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Each year, students all over the country take the SAT as part of college
entrance. Many receive scores substantially lower than desired or
expected, indicating they struggled with the test. Parents and students
often wonder what a reasonable score is. Students should strive for
a minimum of 500 in each subject - Writing, Critical Reading, and
Math - resulting in a combined score of 1,500. Less than 500 in a
subject means the student answered in correctly half of the questions.
Preparing for the SAT is very similar to preparing for a sporting
event. In sports, the coach helps identify strengths and weakness,
and encourages the athlete to constantly improve through repetition,
critique, and focus. Athletes perform in the game the same actions
they have been practicing. SAT preparation is no different. Students
must identify weaknesses and then strengthen those weaknesses
through repetition, critique, and focus. Students then perform during
the test the same actions they’ve been practicing.
In order to be prepared for the SAT, students must master key funda-
mentals in reading, writing, and math. Many of these fundamentals
are covered prior to high school, which means students can forget
them. In a timed environment, students cannot afford to figure out
fundamentals while taking the test. They will either take too long
to arrive at an answer or answer incorrectly. SAT Writing requires
grammar mastery. Unfortunately, students learn incorrect grammar
by listening to others speak. SAT Critical Reading requires a strong
vocabulary and techniques on how to properly pick out important
pieces of passages. SAT Math requires solid knowledge of arithmetic,
algebra, geometry, probability, statistics, and data analysis.
Many techniques students learn for completing homework assign-
ments are inefficient for standardized multiple-choice tests. The
step-by-step process they use causes them to run out of time. To
overcome this drawback, students need training on techniques for
efficient and effective problem solving. They must practice these
techniques on every type of problem they may see on the SAT.
Although practice tests are great, such test often do not cover every
possible topic. They then provide students a false sense of readiness.
Students need a systematic program that lays down fundamentals,
provides practice, and reinforces all types of questions they may
see, and holds them accountable to performing the work necessary
to become fully prepared.
Why do Students Struggle on the SAT?
by Chris Millett, MS
Pearland resident Chris Millett taught Computer
Science at Morehouse and Spelman Colleges.
He is currently the founder, President and CEO
of the Science, Math, and Technology Center of
Excellence (SMATCOE). You can contact Chris
at 281-529-6241 or via www.smatcoe.com.
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