What should we be doing in 9th and 10th grade?
Nick's answer is that freshman and sophomore year are not about testing yet, they are about grades, reading and writing, math fundamentals, trying activities, and building habits. He walks through six areas to focus on now, and notes that the PSAT many 10th graders take is practice for the PSAT that counts in 11th grade.
Recorded September 2025. Deadlines and policies change; check the current year's dates.
Transcript
Hi, I'm Nick Standlea, CEO of Test Prep Gurus, and if you are the parent of a ninth or 10th grader, you might be wondering, "When should I and my child begin to worry about SATs, ACTs, and the college admissions process?" The answer not yet, at least not too much. Freshman and sophomore year aren't about testing. They're about building the foundation for success later on. Here's what that means right now. Number one, academics. The grades your student earns now will become a part of the GPA colleges see later. Encourage good study habits, consistent effort, and steady improvement.
It's not about perfection, it's about growth and showing colleges your student is building momentum. Number two, reading and writing skills. Strong readers and writers perform better not only on the SAT and ACT when they take it later on, but in every subject. Encourage your student to read widely, write often, and practice critical thinking. And no, five-paragraph essays entirely written by ChatGPT does not count. That's like showing up to soccer tryouts and sending your cousin in instead. Three, math fundamentals. The SAT and ACT are heavily math-driven. Algebra and geometry skills built in ninth and 10th grade become the backbone of test performance later on.
If these foundations are shaky, now is the time to shore them up. Number four, activities and exploration. Freshman and sophomore years are about trying new things. Clubs, sports, arts, volunteering, this is the time to explore interests, see what sticks, and begin discover those passions. By 11th grade, the goal will be to go deeper into a few areas, find leadership positions, but right now, it's about experimentation. Five, testing preview. Now, for 10th graders, many schools offer the PSAT. It doesn't count for scholarships yet, but it's an excellent practice for the real PSAT that comes in 11th grade.
If your school offers it, it's worth signing up for. Six, mindsets and habits. Encourage resilience, curiosity, responsibility. Simple habits like setting goals, staying organized, balancing schools with activities, all of this is going to pay off when things ramp up in junior year. And here's what's coming down the road in 11th grade. Your student will take the PSAT in October of their junior year, and then they'll decide between SAT and ACT. They'll likely take their first official test in the spring of junior year. In 12th grade, the focus shifts to deadlines, college applications, and finishing the testing if needed.
So, 9th and 10th grade are about getting ready for that moment, academically, personally, and strategically. The takeaway is this, freshman and sophomore year should not feel like a They should feel like a time to grow, build new skills, explore new things, and prepare for what's coming down the If your student builds strong habits now, they'll be ready to hit the ground running when it really counts in 11th and 12th grade. To learn more about how to prepare step-by-step and for free resources, you can visit Thank you for watching. I'm Nick Standlea, CEO of Test Prep Gurus, and we're here to help families build a strong path to college success from the very beginning.
More explainers for parents: https://www.prepgurus.com/13secrets (the free 13 Secrets to College Admission guide) and https://highschoolreach.com (look up any high school's college outcomes)