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SAT Study Suggestions for Parents and Students

Updated

Dear Parents and Students, 

I’m Dave, and I lead the Test Prep Content team at Khan Academy. We partner with the College Board (makers of the SAT) to create the best SAT prep materials available. Our team is made up of content developers who are all experienced SAT coaches, and we love sharing with our learners everything we know about building SAT skills! 

If you're a senior planning to take the SAT, I encourage you to stay consistent with your SAT prep. Consider using Official SAT Practice to help you with math, reading, and writing skills that you need in your high school classes. Staying fit for timed testing is similar to staying fit for athletics: if you take too much time off, it can take even longer to get back in shape. The work you do now will pay off in the future—not only on test day, but also in increased readiness for success in college.

Below, you’ll find a suggested weekly study schedule in which we recommend that you continue to practice a few times a week, and try to take a full-length timed practice test every 4-6 weeks. 

Are you new to SAT on Khan Academy? Please familiarize yourself with our system by taking a few minutes to check out this product tour video or reading this overview article.

Now that you’ve explored a little, here's your next step:

  • Link your College Board and Khan Academy accounts to update your personalized recommendations. 

Finally, one great way to stay up to date with SAT news is to follow one or more of College Board’s social media outlets:

Remember, the more you practice, the better you get! 

Good luck!  

Warmly,

Dave

Best Practices

We know from research that there are three top practices associated with greater score improvements:

Take recommendations. Our system creates personalized recommendations for students based on student performance and skill frequency in the SAT—students who follow recommendations show greater score increases.

Do full-length

practice tests. Full-length timed practice tests are the best way to build the stamina you’ll need on Test Day. We have eight full-length practice tests available to take online. You can also print pdfs of the tests to take on paper.

Learn test-taking strategies while reviewing the questions you get wrong. Each question in our system features step-by-step solutions and in-depth explanations, and we also have hundreds of articles and worked example videos designed to help students understand not only how to do each problem, but also how to identify opportunities to use strategies efficiently on Test Day.

Sample 12-week study schedule

You might have already been studying for months, or you might just be getting started. We encourage you to adjust the following suggested study program to your needs. 

Week 1: Skill practice and strategies (suggestion: 30-40 mins two or three times weekly)

Week 2: Skill practice and strategies (suggestion: 30-40 mins two or three times weekly)

Week 3: Take and review a timed practice test

  • If possible, set aside 3.5 hours to take a full-length practice test.
  • After the test, carefully review all of the questions you missed - read solutions, watch related videos and read related articles in Tips & Strategies (suggestion: 1-2 hours) 

Week 4: Skill practice and strategies (suggestion: 30-40 mins two or three times weekly)

Week 5: Skill practice and strategies (suggestion: 30-40 mins two or three times weekly)

  • Recommended skill practice and timed mini-sections
  • Tips & Strategies - try these! (adjust to your needs)

Week 6: Skill practice and strategies (suggestion: 30-40 mins two or three times weekly)

  • Recommended skill practice and timed mini-sections 
  • Tips & Strategies - try these! (adjust to your needs)

Week 7: Take and review a timed practice test

  • Set aside 3.5 hours to take a full-length practice test.
  • Carefully review all of the questions you missed - read solutions, watch related videos and read related articles in Tips & Strategies (suggestion: 1-2 hours)

Week 8: Skill practice and strategies (suggestion: 30-40 mins two or three times weekly)

  • Recommended skill practice and timed mini-sections
  • Continue to work through the articles and videos in the Tips & Strategies Tab that are most relevant to the skills you're trying to level up - don't forget about our amazing math articles, like this one about Structure in Expressions! 
  • If you're in a state that requires you to take the SAT essay (check with your guidance counselor if you're not sure), it’s time to get serious about your preparation—start here:

Week 9: Skill practice and strategies (suggestion: 30-40 mins two or three times weekly)

  • Recommended skill practice and timed mini-sections
  • Watch worked example videos in the practice tab (if you haven’t already)! 
  • Check out tips and strategies articles and videos in the Tips & Strategies tab 

Week 10: Skill practice and strategies (suggestion: 30-40 mins two or three times weekly)

  • Recommended skill practice and timed mini-sections
  • Watch worked example videos in the practice tab (if you haven’t already)!
  • Check out tips and strategies articles and videos in the Tips & Strategies tab 

Week 11: Take and review a timed practice test

  • If possible, set aside 3.5 hours to take a full-length practice test.
  • Carefully review all of the questions you missed - read solutions, watch related videos and read related articles in Tips & Strategies (suggestion: 1-2 hours)

Week 12: Some ideas for the final stretch