College admission is growing more competitive every year. That means high school students need to seize every opportunity to make their college applications stand out.
One of the smartest moves? Summer test prep!
Summer test prep isn't just about filling those long days when you're not in school. It also gives you a competitive advantage, which matters when you're trying to get into your dream school!
In this guide, we’ll give you the top 5 reasons you should start your SAT and ACT prep over the summer, as well as give you a few tips to help you make the most of your time.
Using your summer break wisely can help you get into your dream school.
5 Reasons You Should Study for the SAT/ACT This Summer
Summer is the smartest time to start preparing for standardized tests. Why? You’ll never have more flexibility, fewer distractions, or a better opportunity to raise your score before deadlines hit!
Here are 5 reasons you should make the most of your summer with summer SAT or ACT prep.
Reason 1: Summer SAT Prep and ACT Prep Courses Build the Skills You Need To Stand Out
Cramming might help you get through a pop quiz, but it isn't effective for mastering the SAT or ACT. That’s because these exams aren’t about memorizing facts—they’re about building the skills you need to apply strategies, manage time, and stay sharp across multiple sections. And building those skills takes time and practice!
Spacing out your study time is key to long-term retention and better results. This isn’t some hidden secret, either: the ACT’s own learning frameworks point to the importance of strategies like spaced repetition, delayed recall, and self-testing in improving overall comprehension and retention of material. These strategies help students learn more effectively when preparing for high stakes standardized tests like the SAT and ACT.
So when you start studying earlier, it gives you the time to really understand the math formulas, or grammar rules, or even test-taking strategies you need to earn the best score possible.
Reason 2: You Have Fewer Distractions, So You Can Focus on SAT and ACT Test Prep
Summer SAT prep, including summer SAT and ACT prep courses, give you the time and mental space you need to focus without all the distractions of school, homework, and extracurriculars.
That's especially important since the SAT and ACT are designed to be tough, and they test advanced skills and your critical thinking abilities. When you're not switching between algebra homework, history essays, and chemistry labs, it’s easier to spend the time you need to master these challenging skills.
In the summer, you have plenty of time to work through material that's tripping you up, and you can spend multiple study sessions really drilling those skills. That lets you build your mental muscle memory through focus and repetition. In other words, you're not just memorizing answers and recognizing patterns--you're really learning how to arrive at the correct solution. That will help you earn precious points on test day!
Summer also gives you the ability to take courses and work with tutors to really dig into the areas you’re struggling with the most. That’s why PrepScholar’s fully online standardized test prep services are available year-round and on your schedule, so you can take advantage of the summer downtime to sharpen your skills.
And finally, the large chunks of focus time you have over the summer give you the space you need to mimic a test-day environment. After all, you’ll have to stay locked in on your test for hours at a time on the big day, so building your test-taking stamina and time management skills are a must.
As an added benefit: timing your practice tests can potentially lower your test anxiety, too. When you’re calm, cool, and collected, you won’t lose points due to nerves!
When it comes to college applications, a great test score can make your application stand out like a red umbrella.
Reason 3: Good Test Scores Make Great GPAs Stand Out
Getting straight As used to set you apart from the crowd. Now it’s the norm. Nearly 90% of high schoolers earn As or Bs in their core classes, and admissions officers know that GPA alone doesn’t always show students’ true academic abilities.
That’s where test scores come in. A strong SAT or ACT score can help validate your GPA by showing that your academic performance is rooted in the genuine skills you’ve built, not just generous grading.
In other words, a great score backs up your transcript—and can even make it more persuasive to admissions committees.
Summer test prep gives you a chance to demonstrate what your GPA may not show the admissions committee—or it makes a great GPA look that much stronger. That makes summer the perfect time to sharpen your skills and show colleges what you’re really capable of!
Reason 4: Summer SAT and Summer ACT Prep Is The Most Efficient Way to Improve Your Admissions Chances
College applications require essays, which take a lot of time and effort to write. Many students work on these over the summer—but that’s actually not an efficient use of your time!
Here’s why: most universities don’t release their essay topics for the upcoming admissions cycle until August. That means you can spend time essays for topics that get phased out, so come fall semester, you have to start all over again.
But with standardized tests, you know the skills, question types, and format way ahead of time. These won’t change! By investing time in SAT or ACT test prep, you’re using your time wisely by ensuring the effort you’re putting in will pay out in the future.
Doubling down on test prep now also helps you use the limited time you have during fall semester more effectively. Since you don’t have squeeze test prep around your homework and extracurricular schedule, you have more time to focus on raising your GPA and writing your college essays.
This will help you create a better overall admissions packet, which can boost your chances of getting into your target schools and reach schools.
Reason 5: Summer Test Prep Helps You Hit Early Admissions Deadlines
Applying Early Decision or Early Action can significantly boost your chances of admission. It also moves every part of the application process up, including your test scores. If you’re hoping to apply early, your SAT or ACT scores will need to be finalized by October or even earlier.
That’ll leave you with very few chances to test (or retest) once the school year starts. Between classes, essays, and extracurriculars, fall gets busy fast!
Waiting too long can mean rushing to meet deadlines or settling for a score that doesn’t show your full potential. Plus, summer test prep can help you combat the “summer slide”—the gradual loss of academic skills that happens over summer break without practice—so you stay sharp heading into the next school year and can continue doing your best work!
Summer test prep can give you the time and flexibility you need to get ahead. You’ll begin the year already prepared for early deadlines, with your testing done and your schedule clear for everything else your application needs.
And with more students applying early (and being admitted in ED and ER rounds) each year, the sooner your college application is ready, the better your odds of standing out.
These tips will help you study more effectively so you can also make time for a little vacay.
3 Tips for Making the Most of Your Summer Standardized Test Study Time
Here are three practical tips to help you maximize your study time so you can get your test prep done (and fit some rest in, too)!
Tip 1: Create a Consistent Study Schedule (And Actually Stick to It)
The biggest advantage of summer prep is having control over your schedule—so use it! Set up a regular study routine that works with your summer plans, whether that's 45 minutes every morning or three hour-long sessions spread throughout the week.
Try treating your study time like a summer job. Put it on your calendar, set reminders, and don't let other activities push it aside. You'll be thankful for your discipline when test day arrives!
Tip 2: Focus on Your Biggest Weaknesses First
Take a diagnostic test early in your prep to identify which sections or question types are dragging down your score the most. Then tackle those areas head-on while you have the mental energy and time to brush up on those skills.
For example, if geometry is your Achilles' heel, spend extra time working through geometry questions—maybe with a tutor—so you learn the ins and outs of calculating angles, plane intersections, and circumferences.
Remember: improving your weakest areas can lead to bigger score improvements than perfecting sections where you're already strong. Turn those weaknesses into strengths!
Tip 3: Mix Practice Tests with Skill-Building
Use part of your study time to learn new test-taking strategies alongside developing your knowledge and skills. Then put those skills to the test with timed practice sections and full-length exams.
This approach helps you build confidence gradually while also developing the test-taking stamina you'll need on the actual exam. Plus, mixing up your study activities keeps things interesting and prevents burnout during those long summer study sessions.
Let's put a bow on this edition of summer ACT and summer SAT studying.
Summary: Is Summer Test Prep Worth It?
If you’re serious about college, the answer is yes—summer test prep is one of the smartest moves you can make.
Admission is getting more competitive. Test policies are shifting. GPAs don’t mean what they used to. And with AI reshaping how colleges evaluate essays, more weight is falling on the parts of your application that reflect authentic, verifiable academic ability, like your SAT and ACT scores.
- In this guide, we covered 5 reasons to get started this summer. With good summer studying, you’ll:
- Build lasting skills that boost your performance
- Be ready if your top schools shift back to requiring test scores
- Stand out when grades alone aren’t enough
- Strengthen your application with something colleges still trust
- Hit early deadlines without the fall crunch
The sooner you start, the stronger your application will be!
What's Next?
Getting your standardized test dates on your calendar can keep you motivated on test prep over the summer. Our guides to future SAT test dates and future ACT test dates will help you schedule your exams with plenty of time to retake tests if you need to.
Speaking of retaking exams...how many times should you take the SAT or ACT? Our experts weigh in.
Looking for other ways to stay on top of your education over the summer besides test prep? We've got you covered there, too.
