If you’re taking the SAT, you obviously want the highest score you can get in the time you have available. You’re going to wow all those colleges with scores that represent your very best effort. But what if the SAT is in a month and you haven’t really started studying? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
Unless it’s summer right now, you will have to balance SAT prep with schoolwork, and that’s not easy to do. But look at it this way: in four weeks, you’re going to make a significant difference in the strength of your college application. And, that’s a very valuable investment.
SAT improvement is about taking practice tests to learn stress-management strategies and lots of fundamental test-taking skills. With that in mind, we’ve devised an SAT Study Schedule that will help you not only become a better test taker, but also develop strong skills in reading, English (termed “writing” on the SAT) and math.
Table of Contents
How this Study Schedule is Organized
This schedule is broken up in sections, guiding you through SAT prep on a near-daily basis. The intention is not for you to knock everything out in one sitting. Rather, you should spread the prep out over the week, studying in 60-90 minute chunks (practice test days will take longer).
You should not feel that you always have to study math and verbal separately. While the study schedule breaks up math and verbal into separate sections, this is just for convenience. In fact, you should make sure that some study sessions contain a mixture of the two. It’s good to get in the habit of having your brain switch back and forth between math and verbal, the way it will have to operate on the real test.
The plan is also broken up between “review” and “practice”. Again, you’ll want to do a little of both. That practice doesn’t always have to relate directly to what you’ve just reviewed (that’s why we’ve assigned you Magoosh prep questions without many filters by subtopic). This way, you’ll be ready for the random assortment of questions the test throws at you. For example, you might spend one day reviewing geometry lessons, but your practice questions will pull from multiple areas of math.
One last thing: if you can’t finish everything in a given week, don’t despair. You can move on to the following week without having completed all the work–just do as much as you can for a given day. If you have limited time, don’t try to finish everything.
For instance, if the day calls for 20 math questions and 15 reading questions, do about half of both. Basically, we’re providing you materials for the maximum amount of practice that can be helpful in a one-week period – but doing less will still help you! Falling a bit short won’t hurt you. In fact, you can always revisit previous weeks later on — that’s a good way of reviewing.
Materials & Resources
Magoosh SAT Prep
That’s us! Our SAT Prep includes lessons and questions that you will work through, thereby increasing your SAT familiarity. Bonus! Magoosh’s digital format mimics what you’ll see on test day.
Prefer studying on your phone? Our SAT Test Prep App makes studying on the go easy for both iPhone and Android users.
Official Digital SAT Study Resources
To get as close as possible to the real SAT experience, try the full-length practice exams on Bluebook, the College Board’s online testing platform. These four practice tests let you explore the interface, format, and scoring of the digital exam. Bonus! they’re totally free!
Another nice thing about the Bluebook is that it also includes individual SAT questions, helping you get comfortable with the new digital format and the types of questions you’ll encounter.
If you don’t have a personal device and plan to use a school tablet or laptop, ask permission before downloading Bluebook on school devices. Check in with your school’s test administrator for help.
Khan Academy Official SAT Practice
This partnership between The College Board and Khan Academy includes an impressive course that helps you understand the skills tested on the digital SAT, from Math topics (like problem-solving, algebra, and geometry) to Reading and Writing questions (grammar, argument, and text connections). It also includes diagnostic quizzes and a full-length test to help you get ready for the online exam.
The SAT One Month Study Schedule
A quick note: to make this plan as easy as possible to navigate, we have hidden the content of each day, so that you can see it when you’re ready for it. Just click on a given day to see the corresponding tasks and click the heading again to hide them when you’re done!
Week 1
Day 1
Math
- Magoosh SAT Test Prep Lessons: Choose custom practive and then scroll down to the General Math Strategies lessons and watch any five videos*
- Magoosh SAT Test Prep Questions: In your Magoosh account, select Math ➡️ Guided Practice. Then, work through any quizzes (at least 3) under the Introduction to SAT, Math Strategies, and Mental Math sections. Reach out to our help team if you get stumped. The help button is displayed on all pages in your course.
*The videos should be of your own choosing. All of us have different skill sets, areas where we thrive and areas where we are not quite as good. You know yourself best. These are all fundamental videos, so if you find you already know all the information, use that time to finish the writing and reading components of the study schedule.
Writing
- Magoosh SAT Test Prep Lessons: Select Custom Practice and then scroll down to the list of available lessons. Watch any five videos (like with the math lessons, you should choose your own adventure) from the under the following categories: “Usage,” “Punctuation,” and/or “Sentence Structure.”
- Magoosh SAT Test Prep Questions: In your Magoosh account, select Reading & Writing ➡️ Custom Practice. Then, check the boxes for “Boundaries,” “Transitions,” and “Form, Structure, and Sense.” Complete 15 questions. Reach out to our help team if you get stumped. The help button is displayed on all pages in your course.
Day 2
Math
- Lessons: From Custom Practice, scroll down to the “Arithmetic and Fractions”* section and watch any five videos. Listen at 1.25 speed when necessary, or even skip parts. You don’t get extra points for slogging through the whole video, especially if you’re already comfortable with the content.
- Magoosh SAT Test Prep Questions: In your Magoosh account, select Math ➡️ Custom Practice. Then, check the box for “Algebra” and complete 10-15 questions. Reach out to our help team if you get stumped. The help button is displayed on all pages in your course.
*When watching the videos, remember that you won’t learn just by watching the instructor. Always pause the video and attempt any question that comes up.
Reading
- Reading and Writing Lessons: From Custom Practice, scroll down and watch the first five videos
- Magoosh SAT Test Prep Questions: In your Magoosh account, select Reading and Writing ➡️ Custom Practice. Then, check the boxes for “Inference,” “Central Ideas and Details,” and “Text Structure and Purpose.” Then, complete 10 questions. Reach out to our help team if you get stumped. The help button is displayed on all pages in your course.
Day 3
Math
- Day off, BUT review anything from the first two days that you weren’t confident in.
Writing
- OG: Turn to Sample Passage 2 of Chapter 13 (Sample Writing and Language Test Questions) and answer the associated questions.
Reading
- Questions: In Magoosh, do one complete passage (one “task” will give you 10 or 11 questions).
Day 4
Math
- eBook: Read Heart of Algebra
- Lessons: Watch Algebra, Equations, and Inequalities (first eight videos). Again, you do not have to watch all the videos, or even all of any one video. If something is familiar to you and it is boring to listen to, then don’t listen to it. Find those videos in which you are shaky on the concepts. That’s where you’ll get the best use of your time.
- OG: Turn to Chapter 16 (Heart of Algebra) and answer the first 10 example questions. Try to solve the problem before skipping ahead.
Writing
- eBook: Finish Sentence Structure
- Questions: In Magoosh, complete two whole passages (two tasks will give you 20-22 questions total). Make sure to watch the explanation videos. This will help you learn from your mistakes and understand the test at a deeper level.
Reading
Day 5
Math
- eBook: Re-read Ratio, Proportion, Units, and Percentage. Throughout the study schedule, you’ll revisit concepts from earlier in the week or in the previous weeks. That way you allow time for the principle to sink in, and the more you review these concepts throughout the weeks, the better you’ll become at them.
Writing
- Day off
Reading
- eBook: Read Intro (all the way up to “Pacing”)
Weekend
Use this first weekend to to catch up.
If you have extra time, do practice from the Magoosh product for any of the sections you want to work on. Though there are many concepts you haven’t learned, doing random mixed practice sets will help get you prepared for the test.
Still, make sure to watch the video explanations, since you’ll be able to learn a lot this way, too. That way, when you do encounter the concept later, you will already have some familiarity with it.
Also, begin one of the classics. This can even be one of the short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Curl up next to a fireplace with a latte, or whatever your beverage of choice is, and enjoy. You should be patient with yourself since the writing style will be a bit unfamiliar at first. Keep a dictionary app handy.
Week 2
Day 1
Math
- Lessons: Watch Word Problems (first 6 videos)
- eBook: Read Graphs, Tables, and Scatterplots up to end of “Histograms”
- Questions: In Magoosh, complete 10 Word Problems practice questions. (Set to “easy” or “medium” by clicking “Practice” and adjusting the difficulty level.)
Writing
- eBook: Read Conventions of Usage up to “Logical Comparison”
- Questions: Do two Magoosh practice passages (22 questions total).
Reading
- eBook: Read “Pacing” section and Passage Types
Day 2
Math
- OG: Answer examples 6-12 in Chapter 17 (Problem Solving and Data Analysis). Remember, attempt to solve each question before looking at the answer. For the advanced among you, give yourself a two-minute limit per question. For the rest of us, relax, take a deep breath, and do your best.
- Lessons: Statistics (all four videos. Do these only after answering the questions above.)
Writing
- Lessons: Watch Sentence Structure (all videos)
- Questions: Do two Magoosh practice passages (two tasks = about 22 questions total)
Reading
Day 3
Math
- eBook: Read Additional Topics in Math
- OG: Do examples 1-10 in Chapter 19 (Additional Topics in Math)
Writing
- eBook: Finish Conventions of Usage
- Lessons: Watch Usage (all five videos)
- Questions: Do one Magoosh practice passage
Reading
- Day off
- Additional reading: Bad Education
Day 4
Math
- Lessons: Based on your performance on examples 1–10 from Day 3, watch five to seven Geometry and/or Coordinate Geometry videos, depending on where you struggle the most.
Writing
- Day off
Reading
- Questions: Do one Magoosh passage
- eBook: Read “Words in Context” to the end of “Inference Questions”
- Additional reading: A History of Violence: Edge Master Class 2011
Day 5
Math
- Day off. Review areas from week 1 and 2 where you are struggling the most. If you have time, do 10 practice questions on Magoosh.
Writing
- eBook: Read Conventions of Punctuation to “Nonrestrictive and Parenthetical Elements” section
- Questions: Do one practice passage in Magoosh (11 questions)
Reading
- Day off
- Additional reading: Spend an hour reading a novel (this can spill into the weekend).
Weekend
OG: Take Practice Test #1, found in Part 4 of the Official Guide.
This is a major milestone. You’ve yet to see all the concepts you’ll be dealing with, but by now you should have a decent understanding of about half of the concepts you’ll see on the test. The practice test is really about getting ready for the ordeal that is a three-hour practice test.
Find a quiet place where you’ll be uninterrupted. I know it’ll require Herculean effort on your part to detach from your cell phone. But when you take the actual test that’s exactly what you’ll have to do, and it’s better to go through withdrawal symptoms now.
Also make sure to spend at least an hour or two reviewing your mistakes. When marking your test, do not write the correct answer next to the question, just mark it as wrong. That way you can take a second stab at it before reading the explanation.
Do some additional reading: Make sure to keep up on your 19th century novel in your spare time.
Week 3
Day 1
Writing
- eBook: Read from “Nonrestrictive and Parenthetical Elements” section to Expression of Ideas
- Questions: Do one Magoosh practice passage (11 questions)
Reading
- eBook: Read How to Improve on SAT Reading to the end of “Stop subvocalization”
- Questions: Do one Magoosh practice passage (10-11 questions)
Math
- Lessons: Watch Passport to Advanced Math: Trigonometry (first three lessons)
Day 2
Writing
- eBook: Read up to Practice Passage
- Lessons: Watch Punctuation (all four videos)
- Questions: Do one Magoosh practice passage
Reading
- eBook: Read up to Practice Passage
- Questions: Do one Magoosh practice passage
- Additional reading: Creation Myth
Math
- Lessons: Watch Passport to Advanced Math: Trigonometry (next three lessons, up to “More on the Unit Circle”)
Day 3
Writing
- eBook: Do “Sequoyah” practice passage
Reading
- eBook: Do “Ethan Frome” practice passage
Math
- eBook: Passport to Advanced Math
- Lessons: Quadratic Formula video (it’s under Passport to Advanced Math: Extra Topics)
- Questions: Complete 25 Magoosh questions
Up until now, we’ve been mainly using Magoosh material for practice. For the rest of the test we will shift to mainly using official material. This material is closest to what you’ll see test day, so it will provide the best practice. The remaining study sessions will be formed from sections from the third and fourth test in the OG (The Official SAT Study Guide).
After doing these sets, always mark the questions you got wrong. Then spend a few minutes going through them. I should warn you that the explanations in the OG are often pretty terrible so try not to get too frustrated.
Day 4
Reading
- OG: Set an alarm for 26 minutes and answer the first two passages of the Reading portion of Practice Test #2
Writing
- OG: Set an alarm for 17 minutes and answer the first two passages of the Writing portion of Practice Test #2
Review Magoosh Reading and Writing lessons for any of the three sections based on where you feel you need practice. Watch at least two lessons total.
Day 5
Math
- OG: Set an alarm for 55 minutes and complete that Math Test – Calculator portion of Practice Test #2.
Review Magoosh Math lessons for any of the three sections based on where you feel you need practice. Watch at least two lessons total.
Weekend
- Take Practice Test #3 (this is your final one before the big test!). Follow the same instructions as you did for the first practice test.
- Additional reading: Finish reading the 19th century novel.
Week 4
Day 1
Reading
- OG: Set an alarm for 26 minutes and answer the first two passages of the Reading portion of Practice Test #4.
Writing
- OG: Set an alarm for 17 minutes and answer the first two passages of the Writing portion of Practice Test #4.
Day 2
Math
- OG: Set an alarm for 25 minutes and complete that Math Test – No Calculator portion of Practice Test #4.
Change your sleep schedule. Indeed, you should figure out what time you need to go to bed so that you get at least eight hours of sleep before the actual exam (I recommend 10 p.m.). Starting Wednesday, go to bed at this time. That way your body will get used to falling asleep then. Otherwise, you are likely to toss and turn the night before the test.
Trust me: it is only for a few days.
Day 3
Math
- OG: Complete Test #4, page 712, all 38 questions in one sitting!
Writing
- Questions: Answer 3 Magoosh passages (3 tasks)
Reading
- Questions: Answer 3 Magoosh passages (3 tasks)
Day 5
It’s up to you. You can take a break, review Magoosh lessons, or take another practice test. Do keep in mind that this is the day before the test and you might want to rest and relax as much as possible!
Weekend
Make sure to get a good night’s rest. The night before the test, start winding down early and pack everything you need (remember your registration ticket and photo ID!) so you aren’t scrambling in the morning.
Test Day
- Stay hydrated!
- Double check our SAT Test Day Checklist to make sure you have everything.
- If doing a quick review in the morning helps wake up your brain, then go for it. But don’t feel you have to prep. If you followed this plan on how to study for the SAT in a month, you should be ready to go!
- Stay positive!
Questions? Comments? Leave them below and we’ll respond as soon as possible. 🙂
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