When summertime rolls around, I can’t wait for school to be over with so that I can let loose, relax, and enjoy temporary freedom from anything school-related. The last thing I want to think about is studying for the SAT during those precious summer months. However, it is this very thought process that causes so many high school students to get poor scores on their SAT tests and consequently have a difficult time making it into a good college. Because I know that my long-term success is more important than short-term pleasure and relaxation, I plan to make good use of my summer by balancing my play time with SAT study time. Here are some reasons why it is important to set aside some time during the summer to prepare for your upcoming SAT test.

Plenty of Time

One of the greatest things about summer is that you have plenty of time to do whatever you want. I plan to fill my summer up with activities like swimming, hiking, playing video games, and doing anything else that sounds fun to me at the time. However, in-between all of the playtime and relaxation, I plan to schedule in plenty of time for SAT preparation and study. If I plan wisely and make the best use of my extra time during the summer, I won’t need to worry about trying to cram right before the test. In my opinion it is always better to be well-prepared because then you won’t be quite as stressed when the time comes to take the test, and you will be more likely to perform well.

Fewer Distractions

Once school starts you can plan on kissing your study time goodbye because there are so many activities and distractions that can interfere with your study time. If you work part-time during school or participate in sports or any other extracurricular activities, you will have a very difficult time trying to squeeze SAT preparation into your already busy schedule. Because I know that I won’t have much time to devote to studying during the school year, I will definitely be making good use of my leisure time during the summer to prepare for the SAT.

Flexibility

It is important for me to have freedom and flexibility when preparing for the SAT during the summer, because I don’t want to miss out on any fun activities that my friends and family will be doing. Thankfully, there are flexible study options available during the summer that won’t cause me to miss out on anything. For example, there is a completely free online program at www.blintestprep.com that you can log onto whenever you have extra time to study for the SAT.  I plan to log onto this site during my leisure summer time and use it to:

• Spend time working on my vocabulary (they have a vocabulary review tool that has more than 1200 vocabulary words and definitions).
• Review various subjects and take practice SAT tests (they offer immediate feedback after the reviews and tests so you know exactly which subjects you need to work on).
• Brush up on my math skills (they have video explanations that show you exactly how to figure out various math problems).

I know that if I plan my summer the right way, I will have plenty of time to have fun and also prepare for the SAT so that I have a better chance of getting a good score.