Summer ACT-SAT-SSAT Prep Is A Smart Way To Start

This year, ACT is adding a July test date for the first time. It will be the seventh ACT date on the calendar, the same number for SAT test dates. That means January will be the only month without an ACT or SAT test.

Why should students do test prep during the summer? Lots of reasons! The best reason is there is no school workload to compete for the student’s time and attention. Test prep can be tedious and stressful, so summertime is much less of a burden.

For almost all seniors, summer testing makes perfect sense. Those who will apply for college in the fall (especially using early action) will have just a few test dates available to improve their scores before the college application deadlines arrive.

For rising juniors, let’s look at some specific circumstances that encourage students to wait on ACT-SAT testing. For one, football players should wait until their season ends because they just don’t have enough time or energy to add test prep to their already demanding schedules. All students should try to schedule around their peak seasons so they don’t add test prep to an already full plate. For students who have conflicts all year long, try to start test prep early because procrastination is not your friend.

Another reason to wait is when juniors have lower math skills. The math on both ACT and SAT is primarily algebra. If rising juniors struggle with basic math and plan to take Algebra II next year, they might want to wait until second semester to start ACT-SAT test prep. On the other hand, for students who will take pre-calculus or advanced math in junior year, there is no reason to delay test prep because there is no calculus on either ACT or SAT.

Take One of Each Test And Then Decide What To Do – A Bad Strategy

Some people think students should take the real SAT in August and real ACT in July or September so they can then decide which test to prepare for. We disagree. Why pay $50 per test and wait several weeks for score reports that give you absolutely no detailed information? Come to Dogwood this summer and take ACT and/or SAT practice tests at no charge. Within a few days, you’ll receive a comprehensive score report that gives question-by-question detail — much more useful information than the real ACT or SAT score reports provide. Our diagnostic reports help you make informed decisions about which test is a better fit for your student and how professional test prep services can help improve the results. No cost, no obligation. Just reliable information you can use.

SSAT – Secondary School Admissions Test

Most Atlanta-area independent schools require the SSAT, a very challenging test that rewards good reasoning skills along with math, reading and verbal skills. Even the most talented students in grades 5-11 need expert tutoring to help them achieve their best SSAT results. Because most private school admissions deadlines are around February, students should start SSAT prep in the summer. You should allow time for your student to take SSAT two or three times. We do not recommend taking the SSAT without proper preparation.   

Call Dogwood Tutoring and Test Prep today at 678-735-7555 to discuss your student’s needs and goals. We look forward to helping you navigate the complex maze of admissions testing.

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