Starting Sophomore year is a great plan. Renovating your Vocabulary is best done over time and getting used to the strategies and unique questions on the SAT and ACT takes a lot of practice. The sooner a student starts that practice, the better.
Competitive Sophomores should take at least one SAT Subject test in June. If you aspire to attend a highly competitive college, plan on aligning a subject test with the final exam in a subject you are doing well in, for example, if you currently have an A in Chemistry, be sure to take the Chemistry SATII at the completion of your high school course. Luckily, SAT testing strategies can be applied universally to all of the 18 SAT Subject Tests, so an early start on your SAT Prep will help your Subject tests as well.
Beginning the process early will also expedite creating a college list and allow you as a family to begin planning visits to schools the summer before Junior year. Make the Junior year October PSAT a goal so that you prep early and get comfortable for your first real SAT in January of Junior year.
Early equals more prep options as well. Starting Sophomore year gives you more flexibility in putting together Small Groups lessons, before everyone has made plans and commitments and while there is still plenty of time to talk to other like-minded students and parents. The advantage of a study buddy or two is immeasurable, and we offer discounts to all the families involved in the group with an added incentive for the one host family.
Sophomores and Juniors applying to competitive colleges are required in most cases to take multiple SAT Subject tests also referred to as SAT IIs. There are 18 different one-hour long subject tests, from History to Hebrew. A student may take up to three different subjects on one test date, however; test dates overlap with the SAT, so it is important to plan ahead.
Rather than see this as an additional chore, the subject tests are really a great place for the student to show off in a few of their favorite and best classes and pad that score report with high scores. AP students should consider taking the corresponding SAT subject test as well. The AP and Subject tests are all made by the same testing company and can be taken within 2 weeks of each other, so you can study once and get two tests out of your effort. And we're here to help you schedule and prepare for these exams. Click here to see upcoming exam dates and available subjects.