<p>How old is a good age to begin preparation for the SATs? I talked to my guidance counsler and she said not to worry about them until january of junior year, but I'm worried that's too late.</p>
<p>Yes that's too late. I had already taken it twice by then.</p>
<p>Begin preparing the summer after your soph. year</p>
<p>don't listen to a guidance counseler. I agree with the last poster...if you are serious about doing well. Start the summer before your junior year and you will be done by MAy with great scores.</p>
<p>I recommend starting early too. It really depends on what courses you have taken so far. I always recommend at least trying to test at the beginning of your junior year. The will allow you to have a feel of how the test would be like. Also, it would give you an opportunity to take more SATs in case you want to retake for a better score.</p>
<p>I took my SATs in December and March, SATIIs in April and am planning to again in October. January is too late to start in my opinion. Most people had already taken it at least once before I did in December. I would recommend starting in October of your Junior year. It also depends on your math class. Definitely wait until after you've taken Algebra II and some form of Trig to take the SAT.</p>
<p>i would say high school is actually kind of late. i'm a 7th grader and took it once already. the math is really just 8th grade level. with a bit of prep and practice, an 8th grader should be able to take it and do pretty well. the average is 1500 for american high schoolers [i think] which is REALLY easy to get by. my first practice test i got a 1800 something, and when i actually took it, i got a 1990. </p>
<p>if that's too early, i would say freshman year, because the earlier you start, the more confident you are since you are already familiar with the test.</p>
<p>I started studying during the summer of my sophomore (rising junior) year.</p>
<p>Start preparing the summer before your sophomore year. I procrastinated and never got anything done even up until this April (my junior year) and I never actually studied for my SATs, which I really regret because I could have gotten say a 2300 if I had buckled down and studied, but instead I have an imperfect 2180. I would recommend that you buckle down the summer before your sophomore year and do a few lessons and stuff from a book everyday that summer and take a break from it for the rest of the day. Then in your sophomore year, you should sign up for SAT classes where you can take a full test once every weekend for a few weeks. Then right after you are finished with those weekly tests, take one official SAT and see how you do. If you do great, then great! If you still need to improve, spend the summer before your junior year studying (but don't overdo it) and try the test again whenever you feel ready.</p>
<p>Oh and make sure that you do as many sections timed as you can once you get a feel of how to take each section. For example, on my math section, I missed two "hard" questions (last questions on each section) that were retardedly easy and could have gotten a 780 or maybe even an 800, but instead ended up with a 730. And that was because I was running out of time and wasn't thinking straight. So make sure you train yourself with time management and DO NOT PROCRASTINATE LIKE I DID. YOU WILL LIVE TO REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.</p>
<p>anyone who says to start ealier than summer before Junior year is crazy...trust me I did a lot of prep and there is only so much you can take mentally and actually use to improve. In the end there is a finite amount of material...</p>
<p>Start whenever you want. There is a ceiling - eventually you will come to grips with the techniques that work for you. At that point, there is no further need to "study." The occasional SAT to keep yourself in practice will be necessary through. </p>
<p>I have forgotten some of the obscure math since I took the test in March, but it comes back really fast. </p>
<p>The only thing I have to work on is the Essay, which is where I messed up last time.</p>
<p>Wow...</p>
<p>I started December of Junior year, took it twice, got a 2170 (1470) and was done. I couldn't put that much effort for just one test that doesn't matter as long as you get in a certain range, when compared with GPA, ECs and essays.</p>
<p>Start studying the summer before your Junior year so you can score near your peak when you take the PSAT in October. Then you might qualify for National Merit.</p>
<p>I took the SAT cold in March of my sophomore year to get an idea of what the test was like (read: I was lazy and didn't want to study). After my results (2040), I essentially spent my time practicing ardently for the following nine months. Retook in December of Junior year and scored a 2340 :)</p>
<p>As early as possible. In fact, go take a practice test NOW!</p>