SCAT is a standardized assessment that open the doors to gifted programs at Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (JHCTY). If you think your child is gifted and will do better with specialized instructions, you should encourage your child to take the test and become a part of some of the most coveted gifted programs of the country.
Preparing for SCAT
SCAT is a multiple-choice, times that test language and mathematical skills through its verbal section and quantitative section. Both the sections have 55 multiple choice questions and students get 22 minutes per section. Too many questions to be solved in 22 minutes? Don’t worry, it’s doable but yes, SCAT definitely needs some disciplined preparation.
Here are some important tips that result in high scores in SCAT. These tips work for all levels and some of them come straight from the JHCTY.
- Start Early and Put in Consistent Work
SCAT is a standardized test that needs preparation. Especially because it has a huge curriculum divided into verbal and quantitative batteries. The best approach to do well in SCAT is to start prepping for it as soon as the decision to take the exam is taken. Students should avoid last-minute prep and spread the prep across several months to put in consistent practice and yield good results.
- Read a Lot and Read Everything
The verbal section in SCAT tests the English skills through different types of questions. For good performance in this section, students need a lot of reading hours under their belt. They should read books, newspapers, magazines and more. And it is important to read material on different subjects. Students must be aware the usage of words and other writing etiquette from different industries and verticals.
- Learn Time Management
SCAT is a timed test, therefore students have to learn time management, so that they can attempt maximum number of answers in the given time. This tip is very important for younger kids, who do not have a decent understanding of time and may end up spending a lot of time on one question and missing out on other questions that they could have answered correctly. Time management can be best learned with practice. Students must take practice tests/mock tests to improve and optimize their timing.
- Put in Truck Loads of Practice
As already discussed, practice is imminent to getting high scores in SCAT. It improves time management skills tremendously and also improves students’ chances of answering the questions correctly. A lot of practice makes students familiar with different types of questions and gives them the ability to quickly solve a question and find the right answer easily. So, practice should begin from day 1 of prep and the progress should be monitored closely to identify weak areas and put in extra efforts.
- Professional Help
Preparing alone for a standardized test can get daunting given its huge curriculum and sophisticated exam format. Professional help in the form online tutoring can provide students with the right amount of guidance and support needed to ace the test. eTutorWorld offers online tutoring for all levels of SCAT. It has a team of expert tutors who cover the whole curriculum through online, one to one sessions.
And that’s not it, every tutoring session is followed up with a personalized worksheet for practice. Tutors also offer help with the worksheets and clear doubts as and when they arise.
Quick Tips for SCAT Prep
- SCAT does not have negative marking. So, students must attempt all the questions.
- Students should always start with solving the questions they are sure about. Because even though there is no negative marking in SCAT, there is a time limit.
- Questions can be solved faster, if the child is familiar with the type of the question. Therefore, it is important to build a perception through sample test papers.
- Practice is the key to ace SCAT. It improves both the speed and perception. Parents must encourage children to start early and practice a lot.
- Vocabulary is crucial for SCAT. Parents and students must give importance to synonyms, antonyms and idioms.
Conclusion
Preparing and acing SCAT requires a clear understanding of the format of the test, time management and practice. All these 3 factors are tightly connected with each other. That is if you practice a lot, you will automatically improve your understanding of the test format and the timing of individual segments. Similarly, if you work hard on your timing, you will automatically practice more and understand the nuances of different question types.
So, run with these three points and make sure that your practice resources are of good quality. That’s it, you are all set for top score in SCAT.