Every fall, I receive many calls from desperate high school seniors and their parents. The predictable tone of the phone calls is always filled with anxiety. “Can you help me prepare for the SAT?
I know I was lazy and did not take the test seriously as a junior. I hardly prepared. Now that I am starting to compile my college applications, I realize that the schools I want to apply to will not accept me with these scores.”
Message to high school juniors - do not let this happen to you!
For high school juniors, the time to prepare for the SAT is now. As Robert Schuller so aptly put it, “Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation.” Juniors have a precious commodity that the frantic seniors do not - time. Time is a wasting asset, so juniors must be diligent. There are many great study aids available to juniors. These study aids are available online, in book form, in pod casts, through flash cards, through after school study programs and from private one-on-one or group tutoring.
Juniors must decide when to sit for the 2008 SAT. The test is given in January, March, May and June. Based on a target test date, students can meet with their high school guidance counselors and prepare a monthly study plan.
From October through December, such a study plan may start with 30 minutes per day of building vocabulary and reading skills. During the Christmas break, bump up the daily routine to one hour per day and include some math and problem solving skills. As the test approaches, sign up for a 6-week course, etc.
Every student is different and every student has different demands on his or her time. That is why time management skills are essential. Learning to manage time is one of the critical skills needed to succeed in college and in life. Therefore, the earlier a student masters the skill of time management the better the chances for success.
Steven N. Weisman is an author and private SAT Tutor. Many valuable test strategies and information can be found on his blog and web site https://www.testniques.com.
