About the test
The SAT is accepted by all of the country’s major universities, both here and internationally. The SAT consists of 10 sections: three Critical Reading, three Math, two Grammar, and one Essay. You can take the SAT throughout the year, and as many times as you would like, however most students take the SAT two or three times while in high school.
Our General Prep Plan
For students who are first timers with SAT prep, we recommend about 12 sessions. This means meeting once per week for about three months, prior to a student taking the test.
Sessions last approximately one hour and students are given homework each week. Time for weekly homework varies, but it will be approximately 1.5 hours to 3 hours. More or less homework can be given depending on the student’s needs.
During SAT prep, we will:
- Discuss strategies for reading passages and vocabulary questions.
- Learn and practice key vocabulary words.
- Review all necessary math concepts.
- Learn Math Strategies.
- Go over grammar rules and learn grammar tricks.
- Discuss and practice essay strategies.
When should I prep for the SAT?
Incoming Seniors
The October (and November) SAT is a very popular test for incoming seniors to take. It is one of the last opportunities to take the SAT for college applications.
Summer before senior year is a great time for SAT prep leading up to the October SAT. If you have never prepped for the SAT before, we recommend approximately 12 sessions as mentioned above. This could be scheduled as once a week throughout July, August, and September.
We also welcome students who have done prep classes with other companies and are looking for a refresher or just looking for more specified personal instruction before the SAT in the fall. We are positive that you will find our SAT strategies and methods for attacking the test to be extremely helpful.
Incoming Juniors
Summer is a great time to take advantage of if you are an incoming junior and have more time available during the summer than you may have during the school year. Excel recommends 5-8 sessions during the summer. This will allow us the time to teach you all the strategies for the test and cover all the different types of material that you will see on the test.
Many juniors want to take the SAT in the fall to see how they will do and where they stand, which is completely fine. However, we have found that the majority of students score higher on the SAT later in their junior year. This gives them time for maturity, increase in reading comprehension, and for some, strengthening their Algebra II skills.
We recommend that most juniors take the SAT in March, May, or June. Students in AP classes need to take the test in March, before their AP exams in May.
We do not want parents to spend all of their money on SAT prep over the summer and expect their son or daughter to be done with test prep for the remainder of the academic year. We suggest that students plan to meet with their Excel tutor in January and February for a refresher before they take the test in March.
Above are our general guidelines for SAT prep, but we realize that prep can be different for each student. We will gladly come up with a program that fits your needs. Click here to contact us to get started on your SAT prep plan.
