IB final year plus SAT coaching on weekends, or let the SAT go?

cinnamon_sandal_90587 Sept 2026

My son is in the second year of the IB Diploma. He wants to keep applications open both abroad and in India, and he has signed up, in principle, for a weekend SAT batch that runs till December. The argument for it is that the SAT score gives him more options and he is the one asking. The argument against is that this term already has his internal assessments, the Extended Essay final draft and mocks, and his weekends are the only slack in the week. He also says he can self-study the SAT, which may or may not be realistic. We have not decided. If your child did coaching alongside a demanding final school year, which part gave way first?

5 comments

fern_piano_38147 Sept 2026
We are CBSE, so different system, but I've watched my senior students do coaching plus board prep in the final year for many years. Most of them said the last two months were the problem, not the first. So swalpa check when the SAT date falls against his mocks before deciding 🙂
- cedar_camera_67828 Sept 2026
  This is what I'm already worried about for my daughter, she's a few years behind. Does the coaching usually run right up to the exam or does it stop for the school exams?
- cinnamon_sandal_90588 Sept 2026
  Replying to @cedar_camera_6782
  It depends on the centre. The batch he wants finishes before the IB mocks, which is partly why he's pushing for it now. When we asked what happens in the final month, the first answer was vague; we had to ask twice to get the schedule in writing. I'd ask that early.
jade_ribbon_697 Sept 2026
Mine are two, so I'm nowhere near this. But I did GMAT prep while working full-time and the weekends were what broke first, then sleep. The fact that he's asking for it himself counts for a lot, though.
maple_paper_5557 Sept 2026
my son's in the same year. we decided against weekend coaching and he does one full practice test a month on his own instead. no idea yet if that was the right call. the IA deadlines this term are the real squeeze, more than the EE
sunny_veranda_90277 Sept 2026
Different level: our boy is 10 and doing weekend coaching for the Sainik School entrance. It takes his full Sunday and he is tired on Monday. At 17 he knows himself better, I think he can decide.
maroon_kite_887 Sept 2026
I did JEE coaching on weekends alongside school twenty years ago. I remember the coaching more than I remember school. Not sure that was a good thing.