How early should students begin preparing for the SAT?

It depends on the student. If the student is near the top of his class and is in honors math and English, I recommend having them begin prep during their sophomore year, preferably prior to the PSAT in the fall. Then, evaluate their PSAT results to determine any weaknesses. Future prep will need to focus partly on these weaknesses. For example, I was looking at a sophomore's PSAT results this week and noticed that he did much better on reading comprehension questions than he did on sentence completion questions. This indicates that he probably needs to strengthen his vocabulary. I suggest a program lasting anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months prior to the PSAT. Then, you might take a break for the remainder of the school year and then pick back up during the summer prior to their junior PSAT. This is the one that counts for National Merit Awards. After you get your child's PSAT results, have your child take a refresher course before taking the SAT.

For average college-bound students who make mostly B's in high school I suggest prepping before their junior PSAT. This can begin in the summer or early fall. The program should last anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months in length. After you get the results, evaluate for weaknesses and then focus on these as your child prepares to take the SAT in the Spring of their junior year. Make sure you have your child enrolled in SAT prep leading up to the SAT.