The Checklist by Grade
Your picks in this lesson save to My Plan.
Planning is easier when someone tells you what matters this year. See what each year is really for, learn when the big tests land, then pick your grade, check what you still need to do, and send it to your plan.
Before you start: where are you now?
Rate yourself honestly. Nobody sees this but you.
What each year is really for
Each year has a job. Tap all four. The trick is doing each year's job in its own year, because most of it does not wait.
The tests, and when
The big tests are not random. They land in specific months, and knowing the calendar is half the battle.
- Sophomore fall (optional): A practice PSAT, if your school offers it. Low stakes, good rehearsal.
- Junior October: The PSAT/NMSQT. This is the one that can qualify you for scholarship money, so it counts.
- Junior spring: The SAT or ACT, taken after free official prep (Khan Academy for the SAT, the official ACT materials). You can retake it.
- Senior fall: The FAFSA opens, application deadlines hit, and recommendation letters come due. The busy stretch.
Quick check
Pick your grade
Check the items you still need to do. Then send them to your plan.
Good to know
- Behind on something? Almost everything on these lists has a catch-up route: summer courses, community college classes, spring test dates. The counselor question is "how do I catch up on X," and counselors love that question.
- Ahead of schedule? Pull items from the next grade down the list. Junior-year items done in 10th grade are pure advantage.
After the lesson: where are you now?
The big idea
Nothing on these lists is hard. The trick is doing things in the year they belong: a language started in 9th grade is easy, and the same language crammed senior year is a crisis. Do this year's list this year.