When Should You Start Preparing for the SAT or ACT?

Today, I want to talk to you about when to begin preparing for the SAT or ACT.

Many students and families often struggle with the question of when to take standardized tests like the SAT or ACT. In this post, I’ll explain when the optimal time is to take the test and start preparing for it.

More and more colleges are moving away from test-optional policies and returning to requiring the SAT or ACT for admissions.

We’ve compiled a list of schools that have officially reinstated testing. Among the most recent are Cornell, UPenn, Johns Hopkins University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

Please also keep in mind that many public universities have also reinstated SAT/ACT requirements, even though they may not always be included in the most circulated lists.

Now you may be wondering: When should you start preparing for the SAT or ACT, and how long should you study?

At A-One Institute, we’ve worked with thousands of students and analyzed their college outcomes over many years. What I’m going to share today comes from direct experience teaching students and studying long-term trends in college admissions. I strongly encourage you to take this advice seriously—it can make a huge difference.

First and Most Important:

The SAT and ACT—like TOEFL, IELTS, or even the MCAT—are exams that should be tackled intensively and decisively.

They are not exams you should prepare for over six months—or worse, several years. Doing so can cause you to lose valuable time and ultimately hurt your performance.

In fact, there are many prep centers that make offers like this:

At first glance, this may sound like a great deal—you pay once and get unlimited classes and free test materials.

But I view this strategy as not only inefficient, but also highly risky.

If you start studying before you’re actually ready, there’s a strong chance you’ll spend 8 to 10 weeks preparing, and still fall short of your target score. This leads to dragging your prep into the next break… and then the next.

Before you know it, you’ve sacrificed an entire year chasing test scores.

And during that time, you miss out on valuable opportunities: Competitions, research, community service, summer camps—the kinds of things that truly build your college profile. These are all lost.

Dragging out SAT or ACT prep comes with a massive opportunity cost. That’s why I always emphasize:

The Best Time to Prepare? During School Breaks.

Breaks are the ideal time to study for the SAT or ACT, because they allow for focused, uninterrupted learning.

During the school year, you won’t have the same intensity or flexibility, so plan for:

• 8–10 weeks of prep during breaks

• 13–18 weeks during the school year

That’s the general window you should aim for. But in order to know whether you’re ready to begin prep during that window, your starting point is critical.

Let me now walk you through exactly how to determine when to start.

Readiness Benchmarks for Starting SAT/ACT Prep

Let’s take a quick look at how many questions are on each section of the tests:

• SAT

  • Reading & Writing: 27 questions per module × 2 = 54

  • Math: 22 questions per module × 2 = 44

  • Total: 98 questions

• ACT

  • English: 50 questions

  • Math: 45 questions

  • Reading: 36 questions

  • Science: 40 questions

Now, because you haven’t officially begun studying yet, don’t take every section. Just take:

• SAT: Reading & Writing only

• ACT: Reading only

Use the score from this diagnostic section to decide whether you’re ready to begin formal prep.

If you take this diagnostic at the end of 9th grade, and your score is below 620 on the SAT or below 28 on the ACT, I do not recommend starting formal prep yet.

Why? Because your English skills are still developing. With time, school-based English coursework, and social studies projects, your reading and writing abilities will naturally improve.

Why Use English Scores as the Starting Point?

Because math is easier to improve.

With 8–10 weeks of focused prep during break—or 13–18 weeks during the school year—most students can push their math score very close to 800 on the SAT or 36 on the ACT.

But English? That takes much longer. That’s why we use English as the basis for deciding readiness.

What If Your Target Score Is:

SAT: 1450 / ACT: 33

If your score is SAT R&W 620 / ACT Reading 28, you’re ready to begin preparing.

SAT: 1500 / ACT: 34

But if your goal is 1500+ on the SAT or 34+ on the ACT, a score of 620/28 is too low to begin.

You’ll likely struggle to reach your goal from that baseline. So in that case, it’s better to wait a little longer.

Let’s say you retake a practice test around the end of 10th grade, and you score 660 on SAT R&W or 30 on ACT Reading.

If that’s your goal, you can start preparing now.

Target Score: SAT 1550+ / ACT 35+

But if you’re aiming even higher, don’t start yet.

Now, you might ask:

And the answer is: That’s okay.

The SAT/ACT are tests where focused, last-phase studying can still yield results. Even studying later on can help you earn every last point you need.

In fact, some students perform better under pressure. They focus more. They retain more. Their efficiency increases.

So I’m not telling you to delay your prep for no reason. What I’m saying is: if you base your plan on these benchmarks, your strategy will be much more efficient and effective.

If your target is SAT 1550+ / ACT 35+,and you’ve scored 700 on SAT R&W or 32 on ACT Reading, then you’re in a strong position to begin.

Throughout this post, I’ve laid out three benchmark levels:

1. SAT 620 / ACT 28

2. SAT 660 / ACT 30

3. SAT 700 / ACT 32

These benchmarks are your guideposts.

I always recommend preparing for the SAT/ACT over a short, concentrated period. Cramming over a long timeline hurts more than it helps.

Every student’s starting point is different. But if you use the 3 benchmark levels I shared, you’ll know exactly when you should begin.

At A-One Institute, our team of outstanding instructors offers live, online prep programs designed around these principles. I encourage you to check them out.

Today, I’ve shared my insights on a topic that many families ask about: When is the best time to start SAT or ACT preparation?

I hope this has been helpful.

Thank you for reading.