--- title: "How to Study for the Summer SAT: 4 Helpful Tips · PrepScholar" description: Confused about the new summer SAT dates? We'll help you decide if the the SAT August test date is right for you and explain how to prepare for it effectively. image: https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/360031/feature_summersat-1.jpg --- **[![PrepScholar](https://www.prepscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PrepScholar-Logo-Colored.png)](https://www.prepscholar.com/)** CALL NOW: [+1 (866) 811-5546](tel:18668115546) [![Start Free Trial](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/360031/interactive-171805697634.png)](https://cta-service-cms2.hubspot.com/web-interactives/public/v1/track/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLKJluK2NyG3jpAJh%2F2lClc1fhnVHyMZoQonqRxtJngB8FMX6lc78F84JqOaVAL0d36TA5%2FYuH%2FLCJw8AG3ewREi%2F7a3XDouZgjxWfYCBUge6z76KnSykOxONl3avMK0gUjJGpJdyJE2BDTx8g3bsgHwMtx4Kr9Jfh6Jr7WA2XEIgtLw1OoVvAMo4Kw%3D&webInteractiveContentId=171805697634&portalId=360031) ## Choose Your Test SAT Prep ACT Prep [PrepScholar Advice Blog](https://blog.prepscholar.com/) ☰ - Search Blogs By Category - [SAT](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/sat) - [ACT](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/act) - [College Admissions](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/college-admissions) - [AP and IB Exams](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/advanced-placement-ap) - [PSAT](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/psat-info-and-strategies) - [TOEFL](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/toefl) - [GPA and Coursework](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/coursework-gpa) # [How to Study for the Summer SAT: 4 Helpful Tips](https://blog.prepscholar.com/summer-sat-test-dates) ![author image](http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/360031/author_lauras.png) Posted by [Laura Staffaroni](https://blog.prepscholar.com/author/laura-staffaroni) | Updated on August 15, 2024 [SAT](https://blog.prepscholar.com/topic/sat)   ![feature_summersat-1.jpg](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/360031/hubfs/feature_summersat-1.jpg?width=555&name=feature_summersat-1.jpg) As of August 2017, there's now an SAT test date at the end of the summer. **What are the advantages of taking the SAT in the summer and what’s the best way to prep for the summer SAT?** Read on to find out the summer SAT dates for 2018 and 2019 and what the best way to prep for them are.   ## When Is the Summer SAT? **There are seven SAT test dates every year**. The SAT test dates in 2018 are as follows: - March 10 - May 5 - June 2 - **August 25\* (Summer SAT!)** - October 6\* - November 3\* - December 1\*  \*Anticipated test date And here are the 2018 SAT test dates: - March 9\* - May 4 - June 1 - **August 24\* (Summer SAT!)** - October 5\* - November 2\* - December 7\* \*Anticipated test date   Depending on your own preferences and situation, you may decide that the SAT summer test dates are just not for you or that adding the SAT August test date is the best thing that the College Board has ever done. We discuss two pros and two cons of the summer SAT dates in the next few sections of this article.   ![body_prosorcons.jpg](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/360031/hubfs/body_prosorcons.jpg?width=162&height=384&name=body_prosorcons.jpg)[Anthony Godinho](https://www.flickr.com/photos/26983785@N02/5951866487/)/Flickr.   ## Pro: More Time to Study = Better Chance of a High Score The biggest advantage of the new summer SAT date is that over the summer, you’ll have no school and little to no schoolwork, which means you can devote your entire summer to studying for the SAT. No, spending your summer break studying for the SAT doesn’t really sound like a fun time. **But the advantages to you and your test score of spending more time studying are clear.** Here’s a rough estimate of how long you need to study for each level of score improvement:   | **Points** | **Hours** | | --- | --- | | 0-30 | 10 | | 30-70 | 20 | | 70-130 | 40 | | 130-200 | 80 | | 200-330+ | 150+ |   During the school year, carving out time to spend on SAT prep (particularly if you need to improve 200+ points) can be **extremely difficult**. You’re already in school for nearly 40 hours a week, and then there’s homework, extracurriculars, maybe a part-time job, social activity, sleeping (hah)...**adding another 7-15 hours a week of SAT studying on top of that for three months might seem impossible**. It’s only during the summer, when you have no school and minimal summer homework, that you’ll be able to really devote yourself to studying for the SAT regularly for significant chunks of time. Even if you just spend a **couple of hours a day on SAT prep** between the end of school and the summer SAT, that’s already **over a hundred hours of prep**! You can find more information about [how long you should spend studying for the SAT here](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-long-should-i-study-for-the-sat-6-step-guide).   [![Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?   We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must use to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/360031/interactive-144977309594.png)](https://blog.prepscholar.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLJg9L%2FzptuXRmiYijzQYO5H8GE1uV7BrZOg2bth9W37rKJL5EyjBpNimIqOnLh2fJCQb9V7r9QoLTWwWjp7%2F1Zc5qTeWiT1NKjcOwNi5bGWTRCa02NAfXjzFbT17R2yHPJnhQZDTOQBNbwyAViNvSYWTsBYbdZCXOTH21CpQ6ahvswO517wWRfQK5PVMhfMCZ07bA%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=144977309594&portalId=360031)   ## Con: Low Motivation If you’re the type of student who does better in structured environments, you might find it difficult to effectively study for the SAT over the summer. **When you’re not in classes every day, it’s easy to fall out of the studying mindset and lose your motivation.** It can also be hard to find the motivation to study because the break between the end of the school year and the August SAT is so long. You might find yourself procrastinating in June and July, thinking “Eh, I have two months left, I’ll be fine,” and end up not studying at all until August. While it could still end up working out okay, if you can’t get yourself motivated to study it’s unlikely you’ll see big score increases on the test. Plus, you’ll have spent the whole summer with the SAT hanging over your head, which is no one's idea of a good time.   ## Pro: SAT Summer Prep Programs Doing a structured SAT prep program or summer camp can help keep you motivated. Rather than having to go to an SAT prep class in the evenings after a long day of school and activities, you'll be able to get started on studying when you're still fresh and energized. **By having a class to go to or a certain amount of prep you have to turn in every day, you’re held accountable for studying.** And if you find yourself hating the subject material, you have the light at the end of the tunnel of knowing that if you put in the effort now, you can take the summer SAT right after your SAT summer program ends and then never have to think about it again.   ## Con: No Summer Vacation After spending 9-10 months in school mode, your brain could probably use a break, and **if you devote your summer to studying for the SAT, you won’t give yourself that time to rest**.  Not having a summer break is especially a problem if you’re feeling really burned out at the end of the school year and need the summer to recover before heading back into school-mode. It's also an issue if you’re planning on working full-time during the summer, as studying for the SAT on top of working might be too draining to be effective. To avoid setting yourself up to fail, as the end of the school year approaches, you need to assess how burned out you are and how busy you're going to be during the summer. We'll talk more about this in Tip #4 in this article.   ![body_summerburnout.jpg](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/360031/hubfs/body_summerburnout.jpg?width=460&height=334&name=body_summerburnout.jpg)*Don't let this be you.*   ## Summer SAT Prep Tips To wrap up, here are four tips to guide your prep for the SAT summer test date.   ### #1: Make a Study Plan To keep up your motivation, **make yourself a summer SAT study plan and stick to it**. Plan out to the day and week how much time you’ll spend studying and how often you’ll be taking practice tests. You can be flexible if you find you’re progressing faster or slower than you expected, but try to stick to your study plan as much as possible. By planning ahead of time, you’ll also be able to do things like adjust for mandatory family vacations or other summer activities. Learn how to find your SAT target score, gauge how much you need to improve, and review your mistakes with [these four ultimate SAT study tips](https://blog.prepscholar.com/best-way-to-study-for-sat). You should also use the tips in [this article about getting a perfect score on the SAT](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-a-perfect-sat-score-by-a-2400-sat-scorer) to keep up your motivation.   ### #2: Target Your Weak Areas To keep your skills honed, you’ll need to regularly practice skills you struggle with. Before you start your summer studying, take a full-length practice test, note what you had problems with, and plan your studying accordingly. For instance, let's say you took a practice test and did fine on Writing & Language and Math but struggled with the Reading section. When plan your studying, you'll need to make sure that you’re regularly [drilling yourself on SAT Reading passages and reading SAT-level materials](https://blog.prepscholar.com/the-best-way-to-practice-sat-reading).   ### #3: Consider a Summer SAT Prep Course Think about doing a [summer SAT bootcamp](https://blog.prepscholar.com/should-you-really-join-a-sat-summer-camp) or [other SAT prep course](https://blog.prepscholar.com/sat-summer-prep-programs-should-you-join) this summer to give you more structure in your studying. It’s no fun to have to give up part or all of your summer for SAT prep, but if you can get a great score in August then you’ll be done with the test forever.   ### #4: Don’t Burn Yourself Out If you get to the end of the school year and you're brain-dead because of how hard you’ve been working, **give yourself a break**. Immediately diving into SAT prep when you no longer care about anything schoolwork related is a recipe for disaster. Instead, **give yourself a set amount of time to relax and reboot**. It’s better to spend a week or two at the beginning of the summer building up your motivation than to force yourself straight into SAT prep and see no score improvement. Avoiding burning yourself out also means not creating a too ambitious summer SAT prep schedule. Don’t expect that you can study for ten hours a day for months on end and continue to have high-quality studying time Know your own studying strengths and weaknesses and **create a study plan that plays to your strengths and minimizes your weaknesses**. For example, if you know you can only concentrate for about 45 minutes at a time, build in breaks to your study sessions so that you can concentrate absolutely for those 45 minutes, confident that you’ll have time to take a break once that sprint is over.   ![body_successnotstress.jpg](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/360031/hubfs/body_successnotstress.jpg?width=540&height=423&name=body_successnotstress.jpg)   ## What’s Next? **Looking for more advice on how to plan your summer SAT studying?** Learn more with [our article on making a study plan for the summer before senior year](https://blog.prepscholar.com/sat-act-test-study-plan-for-summer-before-senior-year). **Thinking about getting a tutor to help you with your SAT score goals?** Find out if it makes more sense for you to [hire a tutor or to study for the SAT on your own](https://blog.prepscholar.com/should-i-hire-a-tutor-or-study-for-the-sat-act-on-my-own). **How early should you begin studying for the SAT?** Read [our analysis of when to start studying for the SAT](https://blog.prepscholar.com/when-should-i-start-studying-for-the-sat-complete-plan) and figure out what works best for you.   [![Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?   We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible.   Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next.   Check out our 5-day free trial today:](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/360031/interactive-151896378542.png)](https://blog.prepscholar.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLKJro370Z0M8uhOeVMvG3BCuxCMUVs%2BwGeeEoaLNEN65VGnli6KzvwVZQpca%2FbYSInTuSq0Dm4VI1zQ4NLCPt5iw7XnDzuF5T%2B8rXSjf42KiIb5cjuTtGLig1wK0DHZN%2BszTdpwPXoVWP3zB6%2BPGEzovGiEfG2JKWBKEzC0XbiT4lr9HLhENcJ8SsQ%3D&webInteractiveContentId=151896378542&portalId=360031)   ### Trending Now [How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-into-harvard-and-the-ivy-league-by-a-harvard-alum) [How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-a-4-0-gpa-and-get-better-grades-by-a-harvard-alum) [How to Write an Amazing College Essay](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-write-a-college-essay) [Should You Take the SAT or ACT?](https://quiz.prepscholar.com/sat-vs-act) [What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?](https://blog.prepscholar.com/what-do-colleges-look-for) [ACT vs. SAT: 10 Key Differences](https://blog.prepscholar.com/act-vs-sat) [Calculate Your College Chances](https://mycollegechances.prepscholar.com/) Get Your Free **[![PrepScholar](https://www.prepscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PrepScholar-Logo-Colored.png)](https://www.prepscholar.com/)** eBook [5 Tips to Raise Your SAT Score 160+ Points](https://www.prepscholar.com/rp/sat-5-tips-ebook/) [5 Tips to Raise Your ACT Score 4+ Points](https://www.prepscholar.com/rp/act-5-tips-ebook/) ### SAT Prep [Find Your Target SAT Score](https://blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-a-good-sat-score-a-bad-sat-score-an-excellent-sat-score) [Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests](https://blog.prepscholar.com/complete-official-sat-practice-tests-free-links) ### **[How to Get a Perfect SAT Score, by an Expert Full Scorer](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-a-perfect-sat-score-by-a-2400-sat-scorer)** [Score 800 on SAT Math](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-800-on-sat-math-by-a-perfect-scorer) [Score 800 on SAT Reading and Writing](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-800-on-sat-reading-and-writing) [Raise Your SAT Score by 160+ Points GUARANTEED. Start Your 5-Day Risk-Free Trial](https://www.prepscholar.com/sat-test-prep/?utm_source=databasepage&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_campaign=sat_guarantee) ### ACT Prep [Find Your Target ACT Score](https://blog.prepscholar.com/what-is-a-good-act-score-a-bad-act-score-an-excellent-act-score) [Complete Official Free ACT Practice Tests](https://blog.prepscholar.com/complete-official-act-practice-tests-free-links) ### **[How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-a-perfect-act-score-by-a-36-full-scorer)** [Get a 36 on ACT English](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-36-on-act-english-9-strategies-from-a-perfect-scorer) [Get a 36 on ACT Math](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-36-on-act-math-8-strategies-by-a-perfect-scorer) [Get a 36 on ACT Reading](https://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-36-on-act-reading-11-strategies-from-a-perfect-scorer) Stay Informed Get the latest articles and test prep tips! - [![Follow us on Facebook (icon)](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/360031/facebook_logo.png)](https://www.facebook.com/prepscholar) - [![Follow us on X (icon)](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/360031/twitterx-50.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/follow?region=follow_link&screen_name=PrepScholar&tw_p=followbutton) - [![Follow us on Instagram (icon)](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/360031/instagram-sidebar.webp)](https://www.instagram.com/prepscholar/) Get Exclusive Tips for College Admissions Sign up to receive free guidance on everything from acing the SAT to writing a standout college admissions essay. × ## Thanks for Subscribing! ![Check icon](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/360031/file-2386656898.png/subscribe_check.png.png?width=175&name=subscribe_check.png) To receive immediate updates on all our helpful guides and strategies, **follow us** on social media: [![Facebook](https://blogprepschola.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/26de6c2beb2b71ee5b8d660200359259.png)](https://www.facebook.com/prepscholar) [![X](https://blogprepschola.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/f233666501ea25d3fcf3c390d2f08c7b.png)](https://x.com/intent/follow?region=follow_link&screen_name=PrepScholar&tw_p=followbutton) [![LinkedIn](https://blogprepschola.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/linkedin.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/prepscholar/) [![Instagram](https://blogprepschola.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/download-1.png)](https://www.instagram.com/prepscholar/) **Have friends who also need help with test prep?** Share this article! [![Share on email](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/360031/hubfs/email-color.png?width=24&name=email-color.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.prepscholar.com%2Fsummer-sat-test-dates%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.prepscholar.com%2Fsummer-sat-test-dates%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) [![Share on facebook](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/360031/hubfs/facebook-color.png?width=24&name=facebook-color.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.prepscholar.com%2Fsummer-sat-test-dates%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on twitter](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/360031/hubfs/x-twitter-color.png?width=24&name=x-twitter-color.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.prepscholar.com%2Fsummer-sat-test-dates%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.prepscholar.com%2Fsummer-sat-test-dates%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=) [![Share on linkedin](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/360031/hubfs/linkedin-color.png?width=24&name=linkedin-color.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.prepscholar.com%2Fsummer-sat-test-dates%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) About the Author ![author image](http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/360031/author_lauras.png) Laura Staffaroni Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel in high school. ## Ask a Question Below Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply! **[![PrepScholar](https://www.prepscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PrepScholar-Logo-White.png)](https://www.prepscholar.com)** - [WHO WE ARE](https://www.prepscholar.com/who-we-are/) - [SUCCESS STORIES](https://www.prepscholar.com/case-studies/) - [ADVICE BLOG](https://blog.prepscholar.com/) - [FOR SCHOOLS](https://www.prepscholar.com/for-schools/) - [SAT](https://www.prepscholar.com/sat-test-prep/) - [ACT](https://www.prepscholar.com/act-test-prep/) - [PSAT](https://www.prepscholar.com/psat-test-prep/) - [AP](https://www.prepscholar.com/ap-tutoring/) - [GRE](https://www.prepscholar.com/gre-test-prep/) - [GMAT](https://www.prepscholar.com/gmat-test-prep/) - [TOEFL](https://www.prepscholar.com/toefl-test-prep/) - [ADMISSIONS](https://www.prepscholar.com/college-admissions-consulting/) - [TERMS OF SERVICE](https://www.prepscholar.com/terms-of-service/) - [PRIVACY POLICY](https://www.prepscholar.com/privacy-policy/) - [![follow us on X (icon)](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/360031/twitter-64.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/follow?region=follow_link&screen_name=PrepScholar&tw_p=followbutton) - [![Follow us on Facebook (icon)](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/360031/facebook-64.png)](https://www.facebook.com/prepscholar) - [![follow us on Instagram (icon)](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/360031/instagram-64.svg)](https://www.instagram.com/prepscholar/) - [![follow us on TikTok (icon)](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/360031/tiktok-50.svg)](https://www.tiktok.com/@prepscholarofficial) - [![Follow us on LinkedIn (icon)](https://360031.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/360031/linkedin50.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/prepscholar/) © PrepScholar 2013-2025. All rights reserved SAT® is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this web site. ACT® is a registered trademark belonging to ACT Education Corporation ("ACT"). ACT is not involved with or affiliated with PrepScholar Inc., nor does ACT endorse or sponsor any of the products or services offered by PrepScholar Inc. GRE® and TOEFL® are registered trademarks of the ETS®. The ETS® does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with, the owner or any content of this web site. GMAT® is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council®. The Graduate Management Admissions Council® does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with, the owner or any content of this website. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Laura Staffaroni", "url" : "https://blog.prepscholar.com/author/laura-staffaroni" }, "dateModified" : "2024-08-15T20:59:31+00:00", "datePublished" : "2017-06-22T16:00:00+00:00", "description" : "Confused about the new summer SAT dates? We'll help you decide if the the SAT August test date is right for you and explain how to prepare for it effectively.", "headline" : "How to Study for the Summer SAT: 4 Helpful Tips", "image" : "https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/360031/feature_summersat-1.jpg", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.prepscholar.com/summer-sat-test-dates", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.prepscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PrepScholar-Logo-Colored.png" }, "name" : "PrepScholar" } } ```