<p>Is it worth studying prep books or taking SAT prep courses as a freshman. I've had people say to wait for junior year and others say to start this summer. Are there even any freshman prep courses. I want above 2100s, is starting early the only way to achieve this? What is the best way to prepare, early?</p>
<p>No. Don’t start too early, or else you’ll lose focus studying for a test that’s too far away.</p>
<p>However, there are some things you can do to help you in the long term, without engaging in actual study. For example, start reading magazines or newspapers such as TIME or WSJ. This will help build your vocabulary.</p>
<p>Also it doesn’t hurt to learn about the test, even if you aren’t studying for it. For example, you can get an idea of the length, content, format etc.</p>
<p>Depending on natural intelligence, getting a 2100 can require no studying for some and intensive studying for others; however, there is (practically) no limit to what you can achieve, IF you put in the hours for it.</p>
<p>As a side note, I personally took the SAT my sophomore year and got it out of the way. I started studying summer after freshman year, took the October SAT, didn’t like my score, retook in December, and scored a 2360. 5 months, 24 practice tests, one happy sophomore. So the moral of the story is that hard work can do wonders, but that starting too soon is bad. Because I had spent too much time studying for October, I became lazy and content when the test started getting closer, so I didn’t study as hard. A bit of a time limit helps to motivate you.</p>
<p>So yeah. Start reading, but don’t touch a prep book until the middle of summer, if you’re aiming for October as a sophomore like I did. That way, you can knock out the SAT early and take care of subjects tests and ACT later. Or, give it another year and take it junior year. Nothing wrong with that either.</p>