For decades, the SAT has only offered testing dates during the traditional school year — October, November, December, January, March, May, and June. But starting this year, the SAT will be replacing its unpopular January test date with a new August SAT test date.

The new August SAT test date is awesome news for some students. Not only does it give students the opportunity to fully commit to prepping over the summer, but it also offers relief to a number of students in specific situations.

Who should consider the August test date?

There are three categories of students for whom the new August SAT test date could be very advantageous:

• Seniors applying for Early Decision. Early Decision application deadlines are early November, meaning the last chance to take the SAT would be October.

But even an October test date, in this case, isn’t ideal — not only does it put a huge amount of pressure on one test’s results, it’s also not recommended to take the SAT fewer than six weeks before you need the results.

An August test date remedies this problem, giving students time to prep over the summer as well as give them a second chance in October if the test needs to be taken again.

• Recruited Athletes. Often, recruited athletes need SAT scores to show college coaches far earlier than their non-athlete student counterparts.

Since the school year is a particularly difficult time for recruited athletes to prep for the SAT — their schedules are packed with homework, practice, and tournaments — an August test date can be life-saver. They will finally have the time to commit to some serious SAT prep work over the summer, without the added pressures of the school year.

• Rising juniors in honors/AP tracks. Juniors on the honors/AP track may benefit from an August test date.

Wondering whether or not you fall into the category of an advanced rising junior? Here’s a quick way to tell: Did you score over 1200 on the PSAT last fall? If so, you’re probably ready to prep this summer as a rising junior.

When to get started?  

If the August test date sounds right, here’s what to know to start prepping:

• If you’re working with us, you’ll want to begin in May or June — our standard recommendation is four months of tutoring, once per week

• Four months of prep can be reduced to two months if a student can meet twice per week and can complete all of the homework in between sessions. Typically, meeting twice a week is not recommended during the school year, but is a viable option over the summer

• Keep in mind, however, that it’s better to start prepping sooner than later, in order to plan around vacations

Summer is quickly approaching. Ready to get started on earning your highest SAT score? Get in touch with Streamline Tutors today to customize your SAT prep plan!