The SAT explained to parents: format, timeline, scores
What the test measures, why Harvard and MIT use it, and why preparation starts in 6e.
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Daretoaimfortheworld.
From 6e, the SAT, certified English, activities and funding, to aim for Harvard, MIT, Oxford or Tsinghua, from Côte d'Ivoire.
We aim for the world's Top 50 universities
A horizon to aim for, never a given
- Harvard
- Stanford
- MIT
- Oxford
- Cambridge
- Princeton
- UC Berkeley
- Imperial College
- Tsinghua
- Peking University
- University of Tokyo
- Kyoto University
- Seoul National University
- KAIST
The problem
Top universities look at much more than final exam grades.
SAT
Good grades will be enough.
What's true
The SAT compares an application from Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon or Senegal with one from China or the United States. It takes several years. The UAT, only if the target university asks for it.
TOEFL · IELTS
He already speaks good English.
What's true
Universities require certified English, often C1. School English is not enough.
EXTRACURRICULARS
We'll think about activities in the final year.
What's true
A credible application shows consistency over several years, not a list added at the end.
FUNDING
It's too expensive for us.
What's true
In favourable cases, aid can reach about 90%. Nothing is automatic: it depends on the profile, the scores and the university’s rules. Liwaza prepares. It does not guarantee a scholarship or a loan.
Destinations
The universities parents actually name
United States, United Kingdom, China, Japan, Singapore, Korea, and Canada only when the university is in the Top 50.
United States
Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Princeton, Georgia Tech
SAT. Benchmarks often cited: 1200+ and TOEFL 100+.
United Kingdom
Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College, UCL, LSE
IELTS often around 7. UAT if the subject asks for it.
China
Tsinghua, Peking University
Certified English. SAT depending on the course.
Japan
University of Tokyo, Kyoto University
Certified English. SAT depending on the programme.
Singapore
NUS, NTU
IELTS, and the SAT depending on the programme.
South Korea
Seoul National University, KAIST
Academic record and certified English.
Canada
Toronto, McGill, UBC
Only when they are in the Top 50 that year.
It's possible. It works in 4 steps.
From 6e to the final year, alongside school
In 6e and 5e, reading and the basics. In 4e and 3e, the SAT and English toward B1. In 2nde and 1re, B2 and the record. In Terminale, applications. A benchmark often cited for the United States: SAT 1200+ and TOEFL 100+. For the United Kingdom: IELTS around 7, and the UAT if the subject asks for it.
01
Assessment
Grade, English level, reading habits, goal. You see where your child stands, what is realistic, and where to begin.
02
SAT · TOEFL · IELTS
Daily reading, graded practice, mock tests. Harvard, Stanford and MIT often read the SAT. Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial often read the IELTS, and sometimes the UAT.
03
Extracurricular record
Projects, commitments and activities built year after year into a coherent record.
04
Funding strategy
Scholarships and aid from target universities, prepared before applications.
Book a free diagnostic for my child
Free. Twenty minutes to gauge your child's English and reading level, and know which step to start with.
The software
Software, alumni and experts, serving a single goal: aiming for the Top 50
Powered by AI
Daily reading plan, exercises ranked by difficulty, corrected mock tests, a dashboard for parents.
Alumni & experts
1 alumni coach among the 60+ Liwaza has today, covering the world’s Top 50 universities.
Reports to parents
Every two weeks, parents receive a progress report, on WhatsApp and by phone call, about their child’s progress with our IELTS, TOEFL and SAT specialist.
20 min
of guided reading per day
3 tests
SAT · TOEFL · IELTS, graded exercises
1 coach
alumni among the 60+ Liwaza has today, covering the world’s Top 50 universities
1 dashboard
for parents, every week
Today's reading
20 min · academic English · corrected by AI
Coaching Saturday 10am
Alumni · one-to-one check-in
The team
The people who follow your child.
1 alumni coach among the 60+ Liwaza has today, covering the world’s Top 50 universities. Marcelle is a Harvard graduate. Patrick, the founder, went through the University of Pennsylvania. Your child is preparing a first degree at a Top 50 university.
TESTS
SAT, TOEFL and IELTS
The format, the traps, the score benchmarks. Corrected mock tests. The UAT only if Oxford, Cambridge or another university asks for it.
RECORD
Extracurricular activities
Turning commitments into a record that tells a coherent story, year after year.
FUNDING
Scholarships and aid
Finding the universities that fund students based on their application, and preparing the strategy from the early years.
On the ground
Families in Abidjan, Douala and Yaoundé
Families
in Abidjan, Douala and Yaoundé
Offices
Côte d’Ivoire
Abidjan
Angré 8e tranche, next to the Château de Glace
DirectionsCameroon
Yaoundé
Total Energies building, Carrefour Emia
DirectionsFrance
Paris
60 rue François Ier, 75008 Paris
DirectionsUnited States
Irvington
48 Tichenor Ter, Irvington, NJ 07111
Directions
To visit the office, book a coaching session.
At the start, I did not even know what the SAT was. For me, the Ivorian bac and good grades were enough. The expert explained that these universities also compare academic English and a common exam. My daughter was in 2nde in Riviera: she was doing fine at school, but not yet ready to follow classes in the United States. Every two weeks we get a precise update: where she stands in English, her SAT practice tests, and what is left to work on.
M. Koné · father of a 2nde student · Riviera, Abidjan
When we started, the SAT meant nothing to me. I thought the Cameroonian bac would be enough. They showed us the gap: my daughter was doing fine at school in Maképé, but not yet in academic English for a Top 50 university. Since then we have a check-in every two weeks: her SAT practice, her English, her activities.
M. Wandji · father of a 2nde student · Maképé, Douala
Douala is a city families come from. Offices are in Abidjan, Yaoundé, France and the United States. No individual admission result is shared before a first full cohort has completed the program.
The map
The universities we aim for
Tap a university to see its admission requirements. Drag and zoom to explore.
Capsules
One minute to understand, on video or as a voice note.
Free, to read this weekend
The guide: the Top 50 explained to parents
Twenty pages to understand what universities really ask for, what funding can look like, and where to start depending on your child's grade.
- The SAT and certified English, without jargon
- Scholarships and aid: who funds what
- Where to start, from 6e
The program
What the program covers
- From 6e, alongside school
- The SAT
- Certified English: IELTS or TOEFL
- Extracurricular activities, built year after year
- Scholarships and aid, prepared with the file
- 1 alumni coach among the 60+ Liwaza has today, covering the world’s Top 50 universities
- Every two weeks, a progress report to parents, on WhatsApp and by phone call, with the IELTS, TOEFL and SAT specialist
- A parent dashboard, every week
- A new computer that remains ours, if your child does not have one
Request a diagnostic for your child. Twenty minutes on their grade, their English, and where to start.
Free diagnosticFrequently asked questions
What parents ask before getting started
Ask a question · +1 862-423-5875
At what age should we start?
From 6e: the earlier you start, the gentler the pace. A student in 4e, 3e, 2nde or 1re can also start: the assessment tells you what is realistic and where to begin.
Is it compatible with school?
Yes. Liwaza comes on top of school: about twenty minutes a day. The alumni coach is one of the 60+ Liwaza has today; they cover the world’s Top 50 universities.
How do I follow my child's progress?
A parent dashboard on fam.liwaza.org shows every week what is done, what is left and the mock test results. Every two weeks, parents receive a progress report, on WhatsApp and by phone call, about their child’s progress with our IELTS, TOEFL and SAT specialist.
What about funding?
Strong SAT scores and a solid file can open scholarships, up to about 90% in favourable cases. Results depend on the student's profile, scores, and the policies of universities and funders. Liwaza provides support and preparation; it does not guarantee a scholarship or a loan.
And now
Book a free diagnostic for your child.
Diagnostic
Twenty minutes about your child
Their grade, what they're aiming for, what the program does or doesn't do.
Get the guide and one letter a week to move forward at your own pace, with no commitment.