Essay preparation.

Firing them at you thick and fast. How long would you set aside for dedicated essay preparation (using probably only your book and focusing on writing extensively) ?

I am planning on writing the Oct 3rd SAT, and had set aside ten days two weeks immediately before the test date to focus solely on the essay (probably some revision as well).

Would you cut this a little differently ?

10 days is probably enough for the essay, but on the actual SAT, you’ll need to change gears quickly between reading, writing, and math, so I always recommend prepping for all three at the same time—one day of CR and M, one day of W and CR, one day of M and W, etc. The danger in spending so much time in the last 2 weeks on only one thing is that you allow your other skills to atrophy a bit. Try to make a study plan that will allow you to keep prepping for the whole test in those last 2 weeks.