B"H
Jewish International Schools of Cape Town
CAPE TOWN
TORAH HIGH
WHY WRITE THE PSAT OR SAT?
Why Write the PSAT?
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For many students, the PSAT represents the first chance to take a test similar to the SAT under official, timed conditions. As a result, PSAT scores can give students a good indication of how they might score on the SAT if they were to take the test with no additional practice or preparation.
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This information tends to be particularly useful for students who take the PSAT during their Grade 10/11 year. Having baseline scores well in advance can help students and parents get a sense of the level of preparation needed for students to achieve the scores that will make them competitive candidates at the schools they want to attend. That said, students shouldn’t rely on the PSAT alone; ideally, they should take an already-released SAT under timed conditions (though not at an actual testing center) to assess their baseline scores and determine which test is the better fit. (This would happen in the preparation for writing the SAT)
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The simple experience of taking the PSAT under timed conditions with a proctor and other students in the room is also invaluable preparation for the real test; even proctored tests offered by test-preparation companies don’t have the same feel as an official test administered in an official environment. In short, the PSAT gives the students a chance to experience real testing conditions, but without the same high stakes as the SAT. This way, they can be prepared for what to expect when they take those tests a few months later.
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Why Write the SAT?
The SAT is one of the most widely used college admissions test, and has held this distinction for the past seven decades. Virtually all colleges and universities in the US accept the SAT as an entrance test and it is taken by over 2 million US students, and hundreds of thousands worldwide, every year.
The SAT is included as part of the CTTH matric process, along with their UNHS High School Diploma/Senior Certificate, our students write the SAT. Once completed these two reports are sent to USAF where they are converted by the Matriculation Board into a Matric with Exemption or Bachelor’s Pass. (The Bachelor’s Pass is dependent on the student having scored a sub-minimum score on their SAT).
Students who are not at CTTH wishing to take the SAT normally do so because they plan to complete their Tertiary studies in the US or Israel or alternatively would like to add the SAT Score Report to their portfolio of scores.