Chariot Learning
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Our Curriculum
    • Areas Chariot Learning Serves
  • Services
    • SAT & ACT Prep
    • SAT/ACT TestFlip
    • Academic Coaching
    • Subject Tutoring
    • Strategic Reading Club
    • Proctored Practice Tests
    • GRE Prep
    • College Essay Coaching
    • Roots2Words
  • Calendar
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
September 28, 2017 by Mike Bergin

How to Prepare For the SAT & ACT Years in Advance


We often hear from parents (and sometimes even students) wondering what can be done ahead of time to prepare for the SAT & ACT. In these cases, “ahead of time” is measured not in months but in years. Since preparation and planning go hand in hand, such early ambition deserves praise along with prudent advice. But can a young high-schooler or even a late middle-schooler prepare for the SAT & ACT years in advance? Moreover, should he?

You’ll never catch me advising against prep, or at least the right kind of prep. The best preparation for good work tomorrow, as writer Elbert Hubbard advises, is to do good work today. If you are a 14-year old, effective test prep mainly involves doing your best at school, which includes taking the highest level courses you can handle. An advanced math track makes a huge difference in test readiness; if you can finish Algebra 2/Trig in sophomore year, you’ll be ready to test as early in junior year as makes sense based on your schedule… even in August.

But apart from diligence in school. your best preparation for the SAT, ACT, college, and life depends on one little activity that should become a consistent habit and hopefully a source of enduring pleasure: READ.

The best test scores usually go to the best readers, meaning those students who have mastered the skill of understanding what they read quickly and efficiently. Passage-based reading is a cornerstone of all the major undergraduate and graduate admissions tests, because effective reading skills support academic success.

What should you be reading? Really, you can read anything you enjoy. Prioritize nonfiction written at a college or professional level, since most test passages fit that description, but feel free to indulge in good fiction as well. Just make sure you understand what you read; otherwise, you’re just looking at words, which doesn’t help anyone!

Students just finishing middle school or entering high school still have a lot of time before college admissions tests come calling. Why worry, when the best way to lock in a superior test score is to become the kind of student who naturally–with a little help, of course–earns superior test scores. Work hard in school, learn to love learning, and read every single day. Not only will you become happier, calmer, and more eloquent, but you’ll also be super prepared for real test prep when the time is right.

ACT planning reading SAT

Previous articleUnderstanding the ProblemNext article The Secret to Unlimited Willpower
Mike Bergin
Tens of thousands of students a year prep for the SAT & ACT through programs Mike Bergin created or organized. After more than 25 years of intensive experience in the education industry, he's done it all as a teacher, tutor, director, curriculum developer, blogger, podcaster, and best-selling author. Mike founded Chariot Learning in 2009 to deliver on the promise of what truly transformative individualized education can and should be.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Helping high schoolers with tests, school, and life is what Chariot Learning is all about. Let us know how we can help you!

Latest Posts

  • Growing That Growth Mindset
  • How Fair is Test Optional?
  • Why Reading Skills Matter
  • Sal Khan on Testing, Admissions, and Equity
  • Do Flipped Classrooms Work?

What is TestFlip?

Learn about the ultimate in self-directed supplemental SAT/ACT prep, powered by Chariot Learning:

  • Have you given yourself permission to excel?
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    Have you given yourself permission to excel?
  • The most effective way to do it is to do it!
    by chariotlearning 5 days ago
    The most effective way to do it is to do it!
  • How you respond to failure will either make you or break you.
    by chariotlearning 16 hours ago
    How you respond to failure will either make you or break you.
  • What kind of reader are you? http://ow.ly/14g050J1CP0
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    What kind of reader are you? http://ow.ly/14g050J1CP0
  • Maybe life isn
    by chariotlearning 1 week ago
    Maybe life isn't about avoiding the bruises...
  • Keep making progress!
    by chariotlearning 2 days ago
    Keep making progress!
  • Your life if controlled by what you focus on. Focus on greatness this week!
    by chariotlearning 2 weeks ago
    Your life if controlled by what you focus on. Focus on greatness this week!
  • The world is changed by your example, not your opinion.
    by chariotlearning 6 days ago
    The world is changed by your example, not your opinion.

Subscribe to Mike’s Podcast

Subscribe to Tests and the Rest

PARENT GROUP AND NEWSLETTER

Are you an Upstate New York parent with questions about college admissions, testing, and scholarships? The Upstate NY College Conversations Facebook group is for you. Join today!

And also sign up for College Road, our free email newsletter delivering expert educational advice, test news, admissions action steps, special offers, and more.

Upcoming Events

  1. Practice ACT – Fairport Library

    May 21 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  2. Free Practice ACT (5/22/22)

    May 22 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  3. Free Practice SAT (5/28/22)

    May 29 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
  4. June SAT (Official Test)

    June 4 @ 8:00 am - 1:00 pm
  5. Free Practice ACT (6/5/22)

    June 5 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

View All Events

Testimonials

Thanks again for all your help, I’m more than happy with my scores and I appreciate all of your help in the past few months.

Greg, Brighton student

Read more testimonials...
© 2022 Chariot Learning, LLC. All rights reserved.