<p>When would you say is the best time to start preparing for:
1. SAT
2. ACT
3. SAT II
4. PSAT</p>
<p>(how many months in advance, and how much time spent per week, etc.)</p>
<p>Well... as soon as you can, for as long as you can-assuming that you have a life and attempt to keep it. Don't let it get in the way (which is honestly quite hard to do!), but obviously the more you prepare, the better you will do. If you have some free time, prep and you'll score higher.</p>
<p>However, for SAT II it's best to started prepping during/after a course related to that subject. During the course you can pay attention to how the material relates to the test, and take a practice test here or there, but the real prep should start after the course.</p>
<p>PSAT--early junior year</p>
<p>SAT---3 months before you take it</p>
<p>ACT--never (lol)</p>
<p>SAT II---learn it in a course, then prep for a month</p>
<p>SAT II- best strategy is to take it as your school course in it ends, to cut down on study time</p>
<p>PSAT- don't start studying junior year if you want a National Merit status unless you are an exceptionally good test taker. Summer before junior year.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>SAT :2 months</p></li>
<li><p>SAT II:1 months before you take it</p></li>
</ol>
<p>As far as hours per week goes, IMHO, if the amount of time you put in is comparable to the amount of time you spend on a regular class (including classroom time), you're way overdoing it. I'm biased, though, as I'm one of the "exceptional test takers" to which Carpe Aeternum refers.</p>
<p>sunshineemmaedz, would you say 2-3 months with enough studying is enough to get a great score? (2100-2300)</p>
<p>Start early and prep hard. The vast majority of students will need at least 3 months for SAT or ACT prep, working about 5 hours a week. </p>
<p>However, I would allow at least 6 months to get the score you want as most students need to take the test twice to get the score they want. Some of the people responding here are the same who will get 2250 without studying, and be upset with that. While that is great for them, their advice will not work for most students.</p>
<p>Also, if you start early then you probably won't have to worry about not being prepared. If you start late and something happens, you are screwed (pardon my French).</p>