SAT

The SAT is the most widely used college admissions test in the US and the vast majority of colleges and universities based in America use SAT scores to make admissions decisions. It is one of many tools used to gauge a student’s academic readiness for college, allowing colleges to get to know the candidate better, but it can also be a path to intellectual opportunities, financial support and scholarships.

Brighten’s expert tutors help candidates to ready themselves for both the SAT and SAT Subject Tests, in order to make them as fully prepared as possible for this globally recognised intellectual challenge aimed at illustrating how well a student can apply knowledge. The SAT is usually used alongside other aspects, like extracurricular activities or personal recommendations, when granting admission, although every college utilises a different combination of criteria. Most students take the SAT in the junior or senior year of high school, but many candidates, particularly in Hong Kong, choose to take the test, or at least begin preparation for it, far earlier.

The SAT does not test logical or abstract reasoning skills; it teaches the skills students have been learning throughout their educational careers. The test is divided into Critical Reading (including reading passages and sentence completion), Writing (including a short essay, multiple choice questions that identify errors and improving grammar and usage) and Mathematics (including questions on arithmetic operations, algebra, geometry, statistics, probability). Each part of the test carries a score of 800, meaning a full make is 2400.

The best way to prepare for the SAT is to take challenging subjects at school, study hard and read and write frequently outside the classroom. Brighten tutors aim to help foster these long-term skills, rather than merely attempting to replace them with short-term cramming and exam prep, which can never be as effective or substitute ongoing hard work in school. However, we do aim to make students familiar with the test format and question types via tuition, textbooks and online practice tools. Brighten tutors recommend you start practicing as early as possible in order to get the best results.

SAT Subject Tests are hour-long, content-based tests that showcase your achievements in a specific subject where you excel. They are the only national admissions test where the student can choose the test that best showcases their interests and achievements. They allow students to differentiate themselves in the admissions process, show a readiness to study a specific major or program, and provide a more complete picture of academic backgrounds. There are currently 20 SAT Subject Tests, which can be divided into the five general subject areas of English, History, Languages, Mathematics and Science. Brighten offers professional tuition in the following SAT test aspects and SAT Subject Tests:

SAT Test Preparation

• Critical Reading

• Writing

• Mathematics

• Overall Exam Strategy

SAT Subject Tests

Other subjects could potentially be offered upon request. Please make enquiries with our centre.