SAT STUDY PLANNER

The SAT exam involves a lot of logic and application (aptitude) in addition to subject knowledge.
Given the structure of the exam, your first step should be finding your strengths and weaknesses.

Take a diagnostic test, and assess yourself. We recommend that you take the Diagnostic Test in the
SAT Official Guide. Once you identify what your weak areas are, you need to work on those, without
compromising on your strong areas.

SAT test-takers are full-time students, and cannot devote more than 8 to 12 hours per week to SAT
prep. Assuming that one spends at least 10 hours a week on SAT preparation, we recommend the
following schedule.

Week 1:
While preparing for the SAT, it is advisable to take it slow in the first week. Spend the first week
brushing up your mathematics and grammar fundamentals. For this, quite a few of our students
attend some of our Math and English foundation webinars, which act as a refresher for the basic
math and grammar rules that are tested on the SAT.

Week 2:
The most reliable study material available for SAT preparation is the SAT Official Guide. The
second week should be devoted to going through the basic techniques for solving Reading and
English, as available in the Official Guide. Spend time going through and familiarizing yourself with
the various types of questions in all the sections.

Week 3:
In this week, go through the theories and techniques of the Maths portion of the Official Guide. Aim
to solve 5-10 questions every day.

The Math portion of the exam has two section – you are not allowed to use the calculator in one
section, and you are allowed to use a calculator in the other section. Go through the Collegeboard
website to get a list of calculators that you are permitted to use. If you do not have a calculator that
is prescribed by Collegeboard, buy one.

This week, solve one Reading Comprehension passage every day.

Now that you are solving questions maintain a Performance Log to maintain a record of the errors
that you are making and keep a progress report of your accuracy rate.

Week 4:
At the beginning of this week, you should go through the Essay portion of the Official Guide. Though
the Essay is Optional, we strongly recommend that you do not skip it, since a lot of the colleges
require the essay score for admission.

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You should continue solving Math and Verbal questions targeting 10 to 15 questions every day.
While solving questions from the Math (with calculator) portion, students make the mistake of using
the calculator in every question, which leads to a waste of time. Remember, just because you are
allowed to use the calculator, it does not mean that you have to use it for every question. Use the
calculator only when you need to.

During this time, your focus should be to increase your accuracy. Do not worry about time
management at this point. Continue maintaining your Performance Log.

In the fourth week, it is a good idea to book your SAT date. People always prepare better when there
is a target date to work towards.

Weeks 5 and 6:
By the end of the first four weeks, you are expected to have gained a fair idea of what the course
content is for the SAT. Now, there is a change you will need to bring into your preparation. Every
day, solve ten questions each of English, Reading, Math (without calculator), and Math (with
calculator). In the actual SAT, you will be required to do both math and verbal questions within 3.5
hours. So, it is important for you to develop the mental nimbleness to transition smoothly between
questions testing different skill sets. If you study maths on one and verbal the other day, then the
purpose is not solved. Thus, it is extremely important for you to do each type of question daily.

After solving them, spend enough time analyzing the answers. Students tend to review only the
questions that they get wrong, but it is equally important to know that you got the rest correct using
the right method and process. Unless you spend time analyzing each answer choice, your SAT
preparation remains incomplete.

Do not forget to maintain your Performance Log.

You should also write at least one Essay in these two weeks.

Weeks 7 and 8:
After the end of 6 weeks, you will be able to complete the entire content of the Official Guide
comfortably. Once you have done that, you will need to start taking Full-length tests. Before starting
the full-length tests, analyze your Performance Log, and revise the theory of the areas in which your
accuracy is below 70%.

SAT is not just a test of your reasoning ability but a test of your stamina. To know your exact level
of preparation, you will have to take the full-length tests in their entirety and at one go, without
skipping any section or taking breaks. Take care not to skip the Essay section while taking full-
length tests. Also, adhere to the time limit of each individual section.

Remember that when it comes to taking full-length tests, it’s the quality that matters, not the quantity.
There are 8 Official Full-length tests available on the College Board website. These 8 tests are the
best reflection of the actual SAT.

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The ideal routine should be to take one test on one day and spend the next two days analyzing your
performance in the test, and taking remedial action. If your performance in any section is below par,
then take the next two days to go through the Official Guide and revise the techniques involved in
that section. Do not start the next full-length test unless you have revised the material in which you
did not do well in the previous full-length test.

Also, take the full-length tests in the same time slot as your actual SAT exam. This will train your
brain to become more efficient and alert on the SAT exam day.

How can I score 1450+?

You must have good conceptual knowledge as SAT is a reasoning-based exam. However, you will
need to understand the pattern of the exam and master shortcuts and techniques which can help you
in scoring 1450 plus. Do not spend time in only solving questions; you will have to spend an equal
amount of time analysing your performance. You should know why and how you got each question
right or wrong.

Another important thing to remember is to not make silly mistakes. Read EACH word of the
questions carefully. Do not rush. If you are done with a section before the time limit, re-read each
question (not the answer options) in that section.

Time management is an important skill you would need to master to crack the SAT. The only way
to hone your time management skills is to take the full-length tests religiously.

You should approach your SAT prep in a systematic and disciplined manner. Regular study and
practice are far better than studying once a week for 10 hours! The above week-wise Study Plan, if
followed religiously, will help you prepare for the SAT well, even if you continue with your school
and your daily routine.

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