The principle: diagnose, drill, verify
Most SAT prep fails by starting with content (“review all of algebra”) instead of evidence (“which question types am I actually losing?”). This plan spends week 1 finding your leaks, weeks 2–6 patching them in priority order, and weeks 7–8 converting skill into timed performance. Ten focused hours a week is plenty; thirty unfocused hours are not.
Week 1 — Diagnose
Take one full, timed official practice test (the College Board's Bluebook app is free and uses the real interface). Score it by section and sort every miss into three buckets: didn't know it, knew it but slipped, ran out of time. The buckets decide your plan: knowledge gaps get study, slips get process fixes (underline the question ask, check units), time losses get pacing drills.
Weeks 2–3 — Patch the biggest leaks
Pick your two worst question families — for most students some mix of linear equations, command-of-evidence reading, and standard English conventions. Study one family at a time: learn the rule or method, do 15–20 practice items on just that family (the sets on this site are organized exactly this way), and log every miss in an error notebook with the reason in your own words.
Weeks 4–5 — Broaden and time it
Add the next two families, and start timing everything: SAT pace is roughly a minute-plus per question, tightening on hard items. Take a second full practice test at the end of week 5 under real conditions — morning, timed, no phone — and compare bucket by bucket with week 1. Progress hides in the buckets before it shows in the score.
Weeks 6–7 — Full-test rehearsals
One full timed test per week, reviewed the same day while the thinking is fresh. Practice the module reality of the digital SAT: the first module's accuracy shapes the second module's difficulty, so slow down slightly early rather than rushing to “bank time.” Learn your personal skip rule — two reads with no plan means mark, guess, move.
Week 8 — Taper and logistics
Light review only: your error notebook, formula sheet, grammar rules list. Confirm your test center, ID requirements and arrival time; lay out clothes, snacks and the approved calculator the night before. Sleep beats cramming by a measured margin — the test rewards a rested brain, and everything you know is already in it.
The tools that are actually free
The College Board's Bluebook app (official practice tests), Khan Academy's SAT prep (now aligned to the digital test), and your own error notebook. Paid courses sell structure and accountability — both of which this plan gives you for free if you keep the schedule.