Many students begin preparing for the SAT/ACT as early as the summer before their junior year, while others put it off until fall of their senior year. Whether you fall in the first or last group (or somewhere in between), the important thing is that you wait until you have taken the necessary high school courses (particularly math) and leave yourself enough time to take the exam more than once.
Athletes on the recruitment path typically need to start preparing at the end of sophomore year or very beginning of junior year in order to have scores to share with coaches — but this does depend on the sport and division, as the recruitment timeline can vary.
From our experience, it’s about waiting until you’ve learned everything you need to know but starting before you have to juggle college essays and applications, as well. Our goal is for students to wrap up their final test date (we encourage taking it 2-3 times) by spring of junior year so that they are done before APs and/or finals begin.
Based on your performance in school, extracurricular commitments, and college goals, we can determine the right time for you. Don't wait until it's too late!