The Test Prep "Golden Timeline"
- Jamie Perez
- Jun 26
- 4 min read
One of the most common questions we get from parents and students starting their test prep journeys is, “When should we start?”
As test prep professionals, we usually recommend that the earliest a student begins test prep is the summer before their Junior year of high school. However, the earliest recommended time is not necessarily the best time to start for everyone.
Just like our curricula, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. For some, starting early is the best option, for others delaying until Fall of Junior year is better, still for others a Spring start may provide the best timing.
Below we’ll cover 3 main “timelines” for test prep and give you the information you need to decide on your own “golden timeline.”
For a shorter summary explanation straight from our President & CEO see the video below!
The Early Bird Timeline
This is the earliest recommended start time mentioned above. Students will take their SAT and ACT diagnostics in May or early June of their Sophomore year.
Then once you have determined which exam is best to focus on, (the SAT or the ACT) you can make the most of your Summer Break by starting sessions.
During the summer, you can take advantage of a lighter schedule with no school and fewer extracurricular activities to worry about, to give your 100% to test prep.
These consistent summer sessions lead up to your first official SAT or ACT attempt in the Fall of Junior year. This usually happens in August or September, or possibly in both months, depending on the national SAT and ACT dates for that year.
This puts you on track to finish testing altogether by the end of the Fall, assuming you need the average 2-3 exam attempts to build up to the score you want. Some may finish with the score they want sooner, while others may need to test one last time in the early Spring semester.
When exactly you finish will be determined mostly by your starting score versus your goal score and how much effort you put into your program! Regardless of the exact date, starting earlier means finishing earlier.
Once you have the score you want on the SAT or ACT, you can begin to focus on other college application aspects like your resume, volunteer hours, and essays, with plenty of time until they are due.
The Fall Timeline
That said, it’s easy to think the “early bird” option is the best all around, but there are a couple of different conditions that can make it less ideal if they apply to you.
Summer Break is peak traveling and relaxing season for most students. We believe that test prep is all about consistency and strategy. While our lessons can handle strategy, it is primarily up to the student and parents themselves to maintain consistency.
If you plan to travel a lot during the summer, having weekly sessions and completing daily homework may not be feasible for you even if you have flexible online sessions.
Many students also find it very difficult to focus in the summer because they go into “relaxation mode” and get what we call “Summer Brain.” If either of these sound like you, then you may consider starting in the Fall of Junior year.
This means taking diagnostics around August and preparing for the later Fall semester SAT and ACT national exam dates in November and December. Final exam attempts will take place in the early Spring semester.
Keep in mind that you will have to juggle test prep along with your school schedule, usual workload, and other extracurricular activities. This timeline still allows you to focus on college applications for the majority of the remaining semester and your summer before Senior year.
The Spring Timeline
The final and latest recommended timeline starts with diagnostic exams in January. Initial exam attempts happen around April and May with final exam attempts pushing into the summertime.
Students will have to manage test prep with any APs and Finals Exams they have, as well as normal school workloads and extracurriculars.
This is the latest we recommend starting test prep because college applications are typically due in the late Fall of Senior year. Some schools even have regular admissions deadlines around October.
It is very important to know ahead of time which schools you will be applying to and whether you are going for early decision deadlines, which are typically the end of August.
Each school will have its own deadlines available on its website. These admissions deadlines will be a critical factor to consider when choosing your preferred test prep timeline since you need to ensure you have your goal score secured by then.
Golden Diagnostic Exams
We hope this helps you determine the best test prep timeline for you!
If you are still not sure, diagnostic exams can help. We have Program Advisors who can look at your results and provide recommendations based on the data we collected from the diagnostic exam.
No matter when you are looking to start test prep, diagnostic exams for the SAT and ACT should be your first step, even if you have already taken an official SAT or ACT.
A good test prep program will use the more detailed results provided by a full-length diagnostic exam to gauge what your curriculum should look like. Starting sessions without diagnostic data on whichever exam you plan to focus on just means that progress will take longer to build.
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