Despite what you may have heard, the high school math and English curriculum is not designed with SAT prep in mind. Many parents and students believe that school will teach students the skills they need on the SAT to do well. Further, most students will wait until the end of their junior year before taking the SAT because they will have nearly completed Algebra II coursework. It has become the norm for students to take the SAT in the spring of their junior year and the fall of their senior year, likely as the result of advice from school counselors misinterpreted to apply to the masses.
The truth is that high school classes alone will not equip students with the strategies and tactics they need to do well on the SAT. In fact, if a student learns the best ways to solve each type of math problem, he really doesn’t need to have any knowledge of Algebra II concepts. Sure, the logic gained by learning and practicing Algebra II will help the student, but logical reasoning is a skill that can be practiced outside of math class.
Students can begin their test prep efforts prior to completing Algebra II, and for some students, this is advisable as junior year of high school is often the most demanding.