Hello. My schedule has been quite busy lately.
The SAT Chemistry exam was approaching.
Until yesterday, I was having students solve questions and explaining the answers late into the night.
They should be taking the exam today. I hope the results are good.
Only one student took SAT Chemistry in October, and fortunately they earned a perfect score.
This student lives in Washington. After a full month of study, they thankfully received an 800.
Students with perfect scores usually message me first. They are happy about the result,
so they get in touch. I generally take the opportunity to ask a little about which topics appeared.
A student attending school in Japan prepared with me for four full days before this sitting.
Their previous score was 650. After four intensive days together, I think an 800 might be possible with a little luck.
Scores can rise quickly when students know how to study. The problem is often that they do not know the method.
Going from 600 to the mid-700s is one thing; reaching a perfect score is another.
A perfect score is honestly not easy. Haha.
This time there is the student in the US, the student in Japan, and two in Vietnam.
One of the students in Vietnam narrowly missed a perfect score last time with 790.
I am hoping they reach 800 this time.
The other student was not initially strong. They kept receiving 4s in IB Chemistry,
but after two intensive months at the academy over the holiday, they were the only student at school to get every multiple-choice question right.
They ultimately received a 6 because their written responses were weaker. When they first expressed interest in SAT Chemistry and I gave them a test,
they missed 40–50 out of 85 questions. Now they miss fewer than ten in practice, and I have told them how far they have come.
These four students are taking the exam. Most followed short courses, so I cannot be certain who will get a perfect score.
But I do think the student who previously got 790 has a strong chance.
That student is already capable but makes quite a few mistakes, which worries me. With a little luck, an 800 seems possible.
Many students seem to be studying ahead these days. I have recently been teaching first-year middle-school students.
Because they are young, I go to their homes rather than asking them to come to the academy.
We rotate between homes. The mothers sometimes give me food when I visit,
and it is enjoyable.
Perhaps because they are young, once they start chatting, it is hard to stop. Once a student began explaining what their father and mother do
and kept talking at length. Haha. They want someone to listen, so I have to gently bring it to an end without upsetting them.
From the messages, I often get the sense that their mothers take care of everything.
Advance study really seems to help these students. The difference between those who prepare early and those who do not can be enormous.
Few children study Chemistry early, so those who do can become exceptionally strong at it.
That is especially true for first-year middle-school students. What I put the most effort into is explaining things simply without boring them.
If I can make the explanations easy to follow, I think these lessons can be very valuable for younger students.