How to study for the SAT in 30 days

Day 1: find your points

Take a full Bluebook practice test under real timing. If you can't spare two hours and fourteen minutes yet, start with a shorter check. Write down two things: your score, and the skills where you lost the most questions. That list is your plan.

Week 1: the biggest gaps

• Pick the three skills that cost you the most. Spend most of each day's time on them, one skill per day in rotation.
• For each: learn the idea, do 10 questions, review every miss (see how to review mistakes).
• For Math, learn the Desmos moves that fit those skills (see Desmos on the SAT).

Week 2: Module 1 accuracy

• Module 1 decides whether you get the harder Module 2, so easy and medium questions matter more than they look (see how the SAT is scored).
• Do mixed sets of easy and medium questions and aim for no careless misses. Every miss gets a cause tag.
• Bring back last week's misses. They come off your list only after two right answers on different days.

Week 3: full tests and timing

• Take a second full practice test early in the week. Compare skill by skill with Day 1, not just the total.
• Practice pacing: about a minute and a half per Math question and a minute and ten seconds per Reading and Writing question. Mark slow questions and come back.
• Shift time toward whatever is still costing you points.

Week 4: sharpen, then rest

• Early in the week: a last full test, and review it thoroughly.
• Middle of the week: short daily sets on your weakest remaining skill, plus your review list.
• The last two days: light review only. Check your Bluebook setup and admission ticket, and sleep. Cramming the night before costs more than it adds.

Rules for all 30 days

• Something every day beats a lot on Saturday. Twenty focused minutes on a tired day still counts.
• Missed a day? Don't double up. Pick up where you are, and let the plan absorb it.
• Answer every question in practice too. There's no penalty for guessing on the SAT (see typed-in answers and guessing).
• Track skills, not just scores. A flat total can hide a skill that jumped and another that slipped.

Graphite builds this kind of plan for you from its diagnostic, counted back from your test date, and rebuilds it when your test date or weekly hours change.