Timing Prep and Testing to Maximize Results

Goldilocks and the Three Testing Timelines

As our students receive their PSAT scores along with the realization that the school year is already halfway over, inevitably the conversations we have with sophomore and junior families this time of year include the timing of SAT and ACT testing. As with much of the advice we give as IECs, the answer to the question of when to test is often non-intuitive and begins with the words, “it depends.” Many families, especially those with high-achieving students, assume that spending the summer before junior year preparing to take the tests in the fall makes the most sense. While this may work for some, we have found that it does not work well for many others. Simply put, there is no one size fits all approach to testing. Accordingly, we help families understand that when the test is taken can have a big impact on the score, so getting it right is crucial. For us at Future Stars, the first step is always determining whether to focus on the SAT or ACT.

To help students decide on the SAT or ACT, Applerouth Tutoring has been supporting us for several years with the administration of mock tests for rising juniors in the summer. Students are given the option to either take a mock SAT and ACT that we proctor at our center or have the test mailed to them for home proctoring. While we find that most students receive comparable scores on the SAT and ACT, there are those for which one of the tests is the clear winner. And for everyone else, I have never encountered a student who did not prefer the format, content, or timing of one test over the other. We do not encourage fighting the war on two fronts – focus prep and official sittings on one test.

Now that we have established a baseline score and an indication of test preference, it is time to customize a test schedule and prep plan for each student. To simplify the choices, we explain that most students fall into one of three tracks:

• Early: For students who are scoring in the 1300s or higher, testing one to two times in the fall works well. Not surprisingly, these are usually the most academically-minded students who are itching to be let out of the gates and jump into prep.
• Late: For those students who are scoring below average and/or will not complete Algebra 2 until the end of junior year, beginning testing very late in junior year or even the fall of senior year will garner the best results.
• Middle: For those who have completed the necessary math classes and scored in the middle range, testing in the second semester of junior year tends to be the best
  plan. Brain maturation and another six months of high school can really make a difference.

In addition, we discuss with each student the ebb and flow of extracurricular commitments as well as the timing of AP and IB testing to make sure they will not be overwhelmed with too many tests to prepare for at the same time. And then there are the recruitable athletes who may need test scores earlier in order to be considered by coaches from highly selective colleges and universities.

The final piece of the puzzle is deciding how much prep time will be needed to reach testing goals and, therefore, when to begin. For those scoring in the upper percentiles on mock tests, they may be able to self-prep using books and websites we recommend, but only if they have an above average level of self-discipline and motivation. Some students prefer to learn in a group setting and opt for a class, but most often, we recommend beginning work with a tutor 2-3 months prior to the first official test, depending on how many hours of tutoring we have determined will likely be necessary to reach desired results. Some families will choose to use all their hours of tutoring prior to the first test, while others, especially if they purchased more than 10 hours, will use most of the hours prior to the first test and save some for continued work prior to the second sitting. Why plan on two sittings? It is rare that a student is completely satisfied with the score from their first attempt, regardless of how well they did. Jed Applerouth’s research suggests that students typically achieve their best score in the second or third sitting and most students benefit from the experience of an official test to start, so we like to set the expectation that at least one additional test will be needed for a student to reach their score potential.

Finally, we review the results from the first round of testing to decide on whether sitting for future tests and more prep are needed. By this time, we also have a pretty good sense of the student’s college list, and with more schools going test optional, we will consider the likelihood of reaching a score that will be in the range for submitting. While we know one size does not fit all when it comes to standardized testing, we also know that taking a measured and thoughtful approach winds our students up with the “just right” fit for them, in their own time.

Author Bio: Scott Hamilton has operated Future Stars College Counseling in Sacramento since 1998, a boutique firm of admissions experts working with students locally. Scott has also launched a second college counseling firm called AppMitted to provide virtual on demand, hourly counseling for juniors and seniors.