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STATE — Preparation for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) will be the focus of an online SAT prep course or SAT Boot Camp offered through the University of Maine Hutchinson Center in multiple sessions in 2023.

SAT Prep Matters is designed for rising high school juniors and seniors who plan to take the SAT this year. The course will be offered from 6–7:30 p.m. ET on four Mondays. Three sessions of the program will be running in winter/spring 2023, including Session One: Feb. 6, 13, 27, and March 6; Session Two: Apr. 3, 10, 24, and May 1; and Session Three: May 9, 16, 23 and 30.

SAT Boot Camp will also be offering two sessions, beginning with Session One: Feb. 21, 22, 23, and 24 from 1-2:30 p.m. ET; followed by Session Two: April 18, 19, 20, and 21 from 10-11:30 a.m. ET.  More information is available on the Hutchinson Center website.

The redesigned SAT has a total score made up of two parts — verbal skills and math. The average SAT score for students in Maine is 1031 total (College Board report, graduating class of 2018 all Maine schools). According to the College Board, to attain at least a C in a nonremedial college math class, a student must score 530 out of 800 on the math section of the SAT. However, only about 40% of high school students can do so.

Course instructor Mary Smyth says that students need to understand the concepts, not just cram at the last minute to pass a test. For 15 years, Smyth has tutored students for the ACTs, AP Calculus, SATs, and SAT subject tests. Under her tutelage, and through their own hard work, most of Smyth’s students have improved their SAT scores by 100–200 points.

Smyth has been teaching algebra through calculus at Watershed School in Camden for over a decade and has coached SAT prep for 15 years. She is a retired pediatrician and is a local expert on college admission testing.

According to a parent of one of Smyth’s students, “Mary is the ultimate SAT coach –– intelligent, patient, funny, and, most importantly, she knows the SAT inside and out. Thanks to Mary’s coaching, my daughter’s score dramatically improved from the PSAT to the SAT and she now understands concepts that were confusing to her before. I highly recommend Mary Smyth to anyone looking to improve their SAT score.”

A limited number of scholarships are available. More information about upcoming UMaine professional development programs, registration, and need-based scholarship applications is available on the Hutchinson Center website.

For more information or to request an accommodation, contact [email protected]; 207.338.8002.

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