SAT Study Plan 2026–27

How to study for the SAT: the four phases

Every plan, whatever your grade or score, follows the same four phases:

1. Find your gaps. One full Bluebook practice test, scored, with every miss sorted by skill.
2. Build the weak skills. One skill at a time, mostly in your weaker section: learn the rule or method, then drill only that skill.
3. Mixed practice under time. Timed modules that mix every skill, as the real test does.
4. Practice tests. A full timed test each week at the time of day you will sit the real one, then review.

The planner sizes each phase to the weeks you have. With under four weeks it compresses to fixing the biggest point losses and a final practice test.

It also shows the points per week your target needs. That number is plain arithmetic, not a prediction: nobody can honestly tell you how many hours buy how many points. What the number does tell you is whether a later test date would give you a pace you can keep, so the planner shows the same gap on the next two dates too.

Your SAT plan by grade

9th grade: build the foundations

Freshman year is too early for SAT drilling. Most of the test is reading and math you learn in class, so the best preparation is doing well in algebra and reading widely. Many schools give the PSAT 8/9 this year, which gives you a first score on the same scale as the SAT.

• Read longer nonfiction: articles, essays, science writing. SAT passages are short but dense.
• Get comfortable with the graphing calculator built into the test. How to use Desmos on the SAT.
• Start a vocabulary habit with the SAT vocabulary list.

10th grade: get a baseline

Many schools offer the PSAT 10 or the PSAT/NMSQT this year as practice. Use the score report: it shows how you did in each content area, which is a free map of what to work on. Your PSAT score is already on the SAT scale, so there is nothing to convert. If you want a real SAT score early, the June test at the end of sophomore year gives you one with two years to improve.

11th grade: the main year

The October PSAT/NMSQT in junior year is the National Merit qualifying test. Most juniors take their first SAT in the spring (March, May or June), which leaves room to retake in June or in the August, September or October of senior year. If you have a PSAT score, start from it: turn your PSAT score into a plan.

12th grade: work back from your deadlines

Early Action and Early Decision applications are often due November 1 or 15, and each college decides which SAT dates it will accept. Check every college on your list, then take the next date you can properly prepare for. If you are applying regular decision, December is often the last date that reaches colleges in time, but confirm with each one.

Retaking the SAT

Switch the planner to Retake and enter your last SAT section scores. Three things change how a retake plan should look:

• Score Choice. You choose which test dates colleges see, though a few colleges ask for every score.
• Superscoring. Many colleges combine your best Reading and Writing with your best Math from different dates. If yours do, a retake can focus mostly on one section.
• Your score report. It shows how you did in each content area. Start there rather than restudying everything.

Not sure a retake is worth it? Read should I retake the SAT after a 1340, and score a practice test to see where you are now.

Setting a target from your colleges

Colleges report the SAT scores of the middle half of the students they admit: the 25th to 75th percentile, often called the middle 50%. The planner uses that range, from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard, to label each college:

• Target: your score is inside the middle 50%.
• Safety: your score is above it.
• Reach: your score is below it, or the college admits under 15% of applicants. At that selectivity most applicants inside the range are still turned down, so it is a reach for everyone.

When you add colleges, the planner suggests the 75th percentile of the most selective one as your target, which puts you in the top half of its admitted students. Scores are one part of an application, so treat the labels as a guide to your score, not to your chances. To browse beyond the colleges you know, use the SAT scores for every college.

What to study, section by section

The digital SAT has two sections, each scored 200 to 800 and split into two modules. Your first module decides whether your second is easier or harder, and the top of the scale is only reachable through the harder one. That is why the plan focuses on your current level rather than everything at once.

Reading and Writing

Four content areas: Information and Ideas, Craft and Structure, Expression of Ideas, and Standard English Conventions. Grammar (Standard English Conventions) is rule-based, which makes it the fastest place to gain points.

• Standard English conventions guide and comma rules cheat sheet
• Transition words cheat sheet
• Words in context and inference questions

Math

Four content areas: Algebra, Advanced Math, Problem-Solving and Data Analysis, and Geometry and Trigonometry. Desmos is built into the test, and graphing is often faster than algebra.

• How to use Desmos on the SAT
• Systems of equations
• Regression questions with Desmos

SAT dates for 2026–27

Late deadlines and score release dates are on the full test dates page.

Common questions

How long should I study for the SAT?

It depends on the gap between your current score and your target, and on how many weeks you have. There is no reliable published figure for how many hours buy how many points, so be wary of anyone who quotes one. Put your score, target and test date into the planner: it shows the points per week your plan needs, and the same gap on later dates, so you can pick a test date that gives you a pace you can keep.

When should I take the SAT for the first time?

Most students take it first in the spring of junior year (March, May or June), which leaves room for a second attempt in June or the fall of senior year. Taking a first SAT at the end of sophomore year can also make sense if you want a real baseline early.

Should I study for the SAT in 9th or 10th grade?

In 9th grade, the best preparation is strong coursework: most of the SAT tests reading and math you learn in class. In 10th grade, a PSAT gives you a free baseline and a skill-by-skill report, and some students take a first SAT at the end of the year.

How many times can I take the SAT?

College Board does not cap the number of attempts. With Score Choice you choose which test dates colleges see, though a few colleges ask for all scores. Many colleges superscore, combining your best section scores across dates.

What SAT score do I need for my colleges?

Look at each college’s middle 50% range: the scores of the middle half of admitted students. A score inside that range makes the college a target on scores; above it, a safety; below it, a reach. Colleges admitting under 15% of applicants are a reach for everyone. Add colleges in the planner to see where you stand, or browse SAT scores for every college on the reach, target and safety page.

Is this plan really free?

Yes. The full plan shows on this page with no account. If you want each day’s practice chosen from your actual weak skills, Pursu does that inside the app.

More free tools

• SAT scores for colleges: reach, target and safety schools for any score.
• PSAT to SAT: what your PSAT score means and a plan from it.
• SAT score calculator: score a practice test.
• All free SAT tools