The
SCAT has been in existence since
1985, when the
John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth started identifying talented youth in the elementary grades using this test – The
School and
College Aptitude Test otherwise called the Scholastic and College Ability Test. The test is now being conducted by
ETS (Educational Testing Service) and is used to benchmark students of a particular grade with students of the same grade as well as grades above them.This test is an above grade level test and requires great preparation.
There are three versions of the SCAT and they are:
- Grade 2-3 Elementary SCAT meant for 3-6 graders and this is the elementary stage.
- Grade 4-5 Intermediate SCAT meant for 6-9 graders and this is the Intermediate stage
- Grade 6 and above which is the advanced stage meant for 9-12 graders.
Why do you need expert tutoring to ace the SCAT?
A comment on level of the test is essential before we go further into this discussion. To be able to perform well in the
SCAT your child / ward will have to be prepared to answer the most difficult questions on the test which will be at a much higher level than they would be currently. There may be chances that your child would have to make a guess of some of the answers. While incorrect answers will not get negative scoring on
SCAT it is imperative that your child has an increased probability of selecting the right answer by the process of eliminating the incorrect one. The skill needed for this is deductive logic and this is a skill that will benefit in many areas of life. An
expert tutor who has been handling and empowering students to take the
SCAT will be able to provide the necessary and sufficient guidance to your child in these areas.
Verbal and Quantitative Ability Tests in SCAT
The
SCAT is also a measure of the
verbal and quantitative ability of students in the age group of
8 and 17 years. This is normally a comparison of performance of students in different classes and also an excellent way of detecting diversity within classes. It is an estimate of a students’ ability and his / her potential in areas related to academic strengths, achievement in the areas of
verbal and numeric capability etc. The
SCAT has the uniqueness of testing the student’s ability to learn rather than their knowledge at a specific grade level. This being the case the student surely needs the additional
tutoring expertise that will enable him to be on par with students at higher academic levels as well as exhibit prowess at greater standards if needed.
What would an expert prepare the student for?
The SCAT has two separate parts – the
verbal, which consists of analogy questions measuring the
students’ vocabulary and the second being the
quantitative measuring his knowledge of basic
numeric operations through comparison of quantities. In the latter case the student needs to make a comparison of
two mathematical quantities and choose the right answer and make the right decision in comparing the quantities. In all areas of the SCAT we see that there is a greater emphasis on insight and ingenuity rather than on traditional questions. The results come in three sections –
verbal,
numeric and a combined score. This tests the student to the greatest extent and the
expert tutor with the ability to guide the student in exactly the manner in which he / she is going to be questioned is a great boon to the parent as well as the student. An
expert tutor can analyse and identify your ability based on your strengths and areas needing improvement and provide you with a customized course that will include
lessons,
practice tests,
worksheets, and full length tests too. Highly qualified expert tutors can help you score better in SCAT with their systematic approach and proven methods.
