May FAQ – The Ideal Timeline for SAT and ACT Prep: What Parents Should Know

When it comes to college admissions, few milestones loom as large as the SAT and ACT. As a parent, you want to help your student succeed—but knowing when to start test prep and how often your child should take these exams can be overwhelming. At Mindfish, we’re often asked two key questions: “When should a student begin studying for these tests?” and “How many times should a student take the test?” This post breaks down the ideal timeline for families and provides practical advice to make the process smoother and more effective.

When Should a Student Start Preparing for the SAT or ACT?

At Mindfish, we recommend that students start the SAT or ACT prep process the summer before junior year. This timeline gives students enough time to build skills, develop testing strategies, and work toward their goals—without burning out or starting before they’re academically ready.

Why Not Start during Freshman or Sophomore Year?

We get it: some students are ambitious, and many parents want to get a jump on what can feel like an increasingly competitive college admissions process. But starting SAT or ACT prep in 9th or 10th grade is too early. Here’s why:

• The test doesn’t reflect early high school coursework: Much of the math on the SAT and ACT – especially Algebra II and advanced topics – won’t be covered in school until sophomore or junior year. 
• Test format familiarity can wait: It’s useful for students to become familiar with the structure of the SAT (Reading and Writing here, and Math here) and ACT, but deep dive prep (like full-length practice tests, grammar drills, or timing strategies) is most beneficial in the months leading up to a student’s official test date.
• Burnout is real: Students who begin too early often peak before it matters. Long-term overexposure can sap motivation and leave students exhausted once the stakes are actually high.
• Freshman and sophomore years should focus on academic and extracurricular growth: Early high school is a great time to build strong classroom habits, take challenging courses, explore interests, and grow through extracurriculars. These foundational experiences often do more to shape college readiness than early test prep.
  

A Better Time to Begin: Summer Before Junior Year

That’s when students can benefit from the following:

• A diagnostic test to decide whether the SAT or ACT is the better fit. Mindfish’s Practice Test Program is the perfect first step.
• Focused skill-building in areas like math fluency, reading comprehension, and grammar usage.
• Time to improve at a manageable pace before their first real test date in the spring of junior year.

This balanced prep timeline is early enough to avoid cramming, but late enough that the material and strategies stick.

How Many Times Should a Student Take the SAT or ACT?

Most students will take the SAT or ACT two or three times. More than that usually doesn’t lead to significantly better results – and it can even cause unnecessary stress.

Here’s why two to three attempts tend to be the sweet spot:

• Score improvement is common with practice: Most students see their best score on the second or third attempt, once they’re more familiar with the format and have had time to address weaker areas.
• Colleges consider your best scores: Many schools use superscoring, combining a student’s best section scores from different test dates. This makes retaking the test strategically advantageous.

Prep burnout is real: Taking the test more than three times rarely leads to meaningful score increases and can take time and energy away from other important priorities like coursework, extracurriculars, and application essays.

Recommended Timeline at a Glance

Here’s an outline that many families find helpful:

• Freshman and Sophomore Year: Focus on building strong academic habits and exploring extracurricular interests. No test prep needed yet.
• Summer Before Junior Year: Take a diagnostic test. Decide whether to focus on the SAT or ACT.
• Junior Year (Fall-Winter): Begin structured prep with a tutor or as part of a class. Take practice tests. Target a first official test date in February (ACT), March (SAT), or April (SAT/ACT).
• Junior Year (Spring): Retake the test if needed. Our goal is to help you achieve your best score by the end of the school year.
• Senior Year (Fall): Consider a final attempt in early fall of senior year. Submit test scores with applications.

Final Thoughts

Starting SAT or ACT prep at the right time makes a world of difference. It allows students to approach the process with confidence and clarity rather than pressure and fatigue. The key is to start early enough to leave room for growth but not so early that the process becomes a burden before it needs to be.

Ready to Get Started?

Whether you’re just beginning the process or ready to map out a personalized prep plan, we’re here to help. Our Practice Test Program is a great place to start—it allows students to experience official-style SAT and ACT exams in a realistic setting and provides detailed score reports that highlight strengths and growth areas.

Contact Mindfish today to ask questions, schedule a diagnostic test, or enroll in our Practice Test Program. We’ll help your student build a clear, confident path toward their best score.