Before rehearsals begin, conductors need to thoroughly study the score. What elements go into a comprehensive score preparation? To learn music scores efficiently, having a detailed and systematic study method helps. The author has developed a score preparation guide that works for directors of bands, choruses, and orchestras, even when there's only a week to prepare. The guide itself, available online in a printable PDF version at menc.org/resources/view/teaching-music-current-bonus-content, lists the components of learning a score and covers analyses that are essential to rehearsal preparation. It also helps meet local, state, and national standards for music education in performance-class instruction. This article outlines what's in the guide and how to use it, with a few additional pointers.