AMERICAN EDUCATION SERIES
THESE FOUR THINGS WILL HELP YOU SCORE VERY HIGH MARKS IN THE SAT EXAM.
The SAT used to be known as Scholastic Aptitude Test. But now, after several reviews, it is defined as Scholastic Achievement Test.
These words, aptitude and achievement, have a lot to say about the nature of the exam and how to do very excellently in it.
In my previous write-ups I have talked about the importance of the SAT (and also the ACT) to higher education in America. Now I'm going to talk about the four core things that the examiners test for using the SAT. I'll then talk about how students/candidates taking the exam can drastically boost their SAT scores with the knowledge of these things.
These score-boosting factors are knowledge, aptitude, smartness and carefulness.
1.) KNOWLEDGE - Before now the test was basically an aptitude or IQ test. It tested how well the candidates can think and solve problems.
However, it has now gone beyond that. Researchers, over the years, have found out that success in school and in life depends on one's knowledge as much as it does on one's aptitude.
Knowledge, in this case, is the amount of academic content you have in your 'head' and that you have 'access' to when the need arises. In other words, you don't really know something if you can't remember it when you need to.
So SAT, like most other achievement tests examines your ability to recollect what you have learnt.
I'll talk more about knowledge, learning and high SAT score later on. For now let's move on to the second thing that the test examines.
2.) APTITUDE - A student's ability to reason and analyse correctly and comprehensively goes a very long way in determining his level of success in his endeavours in life. Reasoning or analytical prowess is to some extent natural. In fact, some psychologists believe that it's wholly natural. But people like me hold that just like all other 'habits', high IQ can be learnt or cultivated. The key is the right and adequate practise.
American educators believe that their students should have more than average analytical ability (IQ). Most of the achievement of man in Science, Technology, Art and so on is due largely to high level of analysis and reasoning. In other words, creativity is a function of reasoning/analysis.
Many SAT English and Mathematics questions test the candidates' ability to analyse in conjunction with testing their knowledge. Enough of this for now. Let's see why many students that are very brilliant and knowledgeable fail to score high in the SAT and ACT exams.
3.) SMARTNESS - There are some students that have learnt a lot, can remember most of what they have learnt and have high IQ, but they continually score below 1350/1600 or not up to the minimum score required by the colleges or universities of their choice.
The reason for this?
They ain't smart enough. This is the most likely reason for most brilliant students' failure in the test.
In the Redesigned SAT, a candidate has 65 minutes to read five Reading Test passages and to answer 52 high level questions. He has 35 minutes to read, proofread and edit four Writing Test passages and to answer 44 proofreading and editing questions. He has 80 minutes to answer 58 somewhat simple but analysis-based Mathematics uestions.
A student that is not very well prepared will not have enough time to correctly work through all the questions.
Over the years, as I prepared students for the SAT (and ACT), I have come across many students that scored very high marks in typical(past) SAT tests when allowed 'to have all the time to themselves'. But when tined they hardly scored up to 1300/1600. They weren't smart enough even though they were highly knowledgeable and analytical (that is, they had high IQ).
The way out?
EXTREMELY HIGH PRACTISE SESSION.
With our system of SAT prep, we helped many of those students to score high in the test. At the Be-Noble Home School we continue to use effective, regular and supervised test practices and revision to help our students score high marks and to help quite a number of them aim for the PERFECT SCORE, 1600/1600.
Finally, let me tell you about yet another reason why intelligent and knowledgeable students sometimes score low marks in the SAT.
4.) CAREFULNESS - In a bid to work fast, that is, to be smart in the SAT test room, some students make several avoidable mistakes. They misunderstand the passages, misinterpret questions, make wrong or partial calculations, misuse formulae and worse enough shade the wrong option even after they might have gotten the correct one. For example, a student that has done his calculations correctly gets option (A) but because he is too much in a hurry, he carelessly shades the space for option (B) in the answer sheet. Anxiety is another reason for carelessness.
A good tutor, a willing mind that is very ready to learn and an EXTREMELY HIGH LEVEL PRACTISE are the time-tested solutions to these problems that stand in the way of students taking the SAT and/or ACT scoring high marks.
At the Be-Noble Home School, Lagos, we know what it takes to adequately prepare students for very high scores/grades in various examinations including but not limited to the SAT. For enquiries and patronage, call Teacher Femi(DePfof) on 08168974531, 08093162871.
Thank you.
THESE FOUR THINGS WILL HELP YOU SCORE VERY HIGH MARKS IN THE SAT EXAM.
The SAT used to be known as Scholastic Aptitude Test. But now, after several reviews, it is defined as Scholastic Achievement Test.
These words, aptitude and achievement, have a lot to say about the nature of the exam and how to do very excellently in it.
In my previous write-ups I have talked about the importance of the SAT (and also the ACT) to higher education in America. Now I'm going to talk about the four core things that the examiners test for using the SAT. I'll then talk about how students/candidates taking the exam can drastically boost their SAT scores with the knowledge of these things.
These score-boosting factors are knowledge, aptitude, smartness and carefulness.
1.) KNOWLEDGE - Before now the test was basically an aptitude or IQ test. It tested how well the candidates can think and solve problems.
However, it has now gone beyond that. Researchers, over the years, have found out that success in school and in life depends on one's knowledge as much as it does on one's aptitude.
Knowledge, in this case, is the amount of academic content you have in your 'head' and that you have 'access' to when the need arises. In other words, you don't really know something if you can't remember it when you need to.
So SAT, like most other achievement tests examines your ability to recollect what you have learnt.
I'll talk more about knowledge, learning and high SAT score later on. For now let's move on to the second thing that the test examines.
2.) APTITUDE - A student's ability to reason and analyse correctly and comprehensively goes a very long way in determining his level of success in his endeavours in life. Reasoning or analytical prowess is to some extent natural. In fact, some psychologists believe that it's wholly natural. But people like me hold that just like all other 'habits', high IQ can be learnt or cultivated. The key is the right and adequate practise.
American educators believe that their students should have more than average analytical ability (IQ). Most of the achievement of man in Science, Technology, Art and so on is due largely to high level of analysis and reasoning. In other words, creativity is a function of reasoning/analysis.
Many SAT English and Mathematics questions test the candidates' ability to analyse in conjunction with testing their knowledge. Enough of this for now. Let's see why many students that are very brilliant and knowledgeable fail to score high in the SAT and ACT exams.
3.) SMARTNESS - There are some students that have learnt a lot, can remember most of what they have learnt and have high IQ, but they continually score below 1350/1600 or not up to the minimum score required by the colleges or universities of their choice.
The reason for this?
They ain't smart enough. This is the most likely reason for most brilliant students' failure in the test.
In the Redesigned SAT, a candidate has 65 minutes to read five Reading Test passages and to answer 52 high level questions. He has 35 minutes to read, proofread and edit four Writing Test passages and to answer 44 proofreading and editing questions. He has 80 minutes to answer 58 somewhat simple but analysis-based Mathematics uestions.
A student that is not very well prepared will not have enough time to correctly work through all the questions.
Over the years, as I prepared students for the SAT (and ACT), I have come across many students that scored very high marks in typical(past) SAT tests when allowed 'to have all the time to themselves'. But when tined they hardly scored up to 1300/1600. They weren't smart enough even though they were highly knowledgeable and analytical (that is, they had high IQ).
The way out?
EXTREMELY HIGH PRACTISE SESSION.
With our system of SAT prep, we helped many of those students to score high in the test. At the Be-Noble Home School we continue to use effective, regular and supervised test practices and revision to help our students score high marks and to help quite a number of them aim for the PERFECT SCORE, 1600/1600.
Finally, let me tell you about yet another reason why intelligent and knowledgeable students sometimes score low marks in the SAT.
4.) CAREFULNESS - In a bid to work fast, that is, to be smart in the SAT test room, some students make several avoidable mistakes. They misunderstand the passages, misinterpret questions, make wrong or partial calculations, misuse formulae and worse enough shade the wrong option even after they might have gotten the correct one. For example, a student that has done his calculations correctly gets option (A) but because he is too much in a hurry, he carelessly shades the space for option (B) in the answer sheet. Anxiety is another reason for carelessness.
A good tutor, a willing mind that is very ready to learn and an EXTREMELY HIGH LEVEL PRACTISE are the time-tested solutions to these problems that stand in the way of students taking the SAT and/or ACT scoring high marks.
At the Be-Noble Home School, Lagos, we know what it takes to adequately prepare students for very high scores/grades in various examinations including but not limited to the SAT. For enquiries and patronage, call Teacher Femi(DePfof) on 08168974531, 08093162871.
Thank you.
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