BEST Time to start prepping for SAT's?

<p>Hi guys,</p>

<p>When would you say is the best time to start attending SAT prep classes?</p>

<p>Summer after 8th grade?
Summer after 9th grade?
During 10th grade?
Summer after 10th grade?
Junior year?!
Anywhere else in between?</p>

<p>You're welcome to share when you started SAT Prep classes, duration of your classes (how many months?), and/or scores you received as well! :)</p>

<p>I've also heard a lot of people remark about the vocab portion of the SAT's, and there are lots of stories about how students cram words into their heads a few months before they take it. I'd like to know your input on when one should start hardcore on memorizing SAT vocab, too.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

<p>Now, if you want a really high sat score.</p>

<p>In 8th grade when I took a practice PSAT, i got a 153, which was highly attributed to lack of knowledge. Over the summer, I acquainted myself somewhat with the SAT, but summer of freshman year I did some moderate studying ( 1 month, 1 section everyday + Direct Hits Vocab reading a little each day). Sophomore PSAT I got a 201. This summer before Junior year I plan on intensely studying to a consistent 2300+</p>

<p>It really depends on what kind of person you are. I am a very last minute person, haha! I did not study at all until my junior year. I took the SAT in March 2011, and started with my tutor in January 2011. This worked out great for me, and I am quite happy with my score of 2220 :)</p>

<p>^
Haha, thanks for sharing!
Glad to hear everything worked out smoothly, and an impressive SAT score as an added bonus! :)</p>

<p>@schoolisfun: Thanks for your response! Good plan you have there; hope things go well!</p>

<p>You really don’t need to worry about it yet if you haven’t even entered high school. Other than SAT subject tests and (maybe) AP’s, you probably won’t need to encounter any of the standardized tests until Junior year. However, the best way for you to prepare is to start now- by reading. Read a LOT- and of all varieties of books (they don’t all have to be classics; you can include fun books too, just be sure to mix it up). This is really and truly the best way to an 800 in reading and writing. Now, you will have to work on the vocab at some point, but if you have been reading worthwhile books consistently for several years or more, the verbal sections will be a piece of cake to prep for. Analogously, scoring well on the math section is simply the result of years of math courses and careful consideration for each question on the actual test. Finally, remember: practice makes perfect! Practice, practice, and practice more until you have everything down, and when test day finally comes, even your nerves won’t matter as you take the test. Go into the test with a positive attitude and know that no matter what happens, you’ll be alright in the end! Attack the test with patient preparation and optimism, and you should be delighted with your results.</p>