As the school year winds down and students and parents begin to look forward to their summer plans, it’s a great time to start thinking about next school year. Summer can be an excellent time for rising seniors to finish up with their ACT or SAT testing or for rising juniors to get a huge head start on theirs.

For rising seniors planning to retake the ACT or SAT, summer is an ideal time to do so. The ACT is offered in mid-July (July 13th), and the SAT is offered in late August (August 24th). While seniors still have several opportunities to retest into late fall, summer testing gives them an opportunity to put their college admissions tests behind them before the start of senior year, allowing them to focus all of their time and energy on their college applications and essays (not to mention classwork) once the school year begins. If students score to their satisfaction on a summer exam, their testing process is done! If not, they know that they still have several opportunities to retest in the fall, which provides a degree of comfort going into those summer tests.

Many seniors have summer plans that, while permitting them plenty of time to practice and prepare, conflict with a test date itself due to travel plans. Keep in mind that the ACT and SAT are offered at locations all across the U.S. and Canada, as well as many other foreign counties. Just because your student is going to be working at a summer camp out of state doesn’t mean that she can’t still take the July ACT: the test is likely offered somewhere relatively nearby. Coordinating summer plans around a test date, while not ideal, can still end up being less stressful for many students and parents than fitting in a test into the hectic first semester of senior year.

Rising juniors can also use the summer to get a head start on their ACT and SAT prep. While many students will start their ACT and SAT preparation at the beginning of junior year, summer can be a great time to hit the ground running beforehand. Typically, students who start test prep sooner end their testing sooner. Summer ACT and SAT prep allows students to condense a lot of preparation into a short period of time. Because students don’t have all of their classwork and extracurriculars competing for their time, they’re often able to get in more (and better quality) practice. Getting a head start over the summer can be especially helpful for rising juniors who have intense sports or extracurricular commitments that might necessitate more intermittent preparation during the school year. Consistent summer preparation and practice builds a solid foundation that facilities productive, continued prep during busy times of the school year.

If you would like to discuss a summer test prep plan for your student in more detail, please feel free to reach out to Maki Gorchynsky at maki@mosereducational.com or (303) 396-3676.