A
certain prep school in town conducts lessons
that run from morning to evening. Why isn't
Studyworks' course structured that way?
A:
We
are in no position to comment on the efficacy
of other prep courses and how they structure
they lessons. Although our teachers have Masters
in Education, it just takes conventional wisdom
to know that the 'packing it in' style of teaching
in any setting for any subject is not the correct
and acceptable way to learn. Many parents and
students mistakenly believe that if they attend
a course that makes them take tests every day
and pack in the hours, they will do well for
the SAT. While we acknowledge that putting in
the hours is a necessary ingredient for success,
different students do learn differently. The
"packing it in" style may not be what
most students are used to.
My
child's school counsellor said it's not necessary
to go for SAT prep courses. Is this true?
A:
Many
high school counsellors discourage students
from taking SAT prep courses as they believe
that students should already possess the necessary
knowledge required to do well for the SAT. It
is true that students in high school will have
the necessary knowledge from their school curriculum
to meet the requirements of the test. However,
to do well on the test would require test taking
skills specific to the SAT. Doing well on the
SAT requires consistent application of good
test taking strategies and practice, as well
as a thorough review of the concepts needed
for the test. We teach all of these here at
Studyworks.
A
certain prep group is conducting SAT courses
in my child's school. How is Studyworks' course
different?
A:
Our
success in getting students to achieve their
highest potential score speaks for itself. Studyworks'
students come mainly through word-of-mouth.
The main difference is that our teachers are
full-time teachers here in Studyworks. Our teachers
do not hold full-time jobs somewhere else and
then come teach the SAT on weekends or at night.
Our teachers are fully committed to the students'
learning and are constantly in touch with the
SAT, not just on weekends or nights.
We also offer students more attention and help
than what they would get in the school-conducted
setting. In fact, many students come to us after
they have attended the school-conducted courses
as they know they can learn more from Studyworks.
Indeed, from post-course evaluations, many students
do say that Studyworks offers better quality
teachers, better quality teaching, better course
materials and most important of all, better
real score improvements than what they have
received from attending the SAT course in school.
Is
it true that taking a Studyworks course will
definitely raise my SAT score?
A:
Unlike
other companies who prefer to put their money
into advertising, we use our excess funds for
researching and refining better techniques and
strategies to help you with your SAT. Our strategies
work. They have been proven by so many of our
students worldwide. However, as with all new
skills and knowledge you acquire, diligence
and determination on the part of the student
are also necessary ingredients for success.
Please do not assume that just signing up and
coming for a course will automatically increase
your score. You have to put in the hard work
and must be willing to apply our strategies.
I
am currently 14 years old. Is it too early to
take the SAT course?
A:
We
have coached students as young as 14 years old
before. You are not too young for the SAT 1.
Generally, at this young age, you will need
to have the maturity to be self-motivated and
to have the concentration to sit through the
lessons. You will need to do lots of self-study
to brush up on your vocabulary as well as some
mathematical concepts if you expect to do well
at this age.
My
aim is to enter a reasonably good college in
America. What is a reasonably good SAT score?
A:
A
reasonably good SAT 1 score would be in the
range of 2000 to 2300. However, students should
take note that most college admissions officers
will often take into consideration other factors
as well. A good SAT 1 score does not make a
guaranteed, automatic entry into a top university.
Your high school GPA, participation in sports/activities
and teachers' recommendations are important
factors as well.
Do
I need the SAT if I am applying to NUS, NTU
or SMU?
A:
If
you intend to apply to NUS or NTU for your undergraduate
studies, there is no need to take the
SAT 1. Students with weak GCE 'A' level results
may wish to augment their current qualifications
by taking the SAT 1 to make their application
stronger. This is true for some students applying
to the SMU.
Generally,
our SAT 1 classes are kept small. Our maximum
class size is 16 students, but you will usually
find yourself in a class of less than 10 students.
The reason is because we believe that keeping
the class size small allows our instructors
to interact with and track each student's progress
better. This has worked for us, judging from
the number of students who have done well for
their SAT 1 after taking our course.
At
Studyworks, we only hire teachers with a minimum
qualification of a university degree. However,
not all teachers who apply with a university
degree get hired by us. Our hiring policy is
so stringent that only the best teachers end
up in front of a class at Studyworks. All teachers
must complete a training program and demonstrate
their ability to teach before we let them take
on an actual SAT 1 class. Our senior instructors
have a minimum of a Masters degree.
Why
is Studyworks' course fee slightly higher when
compared to some other prep schools?
A:
Education
is an investment. Unlike other companies, we
do not resort to gimmicks such as "limited-time
offers" to attract students. Our students
know we are better and come to us because of
the quality we provide and because they know
they will genuinely benefit from a course with
us. Be wary of companies that offer the "lowest"
or "fee reduction for a limited time"
type offers. You pay for what you get and, as
the saying goes, "if you pay peanuts, you
get monkeys".
I
heard from my friends that you offer discounts
if I sign up for the course with a friend. Is
this true?
A:
We
generally offer a 5 to 10% discount for students
who sign up with their friends. That means,
if you have a friend who wants to take the course
at the same time as you do, you can both get
a discount by coming to us together. The minimum
number to form a group is 2.
The
easiest way is to go online to http://www.collegeboard.com.
You'll need a credit card (ask your parents'
permission first) to register online. It's a
simple process, just follow the steps and instructions
on the computer screen. If you go to a test
prep center, please note that they should not
charge you for registering for the SAT. Registering
for your test and registering for a prep course
are two different things. We recommend signing
up online as it is the easiest and fastest method
to book your SAT test.
Note:
This guarantee is only applicable to students
taking our full SAT 1 preparation course
at our center and have full
attendance* throughout the course. This
guarantee does not apply to students who have
not taken an actual SAT test prior to a Studyworks
course. Please read the terms and conditions
below carefully. Money
Back Policy - Terms and Conditions
Terms and Conditions in
Singapore may vary from our USA office. Please go to http://www.studyworks.com
if you live in America.
Here's how the Studyworks (Singapore) guarantee
works.
1) You must have taken an official SAT exam
before joining the Studyworks SAT 1
Preparation Course.
2) You must show us the official test report
showing your scores for both the Verbal and
Math sections. Test reports must not be
more than 2 years old.
3) You must register for a Studyworks course
and have paid the course fee in full.
3) You must come for all your
Studyworks classes at the regularly scheduled
times. If you miss a class or some classes,
be sure to have a Medical Certificate (MC)
from your doctor to justify your absence.*
4) After the course, you must take the
next available official SAT exam.
If
you fail to obtain the score we guaranteed
(based on the previous official test score
you submitted to us) on that exam, you must
then complete a full Studyworks course again
at no charge.
5) Upon completing the Studyworks course a
second time, you will have to register to
take the exam again at the next available
date. If the your score does not improve after
this second exam, the full course fee
will be refunded. If your score improves,
but not by the amount we guaranteed, a point-based
refund, calculated based on how many points
you miss from the guaranteed score will be
refunded.
We
guarantee that you will improve by the following
points based on your previous official SAT
exam score:
Total
Combined SAT 1 Score before taking
Studyworks' course
Guaranteed Improvement
less than 1400
at least 200 points
between 1410 to
1600
at least 150 points
more than 1610
points
at least 100 points
We
expect you to improve by the points we guaranteed.
If you don't you'll get a point-based refund.
With anybody else, if your score goes up by
even one point, you'll lose everything.
Point-Based
Refund If, after taking the course a second time
around, and then sitting for the test again,
and your score improves, but not by the points
we guaranteed, you will be eligible for a
point-based refund based on the number of
points you missed. This is after you have
completed a full cycle of Studyworks course
again and have taken the official SAT exam
again. We will give you a refund of S$10.00
for every 20 points short of the target improvement.
Full
Refund If, after taking the course a second time
around and then sitting for the test again
and your score becomes lower than or the same
as when you first came to Studyworks based
on official SAT results, then you will be
eligible for a full refund of the course fee.
*
Full Attendance
Full attendance means that students have to
come for all classes at the appointed class
times. If the student is unable to make it
to any lessons, a letter from the doctor is
required. Other valid reasons for absence
may be school activities, and overseas trips.
In all cases, students may be asked to show
proof of their absence. Only students with
valid reasons will be allowed to schedule
make-up lessons with our teachers. For students
without valid reasons, they must wait for
the next available regularly scheduled class
for the topic(s) they missed.