3 day sat study schedule

note: this post has been updated for the 2016 version of the sat.

last minute sat prep

life is busy—and you just haven’t gotten around to studying for the sat. now suddenly it’s just around the corner… yikes!

maybe a little more time to study would have been more ideal, but you can’t help that now. so you’ve cleared your schedule (as much as possible) and you want to spend the last few days before the test preparing. but where do you start?

well, here is the perfect last minute sat prep for you: the 3 day sat study schedule!

keep reading for a step-by-step guide to the three days leading up to your sat, plus a list of all the materials you’ll need to succeed.

materials & resources

the official sat study guide

this book is the sat bible–questions created by the writers of the test (the college board). it has plenty of practice tests and content to give you a sense of the actual difficulty and complexity of the test (it’s more difficult than the content found in the other books). you can find it on amazon for under $20. if you’re on a budget, you can also download the practice tests used in this schedule for free.

magoosh’s sat video explanations

just for you, we’ve put together a set of official sat study guide video explanations to the college board math questions. check them out!

magoosh’s sat video lessons

magoosh’s sat test prep includes over 140 sat video lessons, to help students prepare for the test. lucky for you, some of those videos are free to everyone, even without buying one of our test prep packages.

and since you’re short on time, you can also check out the lesson videos on our app! study while you exercise, while you wait in line, between classes, or really any time you have a spare moment. the sat test prep app is available for both iphone and android.

now you’re ready to go!

 

day 1: get to know the test

1. open up your official sat study guide, and take the first practice test! you’ll be covering reading, writing and language, and math, just like on the real sat. make sure to time yourself for each section.

2. grade your test (you can find the answers in the back of the book).

3. figure out what you missed and why you missed it. you should spend a few minutes trying to figure out the correct answer (don’t just look at the answer right away).

4. if you had any trouble with the math sections, watch our sat video explanations for a step-by-step guide to solving each math problem.

5. watch the following free sat video lessons:

• every free intro video
• passage-based reading videos (part i and part ii)
• “attacking the passage” writing video

6. if you’ve still got some time in your last minute sat prep, work on the common words decks in our free sat flashcards app!

day 2: build off what you learned in day 1

1. take the second practice test. don’t forget to time yourself for each section.

2. follow the same procedure marked out in day 1 (steps 2-4).

3. watch 10 math video lessons from whatever areas you are struggling in the most.

we’ve broken the videos up into algebra, power and roots, probability, etc. you best know the areas where you need to brush up—so you can choose which ones to watch.

day 3: work on weaknesses

1. identify the areas of each practice test which you’ve struggled the most in, and go over those questions and their solutions for a second time.

2. watch any remaining free lesson videos on topics you feel rusty in.

3. check out our guide to the night before test day, and don’t stress too much!

well that’s it, your last minute sat prep is complete…good luck, and happy studying! 🙂

editor’s note: this post was originally published in november 2013 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.