台北美加文教官方部落格

【 SAT學員資料】
SAT學員姓名：張紫珽
學校及科系：High Tech High School
SAT正式考試成績：Math：750分、Evidence-Based Reading and Writing：710分
正式考試總分：SAT 1460分
SAT正式考試日期： 2019 年12月7日

【SAT準備心得】
Over the summer of my sophomore year, I went to MERICA prep school to take classes to prepare myself for the SAT. At Merica prep school, I attended a six-week course consisting of English and math classes as well as mock exams every week. Currently, the high school I go to is a vocational high school in New Jersey called High Tech High School. The reason why I decided to take the SAT was that I needed the scores for my application process to college. I also decided to choose the SAT over the ACT because the ACT has a science section that I am not comfortable taking. The classes I took at Merica helped me overcome my struggles and become more comfortable with the SAT.
在大二的暑假期間，我去美加上課為SAT考試做準備。我報名的是每周一次為期六週的課程，包括英語和數學課程以及模擬考試。目前，我要去的高中是新澤西州的一所職業高中，稱為High Tech High School。我決定參加SAT的原因，一是因為這是申請美國大學的分數之一，二是因為ACT有一個我不太擅長的科目－科學。Merica美加的課程幫助我克服了我的弱項，並使我對SAT更加有信心。

Initially, when I took my first practice test, I got low scores for both the reading and grammar sections and noticed that I made many calculation errors in the math section due to lack of time. Many of my mistakes in the reading section were due to reading too slowly or misunderstanding the passage. In contrast, my mistakes in the grammar section were due to my lack of knowledge of the grammar rules. I answered most of the questions based on what sounded correct instead of following the specific rules. By taking Merica classes, I was able to manage and correct my problems, allowing me to raise my score significantly.
一開始，我參加第一次模考時，我在閱讀和文法部分的成績都很低，並且發現因為時間不足的關係，我在數學部分出現了許多計算錯誤。而我在閱讀部分中出現的錯誤，多是因為閱讀速度太慢或對文章的理解有誤造成。相反，我在文法部分的錯誤則是因為我對文法規則缺乏了解，我大多都是根據「聽起來正確」選擇答案，而不是遵循特定的規則。通過上美加的課程，我能夠修正我的問題，使我的分數有大幅的提升。

Specifically, Merica helped increase my reading speed and taught me strategies for answering questions as well as telling me tricks that the SAT reading portion usually has. Their grammar classes also helped by emphasizing the importance of following the rules rather than answering based on what sounds right. Their reading classes helped me improve my reading speed by forcing us to read along with the teacher as he read aloud quickly. These classes also helped expand my vocabulary as we would go over many of the difficult words that I didn’t understand in class, allowing me to understand a passage more in-depth. In addition to how much they helped me improve on the English portions, Merica also taught me how to solve math questions faster, allowing me to have time to go over my answers.
整體來說，美加不僅幫助我提高了閱讀速度，還告訴我們許多閱讀部分的答題技巧。文法課則強調了遵守規則而不是根據「聽起來正確」的答案進行回答。
上閱讀時，老師會要求我們跟著他的閱讀速讀答題，在不知不覺中我的速度也在逐步提升。老師在課堂上也會不斷地幫我們複習些比較艱澀的單字，使我能夠更深入地理解一段話，單字量也有很大的增加。除了在英語部分上有很大的進步外，美加還教我如何更快地解決數學問題，從而使我有更多時間來檢查答案。

However, the most significant part of the classes were the mock exams that we took every week. By taking mock exams, I was able to simulate how the actual test experience would feel like, allowing me to practice testing in a tense and quiet environment. This practice helped me during the actual SAT since I was already familiar with how the test environment was, and I was able to feel more comfortable during the test. In addition to helping me get comfortable with the testing environment, the mock exams also gave me opportunities to solve an array of different questions and helped me understand concepts of exam questions that I previously did not know. I took the mock exams a total of 5 times, and I saw a drastic score increase in my English sections and a decrease in silly mistakes in my math section by the final week of class. Overall, Merica SAT prep classes helped me the most with time management, reviewing mathematical and grammar rules, and feeling comfortable in the testing environment.
然而，課程中最重要的部分是我們每週參加的模擬考試。通過參加模擬考，我能夠體驗正式考試時的狀態，進而使我能夠在緊張、安靜的環境中進行測試。由於我已經很熟悉考試環境，因此在實際SAT考試中，這種做法對我非常有幫助，並且在考試過程中我感到更加自在。模擬考除了幫助我適應環境之外，我還能透過考試修正我在考試中犯的不同錯誤，並幫助我理解一些之前不知道的問題概念。我總共參加了5次模擬考試，到了課程的最後一周，我的成績急劇上升，數學部分的愚蠢錯誤也減少了。總體而言，美加的SAT課程在時間管理、複習數學、文法規則以及在正式考試中能自在應考這幾個部分對我的幫助最大。

Since I took Merica classes over the summer, I had to personally review for the SAT since I registered to test in December. Although I remembered what I had learned over the summer, I wanted to study and review during the weeks leading up to the test. Weeks before the test, I took five practice tests to practice my time management skills as well as to review all the concepts that the SAT tests. I also reviewed all of the math and grammar packets that were handed out by the Merica teachers. Ultimately, my hard work over the summer and during the last few weeks before the test paid off, and I was able to achieve a decent score on the SAT.
結束了暑假的SAT課後，我報名了12月的正式考試，並開始自己複習SAT考試。儘管我記得自己在暑假學到的東西，但我想在考試前的幾週內重新複習。接近考試前的幾週，我自己練了五回練習考試，藉以掌控我的時間管理，並複習SAT考試的所有概念。我還將美加老師分發的所有數學和文法講義重新再拿出來看。最終，在整個暑假以及考試前幾週的衝刺準備下取得了不錯的成績。

My personal experience with the SAT was a bit stressful at first, but with the help of the Merica classes, I was able to overcome my difficulties and put in hard work to achieve a good score. I would recommend starting SAT prep at the end of sophomore year or the very beginning of junior year to have the optimal time frame to prepare for testing as well as taking into account how many times you will take the test. I would recommend taking Merica prep classes because of how much they helped me improve in my weak areas and how skillful the teachers  are. However, the most crucial aspect of SAT prep that I am stressing is to take multiple practice tests to get accustomed to the topics as well as the time allotted to take each section.
起初，我在面對SAT考試時是有點壓力與焦慮的，但是在美加的幫助下，我克服困難並努力練習取得了良好的成績。我建議在10年級(台灣高一)結束時或11年級(台灣高二)開始時準備SAT考試，以便有最充裕的時間準備，同時還要考慮到自己可能要參加多少次考試。我推薦美加的SAT課程，不僅幫我克服了我的弱項，還有高水平的師資
。但是，我要強調的SAT備考最關鍵的方面是參加多次模擬考，讓自己習慣各種考題概念以及分配給每個部分的時間。