SAT Tutoring For High School Students

Why and When Should You Do SAT Tutoring For High School Students?

For many students, taking the SAT comes before thinking about which colleges you want to apply to or what you want to study in college. Finding the right time to start studying is important because if you start too late, you might not get the highest score you’re capable of. But starting too early could also lead you to forget things by the time the test comes around. So how do you know when you should start doing SAT tutoring as a high school student? 

When Should You Take the SAT?

Let’s work backward from taking the SAT to when you should start studying. The ideal time to take your first SAT is in the fall of your junior year. This leaves you time to retake the test in spring if you are dissatisfied with your score. Then, if you score well that time, you will free up your senior year to complete college applications without worrying about the test. 

When Should You Start SAT Prep?

So now that you’ve figured out when you are going to take the test, you can decide when you want to start studying for it. This will depend on how much you have to review and how intense you want your studying plan to be. You should take the PSAT10 or Practice SAT as a sophomore. This is a great way to introduce yourself to the test in a no-pressure situation. By taking this practice SAT, you will have a baseline score that you can use to determine how much more time you need to dedicate to studying before your test. Most students will start intensive studying that provides the best results in the fall of junior year, 8 weeks before the exam date.

How Much Time Do You Need to Study?

You can get a rough estimate for how much time you need to study based on your practice test score and the score you want to achieve for the school you want to go to. Figure out the difference between your practice score and your target score. Then, you can use the following recommendations to decide how many hours you need to study to reach your desired point of improvement.

• 0-50 Point Improvement: 10 hours
• 50-100 Point Improvement: 20 hours
• 100-200 Point Improvement: 40 hours
• 200-300 Point Improvement: 80 hours
• 300-500 Point Improvement: 150 hours+

For example, if you get 1200 on your practice test and your target score is 1500, then you want to improve by 300 points. This means you should plan on putting in about 80 hours of SAT prep. You can space this out for 3 hours per week for 6 months or study more intensely at 16 hours per week for 5 weeks.

Obviously, these recommendations are just a starting point. Exactly how much time you will need will depend on the amount of prep you’ve put in before, your starting skill level, and how quickly you learn new concepts.

For a small improvement of around 50 points, you can optimize your testing strategy or even simply retake the test. For improvements of 200 points or more, you’ll probably need to learn a lot of content. Test-taking strategies and tricks won’t be enough to reach the score you want. That’s when getting SAT help may be especially beneficial.

Why Get SAT Help?

A lot of people think getting SAT tutoring help is too expensive. But there’s a reason why so many parents and students take advantage of these services. SAT tutoring for high school students can be a big factor in increasing your score and your confidence in taking the test.

Motivation and Accountability

Finding the motivation to study for the SAT can be extremely difficult at times. And if you aren’t motivated, it will be harder to make progress in your preparation. You might find that you are more motivated if you have someone holding you accountable for your progress. For some people, your friends and family may motivate you enough on their own. For others, you may need an outside source of motivation and accountability like an SAT help service.

Strong Study Plan

You can read and re-read information all you want, but you need to have a structured study plan to stay organized and get the most out of your time. First, you need to know where you currently stand in your studying and where you want to be when you take the test. An SAT tutor will be able to help you analyze this and then give you a game plan that will help you reach your goal. Maybe you need to spend more time on the math section of the test compared to the writing section. A tutor can help you make sure you spend your time where you need it most. They can also teach you techniques that you may not be aware of that can increase your retention.

Excellent Resources

Next, motivation and a good study plan won’t do much good if you don’t have the resources to actually prep for the test. Your best bet is to use actual SAT practice tests when you study. In addition, maybe there’s a specific topic that you never understood in school. Going through the same notes and textbooks that you used then probably won’t do any good now. If you didn’t understand it then, why would that change now? That’s when finding a tutor who has additional resources can be very helpful. Plus, they may be able to explain it in a different way that makes more sense.

Get a Feel For Testing Environment

A lot of people struggle with test anxiety. It could be the environment that intimidates you and makes you panic. A lot of SAT prep courses will mimic the testing environment once or even a few times to get you used to it. This will help you get used to how the room and the situation will feel. After all, taking a test in a silent room with other students is different from taking a practice test in your bedroom.

How Soon is Too Soon?

Although it might seem early, summer after sophomore year is a great time to start SAT tutoring for high school students. This will ensure that they are ready when junior year and the SAT test come along.

SAT Tutoring Cost

Most families can expect to spend anywhere from $50 to $2,000 per child for SAT preparation. Depending on the nature of the student’s needs, there are a variety of ways to prepare. However, the most effective is by enlisting the services of a tutor. 

Studies show that high-dosage tutoring is the most efficient way to improve a student’s knowledge and understanding. Acadomia’s test prep program is a perfect example of this. Our 8-week (12 hours) Test Prep program builds on the student’s strengths and focuses on delivering strong results with one-on-one private sessions to really improve your score. Contact us today and let us guide your student to success!