<p>When should I start studying? What method would be the most helpful? like books? or group courses? or a private tutor? Also, when should I take it? </p>
<p>And, what exactly are subject tests? how do I know if I need to take those? how do I study for those? when should I take those?</p>
<p>Does my PSAT score matter? Should I study for that too?</p>
<p>When you start studying depends on what kind of score you want and how well you already do. I personally started studying in earnest the summer before Junior year, took the SAT January Junior Year, got a 2330 and decided re-taking it would be neurotic. Some people study Sophomore year and get it out of the way very early, but I would say any earlier than that is overkill.</p>
<p>Which method you use also depends on your motivation. If you’re easily self-motivated and willing to work hard, I don’t think a course or tutor is necessary. Most of what they teach can be found in the internet or any good prep book [several recommendations can be found in this forum], but they are useful for people who find it hard to make themselves study. I spent a grand total of ~$30 preparing for the SAT [I bought the Blue Book, the College Board’s official collection of 10 full-length SAT tests, my best recommendation for prep, and a SAT Math Barron’s book that was only half-useful] and did fine. I would say the most important factor in studying is just practicing. Taking tests to get used to grinding for 4 hours, recognizing when and how you make mistakes and working to avoid that. If I had to give you one piece of studying advice, I’d say: take like 5 practice tests, under full time constraints and as real a simulation as you can make it. It’ll make the real thing much easier.</p>
<p>SAT subject tests [also called SAT II tests] are more or less exactly what they sound like. Standardized tests in certain subjects - i.e. Physics, Chemistry, U.S. History, etc. People usually have to take these before applying to college, and the requirements vary by college: Harvard requires 3, but the University of Chicago requires none [btw, looked at some of your other posts and saw you liked economics; that’s one of the best schools for that, if not the best.] Most people will take these some time after their junior year, and do their studying through some conjunction of a course taken in school and maybe a prep book for the subject. To use myself as an example, again: I took AP Physics B, AP U.S. History, and Pre-Calculus my Junior Year. I signed up for the June 6th SAT II [to take a Physics test, U.S. History test, and Math II test] and, in the week between the end of my school year and the test, skimmed some online prep. I probably did maybe 6-8 hours of total prep and did fine [790, 790, 770, respectively] because the material was fresh in my mind from final exams and AP exams. So there’s that.</p>
<p>PSAT score only matters if you take it your junior year. When/if you take it your junior year, your score may qualify you for a National Merit Scholarship [there’s a whole laborious process of selection here, but all you need to really know at this point is: the PSAT only has any consequence Junior Year. A good score here can land you a lot of merit aid at some colleges.] Any time before that it’s just a practice SAT, to check out how you’re doing and maybe what you need to improve. I’d only study for it Junior year, since that’s the only time it’s really worth scoring well on.</p>
<p>At any rate: I wouldn’t worry about the SAT until the summer before junior year, if that early.</p>