SAT advice depends on who is asking
Almost every SAT guide is written for a student who does not exist — one with no constraints, unlimited time and a single generic goal. The useful question has two axes: what your situation is, and what you are aiming at. This is that grid.
Six situations, six goals. Every cell points at the page that actually answers it.
The grid
Find your row, then your column. A cell marked in italics is one where the goal genuinely does not apply to that situation, which is worth knowing too.
| Situation | A first real score | Raise 100+ points | Reach 1500+ | National Merit | Scholarship money | Submit or withhold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juniors starting out | When to start | Score jumps | Chasing the top | Merit cutoffs | Score to dollars | What's good |
| Seniors retaking | Which date | Score jumps | 1400 to 1500 | Closed after junior year | Score to dollars | Submit or not |
| Homeschooled students | Homeschool guide | Study plan | Chasing the top | Which PSAT | Score to dollars | Who requires it |
| International students | Fees abroad | Score jumps | 1400 to 1500 | US students only | Score to dollars | Who requires it |
| Students with accommodations | Approval deadlines | Study plan | Pacing | Merit cutoffs | Score to dollars | Submit or not |
| School Day testers | School Day vs weekend | Score jumps | 1400 to 1500 | Merit cutoffs | Score to dollars | Submit or not |
The situations, in full
Each of these has a constraint that changes the order you should do things in — not just the content you should study.
Juniors starting out
You are in eleventh grade and have not sat the SAT yet.
Seniors retaking
You have a score, it is not the one you wanted, and deadlines are close.
Homeschooled students
You are educated at home and there is no school coordinator between you and College Board.
International students
You are testing outside the United States, for US colleges.
Students with accommodations
You have or need approved testing accommodations.
School Day testers
Your school administers the SAT on a weekday and you may never sit a weekend test.
Thirty-six cells would make thirty-six thin pages, most of which would say the same thing as the guide they link to. A situation earns its own page when the order of operations genuinely changes — a student with accommodations has to file paperwork before touching content, an international student has to price the whole plan before registering. Where only the emphasis changes, the grid just points at the right guide.
Not sure which row you're in?
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