SAT FAQ
1) What’s the purpose?
-American universities want to ensure students who enroll have the competence and intellect to handle the coursework. The SAT is an index that measures a student’s abilities in English, critical thinking, cultural and historical knowledge, and math. Broadly speaking, it’s a form of IQ test.
2) Why don’t Canadian universities require the SAT?
-Educational standards vary from state to state in the U.S. With 50 states, American educational standards vary in the extreme. There are marked social disparities in the U.S. as well. As such, two Grade-12 graduates from different states may possess very disparate educational competencies. The SAT is a way to ensure a minimum competence for university. In Canada, with 13 jurisdictions (10 provinces and 3 territories), educational standards fluctuate less than in the U.S., so most universities in Canada accept provincial graduation standards. Still, some Canadian universities will accept SAT scores as part of their application requirements.
3) What score equals a “pass”?
-There is no pass or fail; different universities require a different index overall. Harvard requires a score of 1580 just to apply. Washington State University requires between 1020-1260 to apply.
4) What’s the top score possible?
-800 in math and 800 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing - so a total of 1600 overall.
5) How can Potts Education Studio help?
-Our studio has a long history of helping students achieve superior SAT scores; in the summer (and during some holiday seasons), we host intensive SAT classes that deal with Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, which entail vocabulary, reading comprehension, history, science, culture, grammar, and literature. Our intensive classes do not include math training (for the time being). During the regular school year (Sep - June), we provide one-on-one tutoring for SAT - both math and English.
6) What do you teach?
-Group classes: Each day focuses on a different aspect of SAT; one day is for literature, two for sciences, one for history and culture, and one for grammar. Each day incorporates vocabulary as well.
-One-on-one: After giving the student an assessment, we discover a student’s strengths and weaknesses and then take a dual approach: first, we teach content the student is missing (knowledge) and also teach skills the student requires (vocabulary, grammar, etc.)
7) How fast can my child learn?
-That depends on many factors including the child’s background knowledge, their commitment, the home environment, time management, and how many hours in total he or she can spend on it.
8) When should my child start?
-The SAT should be completed before applying to university in the student’s Grade 12 year. Most students start in Grade 9 or 10. The earliest a student should start is around Grade 8; a latest a student should start is Grade 11, but it’s risky to start at such a late age.
-American universities want to ensure students who enroll have the competence and intellect to handle the coursework. The SAT is an index that measures a student’s abilities in English, critical thinking, cultural and historical knowledge, and math. Broadly speaking, it’s a form of IQ test.
2) Why don’t Canadian universities require the SAT?
-Educational standards vary from state to state in the U.S. With 50 states, American educational standards vary in the extreme. There are marked social disparities in the U.S. as well. As such, two Grade-12 graduates from different states may possess very disparate educational competencies. The SAT is a way to ensure a minimum competence for university. In Canada, with 13 jurisdictions (10 provinces and 3 territories), educational standards fluctuate less than in the U.S., so most universities in Canada accept provincial graduation standards. Still, some Canadian universities will accept SAT scores as part of their application requirements.
3) What score equals a “pass”?
-There is no pass or fail; different universities require a different index overall. Harvard requires a score of 1580 just to apply. Washington State University requires between 1020-1260 to apply.
4) What’s the top score possible?
-800 in math and 800 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing - so a total of 1600 overall.
5) How can Potts Education Studio help?
-Our studio has a long history of helping students achieve superior SAT scores; in the summer (and during some holiday seasons), we host intensive SAT classes that deal with Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, which entail vocabulary, reading comprehension, history, science, culture, grammar, and literature. Our intensive classes do not include math training (for the time being). During the regular school year (Sep - June), we provide one-on-one tutoring for SAT - both math and English.
6) What do you teach?
-Group classes: Each day focuses on a different aspect of SAT; one day is for literature, two for sciences, one for history and culture, and one for grammar. Each day incorporates vocabulary as well.
-One-on-one: After giving the student an assessment, we discover a student’s strengths and weaknesses and then take a dual approach: first, we teach content the student is missing (knowledge) and also teach skills the student requires (vocabulary, grammar, etc.)
7) How fast can my child learn?
-That depends on many factors including the child’s background knowledge, their commitment, the home environment, time management, and how many hours in total he or she can spend on it.
8) When should my child start?
-The SAT should be completed before applying to university in the student’s Grade 12 year. Most students start in Grade 9 or 10. The earliest a student should start is around Grade 8; a latest a student should start is Grade 11, but it’s risky to start at such a late age.