Parents and students attend the US study abroad exhibition held on October 3 in Ho Chi Minh City – Photo: MY DUNG
SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) is a popular standardized test, often used for admission to universities in the US, Europe, etc. The test consists of two parts: reading, writing and math, with a total score of 1,600. Currently, some universities in Vietnam also use scores from this test for admission.
Practice SAT from grade 10
Minh, a student at Ho Chi Minh City Gifted High School, said that two-thirds of the students in his class go to SAT prep. The rest can practice online or study on their own.
“Most of my classmates are planning to study abroad, so in addition to acquiring English certificates, they all practice for the SAT. Of course, those who practice for the SAT have high expectations of being admitted to prestigious American universities and finding scholarship opportunities,” Minh said.
Similarly, many students at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted and Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted also practice for the SAT early to realize their dream of studying abroad.
“A survey of my class showed that only a few students do not intend to study abroad. Those who are planning to study abroad all intend to or have prepared for the SAT,” said Phuong, a student at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted.
SAT preparation is not only for students in specialized schools but also for students in regular high schools and many students in the provinces. Mr. Vinh, a parent in District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, said that although his child is only in 10th grade, many parents in his class have sent their children to SAT preparation courses.
“Each course lasts about a few months. If you want to know where your child will be, you should send him to school early. My child set a high goal for SAT scores, so I sent him to prep classes from grade 10,” Vinh shared.
While some parents have their children practice for the SAT to get scholarships to prestigious schools abroad, many parents also have their children practice for the SAT to secure admission to universities in Vietnam.
Ms. Hue, a parent in Hue, said that her child has taken the SAT three times so far and improved his score by 300 points compared to the first time.
“Although my son and I had to run around to take the exam, his SAT score has increased from the time he took the test in Hanoi to now, reaching 300 points after 3 times taking the test. With this SAT score, if he doesn’t have the opportunity to study abroad, he can still apply to some domestic universities that use the SAT for admission.
Roadmap to increase points
Ms. Huong, a parent in Da Nang, said that a year ago she sent her child to take the SAT preparation course. “The SAT preparation center assessed my child to have a score of around 1,100. I set a goal for my child to score over 1,400. My child is currently in 11th grade and will have 1.5 years to improve his SAT score. The center advised my child to take the test in multiple sessions to increase his score, so we will follow this path,” Ms. Huong said.
Where there is demand, there is supply.
With such needs from students and parents, SAT preparation courses have flourished with many different prices and learning methods.
E. Center, headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City and with many branches nationwide, offers many SAT preparation courses for students of many levels. There are 1-on-1 courses or courses for many students with different prices.
The price for each 1-on-1 lesson with a Vietnamese teacher is currently over 2 million VND/session. For exam preparation groups of less than 10 students, the price will be about 50% lower, equivalent to about 1 million VND/student per lesson.
“We have to check the entrance exam and SAT score target of each student. There are students in grades 9 and 10 who have already come to SAT preparation because they have to follow a roadmap to improve their target score. There are intensive courses with fewer lessons, but of course, studying early and not rushing will be an advantage,” said a consultant at E. Center.
Meanwhile, at the S. Center (which also has many branches nationwide), students can both study directly and supplement with artificial intelligence (AI). “Currently, only our center has SAT study with AI. This is a breakthrough SAT review support technology that our center has just deployed about 2 weeks ago.
All students who register for the SAT at our place are trained for the SAT with AI. This technology is from the US" - consultant of Center S. introduced. The tuition fee for the lessons here is about 1 million VND/lesson.
At Center D, students who practice for the SAT only study online. “Our teachers are from the US so we cannot teach directly, but we guarantee the students’ output. The students are guaranteed their test scores,” the staff here promised, adding that the tuition for 20-session courses at the center is 13 million VND.
Records at many English centers that offer SAT preparation in Ho Chi Minh City show that the number of students registering for courses is high with a wide variety of courses. “The number of students registering for SAT preparation is actually increasing and we are opening many new time slots to meet the demand,” said an SAT staff member at Center D.
More and more Vietnamese people are taking the SAT.
According to data from IIG Vietnam, the authorized unit to organize this test in Vietnam, the number of people taking the SAT in Vietnam in recent years has tended to increase. In 2019, the number of people taking the test was more than 1,700, increasing by about 6-17% each year until 2022. In 2023, there will be a total of more than 3,500 people taking the test, nearly 1,500 more than the previous year.
The College Board, which owns the SAT, says about 2 million students worldwide take the SAT each year. Last year, the average score was 1,050 out of 1,600.
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