Back when I was in high school, revisionist history notwithstanding, teachers sometimes referred to the Middle Ages the Dark Ages. Perhaps a misnomer, the term Dark Ages was meant to suggest that during the Middle Ages—the period in Western History between Antiquity (Greeks and Romans) and the European Renaissance—nothing very interesting happened as far as historians were concerned. Hence, it was dark. (Sidebar: Readers of Dan Millman’s Way of the Peaceful Warrior know there’s something interesting happening every moment, but the term was coined long before the book was written ;-)).
By analogy, the long period in the junior year sandwiched between the October PSAT and winter/spring/summer SATs/ACTs might well be called the Dark Ages of the Junior year. I see it happen to well-intentioned, high-achieving, college-bound students every year: not a lot going on in terms of standardized test prep, especially since the CollegeBoard traded in its traditional national January date for one in August. All the math, grammar, and test-taking strategies they began studying for the PSAT fade to dark. You know how it goes: you have really good intentions to get ahead of the curve by studying a little bit whenever you have time. But that free time never comes, or when it does, you quickly forget your test prep intentions and engage in something else a little more, well, entertaining or perhaps immediately productive.
At CollegePrepExpress, we’re trying to shed light on the Dark Ages of Junior Year and help our students gain a powerful competitive edge over students who will descend into the darkness of the standardized test prep hiatus. Sadly, for many of these students the hiatus has grown into an abyss with all the misinformation swirling around the profusion of temporary test-optional admissions policies since the pandemic. But those who muster a little more energy and old-fashioned discipline than the rest of the juniors in the country by carving out roughly 30 to 45 min min a night between October and February/March—the long months of the Dark Ages of Junior Year—will leave the competition behind when they sit for their next college entrance exam in 2022.
In order to assist you, we’ve designed two daily test-prep checklists (one for SAT prep, one for ACT prep) to help manage your daily/nightly work. They are available for immediate download and use from the private Download section of our website. Students who USE these bi-weekly checklists (i.e., each checklist takes you through two weeks of nightly test-prep to-do’s) will alternate nights of studying and taking practice tests. Each time you complete a one- or two-week cycle (depending on the pace you chose), you will have taken a full-length SAT or full-lenght ACT and studied at least several hours worth of material covered on each exam. It’s a good plan to help you dust the competition and get into the college of your choice. Don’t ever say we didn’t tell you how to do it! (And if you read this far into the post and you’d like your very own copy of these checklists, simply email me, Dr. Yo, and request one or the other or both, and I will email it/them back to you!)
So go ahead and shine a flashlight on the Dark Ages of Junior Year. All it takes is 30 to 45 minutes a night! You’ll be so glad you invested the time.
Reserve your space now by registering for one or more of CPE’s 3-Session, 6-Session, 9-Session SAT or ACT, or 4-Session Dedicated Math Prep Classes with Dr.Yo (save with the Combo Class option).
Course Descriptions: SAT Prep | ACT Prep | Math Class | Dates/Times/Materials/Registration