit with yourself with a clear mind and think about the score you would want to achieve to crack the SATs. Many students forget to set an aim for the score they want to achieve in their SAT exam, which results in unsatisfactory outcomes.
So, it is always advisable to set a score goal for yourself before you start studying. This will help you make an SAT study plan according to the score you want to get and keep a track of your progress according to the target you have set for yourself.
- You would want to take a day for 2-3 hours and chalk out an entire SAT study plan for 3 months. This will help you understand how much time you actually have to cover all the topics in the SAT syllabus.
While making the SAT study plan, keep in mind all the days that you might not be able to study for the test. This may include any sick days, family functions you might have to attend, etc.
You will also have to commit to your school classes, extracurricular activities and tuitions simultaneously. So keep those hours aside while making the 3-month SAT study plan.
- The good thing about the SAT exam is that it is a standardized test. This simply means that the type of questions asked in the exam remains somewhat the same. The question paper might get a few changes in the pattern but the basic structure of the test remains the same every year.
So, the key to cracking your SAT exams with a good score would be to take as many practice tests as you can to familiarize yourself with the test paper pattern and types of questions asked.
You should follow the below-mentioned detailed week-wise 3-month SAT study plan to stay on track with your goals.
3 month SAT Study Plan: Week 1-2
- The first week is a crucial part of your 3-month SAT study plan. Before you start studying, you first need to know where your strengths and weaknesses lie. For this, take a free practice SAT test online. There are various sites that offer free practice SAT to students.
- The SAT is a 3-hour exam, excluding the essay section. If you plan on taking the SAT exam with an essay, then you should add another 50 minutes to the 3 hours to complete the essay section. So, if you want to examine yourself honestly, then you should take the 3-hour practice test in one sitting without taking any breaks. If you choose to take multiple breaks (which you might feel tempted to do!), then you won’t get a true evaluation of your abilities.
- After taking the SAT practice test, take a short break and come back to it. Review your own test and find out how well you performed by scoring yourself. Point out the questions or sections of the test where you performed well. This will help you identify your strengths. On the other hand, point out the sections which require improvement. This is important as this will form the very base of your SAT study plan for the next 3 months.
- In the second week, start working on the areas where you would want to improve. Begin with the foundational subjects and focus on improving your understanding of the concepts of the sub-topics for each subject area. Week 2 is all about prioritizing your SAT study plan. So make sure you start with the topics that require the maximum amount of improvement.
3 month SAT Study Plan: Week 3-4
Weeks 3 and 4 more-or-less focus on the track of improving your weak areas. In addition to that, you should also practice strengthening the key areas in which you performed well. There is always scope for improvement! Find out what you could do better next time in the areas you scored well. It could be time management, better explanations for answers, sentence construction, etc. Pin-point these aspects of your study plan and work towards achieving your goals.
3 month SAT Study Plan: Week 5-6
- Now that you have made considerable progress in your SAT study plan, it is time to give the practice test another shot! Take another SAT practice test to check how far you have progressed in improving yourself. Remember to not take any breaks and complete the entire SAT exam in one sitting.
- After taking the practice test, review your performance and also compare it with the score you got in the first week. Find out areas of improvement and the sections where you already have made progress. While you might see visible improvement in your second attempt at the SAT practice test, do not be disheartened if the difference between the two scores is not that vast. You will improve gradually in the upcoming weeks.
3 month SAT Study Plan: Week 7-8
- As you get closer to the SAT exam date, it’s time to cover all subjects equally to get a realistic idea of your progress made so far. So, for the next 3 weeks, you should plan your studies in a way that covers all the three sections of the SAT syllabus – reading, writing and mathematics.
- While studying across all disciplines and subjects, take a few hours and go over the previous two test results of your practice exam. It will act as a reminder of your strengths and weaknesses so that you can stay on track with your goals.
3 month SAT Study Plan: Week 9-10
- Take one more practice test sometime this week and this time aim to score what you had initially thought of scoring before you started your 3-month SAT study plan. This might be a thrilling, exciting yet nervous practice for you!
- After this test, instead of reviewing the whole paper, simply point out the areas that you consistently seem to score fewer marks. Make a strong plan for the next week to work on that particular area of your practice test and aim to make it better.
3 month SAT Study Plan: Week 11-12
- You have diligently followed the 3-month SAT study plan so you no longer need to ask yourself “how to study for the SAT in a week”! The last couple of weeks should be all about working on the areas you are weak at. If you feel confident, you might take another, one last, practice test to be sure of your preparation. Go over all foundational concepts of all three subjects in the last week to make sure you haven’t missed out on any topic.
- A few days before D-day, do not indulge yourself in studying any further. The human brain needs some rest before it has to work at full speed on the final day of the SAT exam. So make it a priority to relax yourself mentally and physically before the SAT exam.
- Pro Tip: You have worked very hard for this and you will do a great job! Make sure you get enough rest before the day of your SAT exam with proper sleep and healthy food. Don’t forget to hydrate yourself well and stay confident. You’ve got this covered! All the best!
Pro-tip!
As promised at the starting that I will provide you a pro – tip, so here it is.
SAT is just one of the ways to evaluate your acumen and knowledge to give you a green signal for studying abroad. To increase your chances of getting that get-go will take 3 months.
But there is another extremely important, yet often underestimated, part of the admission process abroad that takes a lot more than 3 months to prepare.
Your overall profile.
Your skills, experiences and passion-driven projects make up your overall profile.
And we all know that all of this cannot be covered in just a matter of a few months. This means that you must start preparing for it while still in high school to really show the admission officers that you are truly passionate about the course you want to pursue in their reputed university!
It’s time to choose your career of interest and work on a live project to develop new skills and apply your existing knowledge with a JuniorMBA Program on Clever Harvey. Get proof of your work done by certified international industries such as PUMA, Samsonite, etc. and build a strong profile!
Start preparing your profile, before you start preparing for the SATs.
All the best!
SAT exam in India FAQs:
What to study for the SAT exam?
The SAT exam covers three subject areas. These are Reading, Writing and Mathematics. So, if you want to prepare well for the SAT exam then you should start focusing on your language, vocabulary, sentence structure and foundations of all major mathematical concepts that you’ve learned so far in your school.
Is the SAT exam tough?
The SAT exam is one of the most competitive international exams. The level of difficulty depends on how well you have prepared yourself for the exam.
Who can give the SAT exam?
There is no age limit for students willing to give the SAT exams. Anyone can register themselves to take the SATs. However, according to past statistics, the majority of people opting for the SATs are high school students between the ages of 16-19 years.
How many times can I give the SAT exam?
The College Board has not set up any limit on the number of times one can choose to sit for the SAT exam. So, you are free to take it as many times as you want.
But, remember that each time you register yourself, you have to pay the fee.
When is the SAT exam conducted in India?
In India, the SAT exams are conducted five times a year. Students are free to choose a date among these five dates as per their convenience and preparation.
When is the SAT exam scheduled in 2022?
The SAT exam dates for 2022 have been released by the College Board. As of now, we are aware of the two dates of the SAT exams in 2022. They are scheduled for 12th March and 7th May.