Tuesday 20 September 2016

What is SAT?

SAT is the global entrance exam for the Under-graduate studies abroad. For any student who aspires to study abroad, SAT is an exam which is important and inevitable. The universities will give considerable weightage to the SAT score in the selection process.
While it is optional for some Universities in the UKAustralia and Singapore, it is compulsory for theUniversities in the USA and the best universities in the UK, Australia and Singapore.

About the New SAT Test 2016

The new SAT test is for a total of 1600 marks- 2 sections of math for 800 marks, 1 section of Evidence-based Reading and 1 section of Writing (grammar based), together for 800 marks. As against the old Sat math, the math in the new Sat is relatively denser and focuses on many areas in heart of Algebra such as Functions and transformations, topics which were not there in the earlier SAT. However, the good news is that the students need not work on tedious vocabulary. The negative marking for wrong answers has also been removed. So, the students can attempt all the questions without any apprehension, whether they are sure about the answer or not!
The SAT exams happen six times a year for the Indian students. The SAT scores are valid for two years. While the Old SAT permitted Calculators for the entire math sections, the new Sat restricts the usage of calculators for one section and allows for the second Math section. Between February and April, no SAT tests are conducted in India.

How to prepare for New SAT 2016?

Given the number of topics in math and the focus on grammar and Reading long passages, the students have to prepare systematically, topic by topic and also do timed practice. Hence SAT warrants a sustained preparation and a sincere practice. At Clear Perceptions, we focus not only on the concepts but also on sectional tests and a series of 8 full length papers to fine-tune the children for the SAT. This is a must, as the papers are very long and the test series helps them get used to that level of physical and mental stress.

What is PSAT?

PSAT is yet another test conducted by the College Board. Preliminary SAT is to be taken through the school and a student will be able to register on his own. This test is a miniature version of the SAT and is for a total of 1520 marks for the same topics as in SAT. Generally, students from Standard VIII to Standard X take up PSAT. Taking PSAT helps the students get a feedback on their strengths and weaknesses on skills required for college study. The exam happens in the month of October every year.Clear Perceptions prepares students for PSAT. Classes will be in small batches and after teaching all the individual topics, full length paper practice will be given.
You may also visit www.collegeboard.com for further details

Why take SAT? You should take SAT. Importance of SAT Exam


The SAT is one of two admissions tests (the ACT being the other), often required for admission to US universities.
The SAT is a standardized test required by many US colleges and universities as part of their admission process. The score a student gets on the SAT is often used as a predictor of how a student is likely to perform in college-level studies.
In its present form it consists of two different examinations:
 The SAT Reasoning Test (formerly SAT I).
The SAT Subject Tests (formerly SAT II)
Some institutions require only one of these tests, some require both.
The SAT Reasoning Test is a three hour and forty-five minute test comprised of three sections: Critical Reading, Math, and Writing.
The test is designed to measure critical thinking and analytical skills. It is offered several times per year at numerous sites throughout the UK
Most US universities will not specify which Subject Tests you should take. Clear Perceptionsrecommends students to take the Subject Tests they are likely to do well on. Generally, students take subjects that correspond to their A-levels or GCSEs.
There are three sections on the SAT, and each one ranges from 200-800 points. The overall SAT score range is from 600 to 2400, with 2400 being the highest possible score.
After you take your SAT, your scores will be available to view online within 17-20 days depending on the test date.
Standardized tests are important when applying to American colleges and universities, but do not play the same decisive role in admission as they do in India.
Admissions to American institutions of higher education are not based solely on a student’s performance on a single set of exams. The results of several standardized tests — the ACT or SAT, and SAT subject tests — are only a part of the evaluation of all students applying to American colleges, one element in a wide array of requirements, including letters of recommendation, essays, school reports and extracurricular activities.
Students should sit for the full gamut of tests — taking either the SAT or ACT and subject tests — to have maximum options available when applying.
Contact Us if you need any assistance or Drop in at our Vile Parle West, Mumbai office.

How to Choose between Taking SAT or ACT? What is the Difference?

What is the Difference SAT and ACT?

This is a decision bothering many prospective undergrad students seeking to study in USA

With changes in SAT effective May 2016 in India, when the first batch of applicants will write the NewSAT, we find that there is a lot of confusion whether to take the New SAT or the ACT .
Hitherto, Indian students seeking to study in USA preferred to take SAT. But with the changes introduced by College Board, we find that many students are anxious about the difficulty levels in the New SAT and prefer to take the time-tested ACT.
Our study at Clear Perception indicates that while the difficulty level in New SAT, especially in the Math section is slightly higher, test takers find the ACT paper longer. For a student who finds Math a challenge, New SAT will be tougher as compared to ACT. However, the ACT paper has more number of questions to be answered in roughly the same time as the New SAT.

Besides, ACT has a science section. However, this need not necessarily deter the students who have dropped these subjects in their high school (class 11 and 12) as the science section has passages and tabular information or graphs from science. The questions are based on these passages. Thus, if the test taker is familiar with the terminology used (most of them would be as science subjects are mandatory in secondary school (up to class 10) the science section need not be scary.
However, at Clear Perceptions we have a scientific way of determining your preference. We administer a small test (aptitude test) which helps you discover your liking and ability for either SAT or ACT.
For further information regarding this please contact the phone no. provided in the homepage.
Author
Amar Mainkar
Head of Counselling – Clear Perceptions