Every date that matters ✨

The Calendar

Every deadline, test, and milestone on the road from sophomore year to sworn-in Florida attorney — in the order they happen.

Test Money / deadline School step Law & bar KEY can't-miss

Every year — recurring deadlines ♻️

Three deadlines come back on the same date every year. Put them in the phone now as repeating reminders.

  • Oct 1 — FAFSA opens. File as early as possible each year for the federal Pell Grant (stacks on top of Bright Futures).
  • Mid-October — PSAT/NMSQT. Offered once a year at school; register in September. Only junior year counts for National Merit.
  • Aug 31 (senior year) — FFAA deadline. The Florida Financial Aid Application must be in to claim Bright Futures. Miss it and the scholarship is gone.

2026–27 · Sophomore year

Foundation year 🌱

  1. This week

    Meet the school counselor

    Nail down dual-enrollment GPA/test requirements, PSAT signup, and service-hour options. Start a service-hours log the same day (goal: 100 total; ~35–40 this year).

  2. Oct 2026

    PSAT/NMSQT — practice run KEY

    Doesn't count for National Merit as a sophomore, but it's the best possible rehearsal for the junior-year one that does. Register mid-October.

  3. Nov–Dec 2026

    Lock in first-semester grades

    Clear a 3.0 unweighted — the dual-enrollment gate. PSAT score returns ~December; note weak sections.

  4. Jan–Feb 2027

    Confirm requirements + schedule the PERT

    Book the free PERT placement test; plan a junior schedule that starts dual enrollment at the College of Central Florida.

  5. Mar–May 2027

    Take the PERT, submit the dual-enrollment application KEY

    Apply for summer or fall. Watch deadlines — summer often closes ~May, fall ~August.

  6. Summer 2027

    First free college class (optional)

    One gen-ed over summer builds momentum. Keep logging service hours.

2027–28 · Junior year

The big one 🚀

  1. Fall 2027

    Dual enrollment starts for real

    Stack real college credit — free — toward an AA. Protect a near-perfect GPA; it drives every scholarship ahead.

  2. Oct 2027

    PSAT/NMSQT — the one that counts KEY

    Highest-leverage morning in the whole plan. A qualifying score → National Merit → the Benacquisto full ride. Prep harder than anything else.

  3. Dec 2027

    Junior PSAT score returns

    Compare against the year's National Merit cutoff to gauge Semifinalist odds.

  4. Spring 2028

    Keep AA credits + service hours on track

    Aim past 60 credits toward ~90. Confirm Bright Futures requirements (GPA, test score, 75–100 service hrs).

2028–29 · Senior year

Lock the money 🔐

  1. Sep 2028

    National Merit Semifinalist notices

    ~16,000 Semifinalists announced each September. If named, complete the Finalist application right away.

  2. Oct 1 2028

    File the FAFSA (first day) KEY

    Earliest filing = best shot at the full Pell Grant. Do it the week it opens.

  3. Fall 2028

    Apply to Florida universities / 3+3 tracks

    Target UF (live-at-home) and FSU/FIU/Stetson 3+3 partners. Enter with junior/senior standing thanks to banked credit.

  4. Feb 2029

    National Merit Finalist status

    Finalists confirmed ~February. Becoming a Merit Scholar is what unlocks Benacquisto.

  5. By May 1 2029

    Name the Florida school FIRST CHOICE with NMSC KEY

    Irreversible once mailed — and required for the Benacquisto full ride. Miss this and the biggest award is off the table.

  6. By Aug 31 2029

    Submit the FFAA for Bright Futures KEY

    Hard deadline the summer after graduation. This is how the scholarship actually gets claimed.

Undergrad · ~2029–2032

College & the LSAT 🎓

  1. Yr 1–2

    Enter with junior standing; keep the GPA near-perfect

    With an AA banked, only ~1–2 years remain before law school. Bright Futures or Benacquisto covers it.

  2. Any admin

    Take the LSAT when truly ready KEY

    LSAC offers it ~9× a year (Jan, Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov). Score + GPA = a full-tuition law scholarship. Use free LawHub prep. Don't rush a weak score.

  3. Senior yr

    3+3: law school's 1L = undergrad senior year

    Enter a 3+3 program and the first year of law school doubles as the last year of college — a whole year saved.

At a glance

Month by month 🗓️

The pivotal months with exact-date deadlines, drawn as real calendars. Highlighted days are can't-miss.

PSAT days are the College Board primary-date estimate for that year; the money deadlines (FAFSA Oct 1, NMSC first-choice ~May 1, FFAA Aug 31) are fixed. Confirm the exact PSAT date with the school each fall.

Law school & licensing · ~2032–2035

Law, the bar & the oath ⚖️

  1. As a 1L

    Register early with the Florida Board of Bar Examiners KEY

    Early student registration is far cheaper (~$100 now vs ~$600 later). Do it the moment you're eligible.

  2. Mar/Aug/Nov

    Take the MPRE (ethics exam)

    Offered three times a year. A separate multiple-choice legal-ethics test, required for admission. ~$185.

  3. Feb or Jul

    Sit the Florida Bar Exam KEY

    Given the last week of February and July. From July 2028 on it's the NCBE NextGen format (+ a Florida-law component) — prep for NextGen, not the old MBE.

  4. ~6–8 wks later

    Results, then sworn in

    Pass, get admitted, take the oath — licensed Florida attorney. 🎉