A Parents’ Guide to SAT Exams

SAT Exams are something all young children will have to take, and they’re a good measure of how your child is doing and how they will handle the jump to big school. They are also used for students heading to the States to enter universities or schools over the pond. 

Over the course of a child’s time in school their curriculum will guide them through to these key exams, which will help your child plan for the future. For parents, however, there are a few things to keep in mind. Here is our guide to SAT Exams to help you understand.

What SAT Exams are used for

SAT Exams are mainly used to measure how your child is performing in school and what they can do to improve. In the UK children will take their first SAT exams in year 2. It’s helpful for teachers to work out what level your child is at in their studies and how they can improve over the next 4 years.

At the end of year 6 your child will be heading to high school. With those SAT Exam results, teachers can allocate where best to place your child when they head to their new school. In the US this follows a similar process, in that SAT Exams will test a student’s readiness for the jump to college or university.

Scores in SAT Exams

You may be wondering, how is the SAT scored? The SAT scoring system is a little complicated for those taking the US version. They are scored out of 1600, which sounds like a lot of points, but it’s divided into the respective subjects.

A good score is considered between 600 – 800 points per subject. Add that together and you’re near the 1600 mark already. Children are not marked down for making a mistake in their exam and points are calculated at the end.

What are the subjects?

The subjects are not like GCSEs in the UK, or final exams in the US. These are merely down to a student’s writing and reading ability, and their maths skills. In some schools they will also be tested on their science knowledge.

For SATs, there are 2 areas – reading and writing (English) and Maths. In UK schools they’ll probably also look at Science skills as well. The important thing for students is to keep an eye on their progress and know when to ask for further support, which they’ll look to their parents for.