The College Prep Timeline
Click to Expand
October
Some schools give the PSAT (practice SAT) and/or PLAN (practice ACT) to students in ninth grade. There is no preparation (other than consistently doing schoolwork) necessary for these tests.
May and June
Possibly take SAT Subject Tests (for students in grades 9-12 at the end of a history or science course), required by many competitive colleges.
Summer Before 10th Grade
Have enriching camp, travel, or community service experiences...read...keep a journal of summer experiences (this can come in handy when planning college application essays two summers later)...learn some new vocabulary words...close any academic gaps.
October
Most schools give the PSAT (practice SAT) and/or PLAN (practice ACT) to students in tenth grade. There is no preparation (other than consistently doing schoolwork) necessary for these tests.
December/January
PSAT and PLAN scores are reported to schools, which give each student his/her score reports.
May and June
Possibly take SAT Subject Tests (for students in grades 9-12 at the end of a history or science course), required by many competitive colleges. Same dates as SAT.
Summer Before 11th Grade
More enriching experiences...reading...keeping a summer experiences journal...closing academic gaps.
Begin SAT and/or ACT prep. If tenth-grade PSAT scores were at least 60 or above on each section-that is, high enough to approach National Merit Scholar level-consider preparing for the eleventh-grade PSAT, which is used as the National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test.
Fall Semester
- SAT and/or ACT prep.
- SATs in September, October, and December are occasionally taken by juniors (but mostly by seniors).
- ACTs in October and December are occasionally taken by juniors (but mostly by seniors).
October
PSAT (used as both practice for the SAT and as the National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test).
December
PSAT scores are reported to schools, which give each student his/her score reports. A score in the 99th percentile makes students eligible for National Merit Scholar finalist, semifinalist, or commended status. (Click here for more information.)
Juniors may take the ACT and/or SAT. Some college counselors recommend this because it gives kids a clear baseline score and a lot of time to prepare in depth for the spring tests. Others believe that since there are many seniors taking this test, it may not be the best time for juniors because they will be scored against students who are a full year older than they are.
Spring Semester
Students should take the SAT and/or ACT (most opt for once or twice during this semester).
- SAT offered in January, March, May, and June.
- ACT offered in February, April, and June.
May and June
Possibly take SAT Subject Tests (for students in grades 9-12 at the end of a history or science course), required by many competitive colleges. Same dates as SAT.
Summer Before 12th Grade
Students are strongly urged to write a college application essay during the summer before their senior year.
The college essay is a critical part of the application process: it’s an opportunity for the university to get to know your child personally as well as intellectually, a way for your child to differentiate him/herself from other applicants.
If possible, students should use the valuable time afforded by the summer to complete an essay (or, if summer is impossible, they should plan to get started as soon as fall semester begins). Planning in advance ensures that each student produces a thoughtful piece that accurately reflects his or her character, beliefs, interests, and abilities.
We generally suggest that students work on one essay that will become the central narrative work of their many applications. A good piece can be modified here and there to fit more specific essay questions, if necessary; students seldom need to write more than one central essay if they write a strong, finely tuned piece. (Many competitive colleges ask for one or several additional, brief essays specific to the individual school.)
Every summer and fall we offer tutoring to help students craft vivid, thoughtful, finely wrought portraits that reveal their unique qualities and insights.
A strong essay usually comes from extensive drafting, rethinking, and revising—a difficult process that requires time, thought, and hard work.
Typical 5-paragraph essay formats generally produce poor results in this arena; colleges are looking for a focused narrative piece that reveals personal qualities, beliefs, and insights beyond the basic information provided by the rest of the application.
Some things to know about the college essay process:
- Many (but not all) colleges require students to write an essay. Colleges that ask for essays usually require a single 1-2 page essay (of approximately 500 words); some also ask for several paragraph-length answers. A very few colleges require more than one full-length essay.
- The single essay—what one might call the central essay of a student’s application—is most often a brief, highly focused narrative piece on either an assigned topic or “student’s choice.”
- These days, many colleges are moving towards asking open-ended questions about students’ experiences and understandings that can be answered in a single essay that fits many different assigned topics—which means students can write their essays before even looking at an application to a specific college. (Visit
https://www.commonapp.org/ to view Common App essay questions.) In the past, Common App essay questions have looked like this:
This personal statement helps us become acquainted with you in ways different from courses, grades, test scores, and other objective data. It will demonstrate your ability to organize thoughts and express yourself.
We are looking for an essay that will help us know you better as a person and as a student. Please write an essay (250-500 words) on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed below. Please indicate your topic by checking the appropriate box below.
- Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
- Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
- Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
- Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
- A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.
ACT offered in July (new in 2018).
September/October
- Fill out college applications.
- Write college essay(s) if not finished over the summer.
- Ask teachers to fill out recommendation forms.
- File early decision or early action applications according to school deadlines and procedures.
- Possibly retake the SAT and/or ACT once or twice (still early enough for most early action/early decision applications).
- SAT and SAT Subject Tests in October.
- ACT in September and October.
November/December
- Fill out college applications.
- Write college essay(s) if not finished over the summer.
- File regular-decision applications (if necessary).
- Possibly retake the SAT and/or ACT once or twice.
- SAT and SAT Subject Tests in November and December.
- ACT in December.
One-on-One Tutoring, Inc., was founded in 1991 by Jacqueline Gross, M.F.A., M.A.T. As president and academic coordinator, Jackie leads the "team approach" that helps One-on-One create effective, individualized education for students. She has taught at secondary, undergraduate, and graduate levels, ranging from small, special-education forums to large lectures. Working one-on-one with students and their families, counselors, and teachers is her greatest passion.
© One-on-One Tutoring, Inc.
