So, I’ve already introduced you to the single most powerful weapon in your test-prep arsenal: the testing timeline. As I explained in that post, it’s absolutely crucial to have a plan. But although having a plan is valuable in and of itself, obviously, you get more value out of a good plan. The more knowledge you have about how test prep and college admissions work, the more precisely you can tailor a plan to get yourself the best possible results. That’s why my expert plans get my students into the most selective colleges. Now obviously, you’re not sitting in my SoHo office right now (or, rather, in front of your screen) talking to me one on one—so I don’t know what your individual needs and circumstances are. But I can still give you a breakdown of testing-timeline mistakes I see all the time, and give you a few major pitfalls to avoid!
Stay away from these top three testing-timeline mistakes, and your road to that dream school will DEFINITELY be smoother.
No time for SAT or ACT test prep? Test prep disrupted by Covid?
This year has been pretty crazy. It’s disrupted a LOT of people’s timelines for important life events—including testing and test prep. (That’s why so many schools are going test-optional…which is, as I’ve mentioned, not the same thing as being test-blind.) There are a LOT more people than usual who haven’t had a chance to put a plan in place and carry it out.
So if that’s you, don’t beat yourself up. And while if you’re currently a Senior, you’re working with a pretty last-minute timeframe, that does NOT mean that you can’t bring up your scores…maybe even a LOT. My high-impact last-minute top 5 strategies to raise your SAT score 100 points and top 5 strategies to raise your ACT score 3 points are here just for you.
Got it? Great. For those of you who DO have the lead time to make a test prep timeline, read on to make sure you’re not making any of these big three mistakes.
Juniors’ SAT and ACT test-prep plans are disrupted too!
…wait, one more thing. Just because you’re a junior and theoretically have the time to prepare doesn’t mean your test prep hasn’t also been disrupted by the pandemic. As a test-prep expert who manages testing timelines and game plans for the families I work with one-on-one, I’m very well aware that this kind of planning requires a little extra hand-holding right now. If trying to stick to a testing timeline and prep in a pandemic has you down, I have some pretty big news coming that you’re going to want to hear about. Watch your inbox!
(Psst! If you're not currently subscribed to my newsletter & want the latest, click here to opt in!)
Testing Timeline Mistake #1: Taking the SAT or ACT too early
…like basically anytime before the spring of your Junior year.
Sophomore year is a year to really lean into your course work, getting the highest grades in the most rigorous courses you can take. This is the year you start to differentiate yourself from your peers academically. If you can creep ahead and not succumb to the infamous Sophomore Slump, the little bit of traction you make now will have you leaps and bounds ahead of your peers by the end of high school.
If you insist on prepping for the SAT or ACT during Sophomore year, you’re not only taking time away from making these academic strides, but you’re also being inefficient. Here’s why: the coursework you learn Sophomore year (and even Junior year) is necessary prep work for the ACT and SAT. In other words, you need to know Geometry and Algebra II FIRST…before you then “review” it with a tutor or test prep book later. Make sense? So dive into your courses, because that’s the BEST prep you can do Sophomore year.
There’s also another reason why you shouldn’t prep or take the SAT or ACT too early: you’re competing with the other students who sit for the same test date as you do. The tests are graded on a bell curve. If you’re a Junior taking the test in October…you’re competing with all the SENIORS who’ve already taken the test and are now finalizing their target scores. If you’re a Sophomore, you’re competing with Juniors (and possibly Seniors, depending on when you take your test).
Mistake #2: Taking the SAT or ACT too LATE
On the other hand, if you wait until Spring semester of Junior year to start prepping for the SAT or ACT, you likely won’t be giving yourself enough time to master the concepts, pacing and strategies to get your top score. Worst case scenario: you end up spending the entire Senior year Fall semester taking the tests…when you should be focused on finishing your college applications instead. Doing both test prep AND college applications at the last minute (while keeping up your grades!) is a recipe for mediocre results. Don’t do this to yourself.
Mistake #3: Not Taking Your Personal Schedule Into Account
If your Fall semester is always super busy with football, or you’re always super busy at the end of the school year with piano competitions…then that would NOT be the time to really focus on test prep. Work around your life! In a normal (non-coronavirus) year, there are SEVEN different ACT and SAT test dates to choose from through the year! For this upcoming year, there are even more, because there are so many make-up SAT and ACT test dates. And you don’t need to take all of them. Usually, 2-3 test sittings will suffice.
