SAT Facts and Tips 1.

The SAT includes three sections, Math, Critical Reading, and Writing, each worth 800 points. 2. The SAT is given 7 times per year: January, March/April, May, June, October, November, and December. 3. Take the SAT 2-3 times. The most common plan is to take the PSAT in October of your junior year and then the SAT either once or twice in the spring of your junior year and then once or twice in the fall of your senior year. 4. It is smart to take both the ACT and SAT since every college in the country will take either score. You can use the score of whichever test you score higher on. 5. Order the question and answer service for the SAT if it is offered. This means they will send the entire test back to you so you can analyze which questions you got wrong. The College Board typically offers this service on the January, May, and October exams. 6. Most sections of the SAT go from easiest to hardest. This means that it is smarter to omit the questions at the end of the section if you have to omit any questions at all. The only sections that do not go in order of difficulty are the reading passage sections and the grammar passage sections. 7. You should do at least of a practice test per week as you prepare for your exam. You should increase this to at least one practice test per week in each of the four weeks leading up to your exam. This means you should spend hour per night preparing. 8. Spend about 1 minute per question on the math sections, 30 seconds per question on the sentence completion sections, and 1 minute per question on the reading comprehension sections. 9. If you can eliminate at least one answer choice, guess. If you cant eliminate, omit. Try to omit as few questions as possible because omitting doesnt help your score. 10. Ace the easy and medium questions. This is the key to a good score. 11. Go into the SAT with confidence, competitiveness, and try to relax as much as possible. 12. Proper planning and preparation are the keys to success!

SAT Tips
SAT Registration Tips
The SAT is offered seven times in a year. It takes around one and a half month for the scores to reach your place. It may take another couple of months to process your admission to the university of your choice. Keeping this in mind, you must appear for the test at least three to four months prior to the start of the graduate program that you are interested in. Similarly, the registration deadlines are a month before the actual test. Therefore, you should register for a particular SAT attempt well in advance. The SAT registration can be done via mail or online. The online registration is the best way to register for SAT as it offers a lot of additional benefits.

SAT Prep Tips

We have summarized some the SAT study tips here:

Get to know the available SAT dates from the official web site and decide on a particular SAT attempt wisely. Some of the factors that you would like to think about are already mentioned in the previous paragraph. Register yourself for a suitable SAT test well in time. Understand the exam pattern in great detail. Study the pattern of each section deliberately and understand the types of questions that are asked. This will give a proper direction to your preparation. You will also get a broad overview of the entire exam with this. Select a proper study guide that covers every section in great detail. You can also go in for a study guide that deals with an individual section of the exam. You must select that study guide which includes enough practice questions as well as sample question papers. A good SAT study guide includes SAT study tips, test taking strategies and last minute SAT tips. You will find a number of coaching institutes as well as web sites that offer courses for SAT preparation. You can take up a good short course on SAT. However, you must take proper feedback about the SAT course before selecting it. The SAT sections are quite different from one another. Therefore, you must give equal attention to every section of the exam. Forming a study group for SAT preparation would be very beneficial. This way you can prepare speedily. Once you understand a concept, you must solve adequate questions based on it. The more you practice, the more you will be confident. Take as many sample tests as possible. With every practice test that you take, you will improve on your weaker areas. You must solve the sample test papers in test conditions similar to that of the actual exam. This way you will be able to tune yourself to solve the question paper in exactly the same time frame as that available in the final exam. Evaluate your performance with every sample test and concentrate on your weak areas. If possible take the help of experienced people to judge your preparation.

The Day Before the Test

Collect the stuff you'll need to take with you Exam ticket Picture ID Snacks Bottled water Watch (synchronize it with clock in test room) Jacket or sweater Tissues Three to four #2 lead pencils with erasers Extra batteries for your calculator: take four new batteries. Confirm the location and starting time

Get a good night's sleep

The Day of the Test

Plan to arrive early Eat Breakfast Do about ten warm-up questions to get your brain going. It doesn't matter what questions you do, it's just to help you relax, and get you in the mood LEAVE CELL PHONE AT HOME Don't discuss the test questions with anyone duriing breaks, some people cheat by going back in the previously competed sections to change answers If something goes terribly wrong, you have 72 hours to cancel your test. Don't do this on a whim, but projectile vomiting, for instance woluld be a valid reason Be prepared for a bad proctor. Here are some examples of less-than-ideal proctoring: Starts late Gives test directions during actual test-taking time Talks during test Uses cell during test Uses clock in back of the room so you have to keep turning around Doesn't tell you that clock in back is three minutes faster than clock in front Announces that he/she has to leave early, so your break time will be shortened

If you have a terrible experience with the administrator of the test, and there are lots of horror stories, Drop us a line because it annoys me enough that I collect the proctor horror stories I receive (no names) and send them to the College Board. Breathe while taking the test

 Don't forget to practice your SAT tips and strategies Good luck!

Last Minute SAT Tips

The excitement and tension to perform well makes most of the candidates commit simple mistakes during the SAT exam. The last minute SAT tips can help you overcome the tension and avoid common mistakes. Here are some the last minute SAT tips:

Do not study till the last minute. Just be relaxed on the day prior to your exam. Keep your exam ticket and other relevant documents ready on the day prior to the exam. Plan your travel to the exam center wisely in order to reach the test center well in time. Take adequate sleep the night prior to your exam. Eat proper breakfast to keep you fresh throughout the exam day. Wear clothes suitable to the weather conditions. Try to reach the exam center at least half an hour before the exam. If you are going to use standby registration, then you must reach the test center well in time along with the required documents and credit card details for paying the registration fees. Follow the exam center procedure correctly.

SAT Test Taking Tips

Solve the easy questions first. You can come back to the harder questions later. Make judicious use of guesswork. Even if the question involves negative marking scheme, if you can make intelligent guesses; it is worthwhile. You can make use of the scratch paper to arrive at a correct answer. Try to solve every question in a stipulated time only. If you cannot get a correct answer then you can skip the question and come back to it in the end if time permits. For essay writing, first collect your thoughts and organize your ideas. You can jot down the key points first on the scratch paper. For reading comprehension, you can first scan the paragraph and read the questions asked. When you read the paragraph again, you will get the correct answers easily. For math section, you can write all the formulas first on the scratch paper. This way you can refer to them while solving the questions later. Make use of the complete time available with you to answer all the questions. Do not leave any answer blank. Mark the answers correctly in the answer sheet.

Strategies for each section of the SAT I exam

SATs - Sentence Completions

Sentence completion questions on the SATs test two areas of English proficiency, vocabulary and your ability to understand sentence logic. Pay attention to Trigger words and underline them: o Because o Although o In Spite of o However o Therefore o For o Hence o As a result of o Accordingly o Nevertheless o If...then o So...that <LI< order> o Due to o So that o Even though o Despite o Besides Read each question once and then read it again, trying to put in your own words in the blank(s)words Look for Trigger Clue Words When you don't know the vocabulary words, do a happy/sad test to see how the word sounds to you- negative or positive Read the list of answer choices Mark off words that are obviously not the correct answer Look for two answer choices where the words are synonyms, and then look at their companion words. Only one will fit the question

The celebrity was the ____________ of _________________elegance because she wore a different outfit for every occasion, and never appeared in the same outfit twice. epitome, sartorial paragon, tawdry purveyer, gastronomic zenith, grandiose dichotomy, extravagant

 While epitome and zenith mean the same thing, sartorial means finely dressed, and extravagant means spending an insane amount of money. Our celebrity may have been extravagant, but the word meaning finely dressed fits here. This is one of my favorite things that they do, because if it works in the particular sentence completion question, all you have to do is figure out that one word. Be sure, though, to eliminate all incorrect or unlikely answers. On to more SAT tips and strategies:

CRITICAL READING Section --- SENTENCE COMPLETION:

1. Before looking at the answers, try to complete the sentence with words that make sense to you. 2. Don't rush your selection. Consider all the answers to make the best choice. 3. Use the context of nearby words to figure out unknown words. 4. Don't overlook the reversing effect of negative words (like not) or prefixes (like un-). 5. If you're really stuck for the meaning of a word, try to think of other words that have similar prefixes, roots, or suffixes. 6. Eliminate choices in double-blank questions if the first word alone doesn't make sense in the sentence. 7. Let transition words (like although and likewise) help suggest the best answer.

SATs - Reading Comprehension

Don't read the passage: Read the italicized remarks at the top of the passage Read the first few sentences of the first paragraph. Skim over the remainder of the passage, reading the first sentence of each paragraph. Read the last two sentences of the passage. Read each question thoroughly, underline important, qualifying words. Avoid extreme answers such as: always, never and eliminate any answers that would be offensive to any group of people. Eliminate wrong answers Be able to identify the five kinds of answers provided on the test: o Extra Information o Off-topic answers o Contradicts the author o Not relevant to the passage o The right answer Answer the "citation" and "word meaning" questions first.

If the citation is for "lines 16 to 23, read from about line 12 to line 27. For "word meaning" questions, be sure to read the designated section, frequently the answer will be the second meaning of the word. Answer the General Passage questions after you have answered all the citation and word use questions. o o

For two passage questions: a. Do all of Passage I questions, ending with the General Passage Questions, then do all the Passage II questions in the same order as the Passage I questions. b. Last, do the questions that refer to BOTH passages.

CRITICAL READING Section --- READING COMPREHENSION (Short and Long):

1. You should base your answers to the questions solely on what is stated or implied in the passages. 2. Read the italicized introductory text. 3. Skip questions you don't know. Return to them after answering other easier questions. 4. First and last sentences of each paragraph are critical. 5. Find the right spot in a passage by using any line reference numbers that appear in the questions. 6. Answer questions on familiar topics before unfamiliar topics. 7. Read the passages before reading the questions. 8. Don't waste time memorizing details. 9. Passage content comes from the Humanities, Social Science, Science, and Literal Fiction. 10.Some passages are presented in pairs. Read the brief introduction first to see how they relate. 11.Spend more time on answering the questions than on reading the text.

SATs - Multiple Choice Writing

This portion of the test is probably the hardest one to prepare for. It is a "knowledge-based" test, rather than a test of logic and strategy as you find in the math and Critical Reading portions. For those of you preparing for the ACT, this portion of the SAT I is very similar to the corresponsing section of the ACT. Hence, we could call it ACTs, SATs-tips and strategies

It was formerly one of the SATs II Exams, which was incorporated last year into the SAT I test. This exam tests your ability to identify sentence errors, and to correct sentence errors and paragraph errors. Below is a list of common errors to watch for: Subject- verb agreement Tense agreement of verbs with the other verbs in the sentence Pronoun agreement with the noun it replaces Correct use of adverbs: they modify verbs. For instance, "good" is not an adverb, and saying "You did good." is incorrect. Remember that just because a sentence seems awkward, does not mean it is grammatically incorrect.

MULTIPLE CHOICE: Usage, Sentence Correction, and Paragraph Correction

1. Think about the question before you answer it. 2. Move around within a Section. 3. Usage & Sentence Correction questions are based on individual sentences. They test basic grammar, sentence structure, and word choice. 4. Paragraph Correction questions are based on 2 brief passages, with several questions per passage. 5. Read the questions carefully.

SAT I Essay
The written essay was new to the SATs in March of 2005. There are some schools that still are not sure what use they will make of the essays. The essay is graded holistically; the readers look at the overall piece of writing. Respond to the prompt, don't stray from the topic, and write an organized essay with an introduction, (hopefully) three example paragraphs, and a conclusion. You can make up your examples. Write legibly. Let me mention that again: write legibly. Will they mark you down for misspelled words? Not if you have a few errors here and there. Remember, longer is better on the essay. The readers will accept some misspelled words, a few cross-outs, but if you study the graded essays in the CollegeBoard essay samples, longer is better: Five paragraphs, three examples, and introduction and a conclusion that takes your examples back to your thesis sentence.

WRITTEN ESSAY:

1. Write a short (about 250-300 words), persuasive essay on an assigned topic. 2. Keep in mind the structure of an essay - 5 paragraphs consisting of an: Introduction, Body (about 3 paragraphs), Conclusion 3. The alloted time frame is 25 minutes. Read the essay question quickly and think about the topic (about 5 minutes). Allow most of your time (about 15 minutes) to write the essay. Spend the remaining 5 minutes reviewing and editing your work. 4. Introductory Paragraph should state the position that is being taken. It should also state about 3 points that support this position. 5. The Body Paragraphs should expand the points that you present with specific detail and examples. 6. The Concluding Paragraph should summarize your point of view by restating the thesis statement in a revised format. 7. Keep your writting simple. 8. Avoid wordiness. 9. Avoid slang.

The Essay- Strategies for a Higher Score.

The essay accounts for 30% of your SAT writing score (the grammar portion is the other 70%) and is its own separate score on the ACT. Here are some strategies for a higher essay score: Write a longer essay- It has been shown that longer essays tend to get higher scores. Know the topics you will write about- You don't have a lot of time to think about what you will write about. Therefore, go into the test with some "go-to" topics. For example, To Kill a Mockingbird is a great book to write about because the themes of the book are relevant to almost any essay. Other books that fit many different essay topics are: Lord of the Flies, The Great Gatsby, and The Catcher in the Rye. Try to have one topic from history that is a "go-to" topic. For example, I know a lot about World War II, so I will often write a paragraph about how World War II relates to the topic. To save time, write a short introduction and a short conclusion- You only have 25 minutes to write the essay. Spend the majority of the time writing the body paragraphs.

This is where you will support the main point of your essay with specific examples. Use a range of sentences when you write- For example, you don't want your essay to sound like this: The simple fact is that you must try to be productive each day. The reality is that you can't take life for granted. The key is to realize that each day is a gift. In this example, the writer starts every sentence with "the." The writing sounds repetitive. This is what you want to avoid. Stick to the topic- This sounds obvious but so many students forget it. The essay topics are going to be broad so that you don't need any specialized knowledge on a particular topic to score high on the essay. Also, you do not have to write in any particular style. As long as you stick to the topic, you can write a persuasive, argumentative, humorous or other type of essay. Use a few interesting words- Your essays doesn't need to be chock-full of long, complicated words but it should have at least a few. Use obstinate instead of stubborn, ambivalent instead of unsure, or disingenuous instead of dishonest. Watch out for spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes- If you have one or two of these mistakes, it is no big deal. But if you have more than a few, your score may suffer

How can a student write a decent essay in 25 minutes?

The College Board recognizes that this will not be a polished result. It is more of a draft, and will be scored as such. The essay is similar to the to an in-class essay requirement for college exams.

Back when the essay was a part of the SAT Subject Matter English Writing Test, the time frame for the essay was 20 minutes. NOTE:For students who choose to purchase college applications essays, or have someone else write them for you, I would caution you to think that idea over carefully. If you make Cs in English, your SAT I essay shows little writing skill, and you turn in a Pulitzer Prize winning application essay, it may prompt the college or university to take a closer look at the components that give a complete picture of your writing.

What constitutes a "good" essay?

In these SAT Questions and Answers you will find a lot of information about the essay. The short essay is used to measure a student's ability to think critically and to develop ideas in a logical, thoughtful and coherent essay. The test takers are given an essay prompt, usually from an authentic quote or text, and the student is asked to give his/her viewpoint on the issue in question. You are asked to support your points of view with examples from personal experiences or observations, learning, literature, sports, politics, technology, science, history, current affairs, the arts or other disciplines. Students may use any style they choose, expository, argumentative, compare and contrast, or any other style with which they feel comfortable.

Who scores the essays?

The essays are scored by trained high school and college teachers who have three years or more of classroom experience.

How are the SAT essays scored?

The essay is scored by qualified readers who take into consideration such aspects as complexity of thought, development of the topic, and ability with the English language. The College Board refers to this as a holistic approach, that is, a piece of writing is considered as a total work, which is greater than the sum of its parts. Each essay is scored separately by two readers. Each reader gives the essay a score of 1 to 6, with 6 being the highest, based on the quality of the essay and its demonstration of writing competence. If the total score of these two readers differs by more than one point, a third reader reads the essay, grades it, and that score is doubled to produce the final score, which is based on a total possible score of 12. The essay is worth 30% of the total points for the writing section, or about 240 points out of 800.

How do spelling, grammar, and handwriting affect the score?

Spelling errors do not affect a student's score unless they get in the way of the reader's ability to understand the essay. The readers will also over look a few errors here and there in grammar and punctuation. Handwriting is not evaluated, but the reader must be able to read the essay, otherwise the writer risks having it thrown out.

What else does the writer have to be careful about?

You must stick to the topic given to you in the test.

SATs - Math
SAT-tips and strategies for the math sections of the exam (there are three math sections). Don't think of it as a math test, think of it as a test of logic and strategy. Questions like these don't appear in your math book, they are uniques to the SATs. The harder they are, BTW, the more you can be sure there is a trick in there somewhere. In the math section, the questions appear in three levels of difficulty, in order. At about question 8-10, the questions move easy to moderately difficult, and at about number 15, the questions become hard. Make up numbers and plug them into the variables to solve the problem. ( I never use the numbers -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, when plugging in, unless the question defines a range such as -2< X < 2, because numbers have odd and confusing properties.) Plug in the answers. Use your common sense and try to estimate the answer before you start the problem. Notice that 99.9% of the time, answers are arranged from largest to smallest. Check this carefully, especially with negative numbers as your answer choices. Study the answers in your test problems-they may be one half the correct answer, twice the correct answer, and perhaps the answer you would get by only doing two steps of a three step problem. Medium to hard questions frequently have three steps to them. Practice doing the problems for several weeks ahead of time. Remember this is not a math test, it is a test of logic and strategy. Take time to set up the problem and analyze it.

Be sure to read the entire question, underline key words. Leave problems you can't do, or don't understand. Go on and work on the ones you can get right. Learn math vocabulary words such as "mean" "median" and "mode." Pace yourself, and notice where you are in the test: Generally speaking, the first one-third of the test contains easy questions, the middle third questions are of medium difficulty, and the last questions are "hard." Medium to hard questions frequently have three steps to them. Remind yourself, that except for the Student Response Questions, the correct answer is one of the five in the list in front of you. It is right there, and all you have to do is find it!

MATH Section --- STUDENT PRODUCED RESPONSE (GRID):

1. Guess if you can't figure it out. There is no penalty for wrong answers in this section. 2. Negative numbers are not possible as answers in this section. If your answer comes up negative, do it again. 3. You may begin to enter a short answer in any column. For instance, .6 can be entered in columns 1-2, or 2-3, or 3-4. 4. If an answer is a repeating decimal (like .33333333), just enter as many decimals as will fit in the grid (.333). 5. You may enter an equivalent decimal for a fraction as your answer, but why waste the time evaluating the fraction? 6. Do not try to enter mixed numbers. For example, if your answer is 3 1/2, enter it as 3.5 or 7/2.

MATH Section - STANDARD MULTIPLE CHOICE:

1. Read the question well. Be sure to select the best answer for the variable, value, or expression that is requested! 2. Learn in advance all of the critical definitions, formulas, and concepts that appear in common questions. 3. Remember to use the test booklet for scratch work, as well as for marking up any diagrams/graphs. 4. Early questions in this section are easier. Spend less time on them. 5. Don't get carried away with detailed calculations. Look for a trick or a shortcut if the question seems time consuming. 6. When a question contains a weird symbol, just substitute the accompanying

What Are The Hardest SAT Problems?

How To Prepare for the Toughest Questions on the SAT Exam
( 1) Make-Your-Own Formula To Solve Hard SAT Problems When test takers are given a mathematical question in verbal form, many draw a blank. They cant connect the two hemispheres of their brain. This isnt too big a problem with simple questions of addition or subtraction. But when you need to use abstract algebra in order to quickly come to a conclusion and you need to create that algebraic expression on your own youll want to be confident and prepared.

Heres an example: The price of ground coffee beans is d dollars for 8 ounces and each ounce makes c cups of brewed coffee. In terms of c and d, what is the dollar cost of the ground coffee beans required to make 1 cup of brewed coffee? This is actually not particularly hard (the answer is d/8c). The trick is as these SAT questions become more complex is not to let the words in the questions confuse you. (2) How To Solve Hard Vocabulary Questions These can be hard for obvious reasons; if youve never seen a word, youve got a poor chance of guessing the definition. For instance, if you dont know vicissitude, it will be difficult to correctly answer a change of circumstances or fortune, often unpleasant. That said, there are some little-known tips that can help. For starters, see if you recognize part of the word. For instance, if the word ends with ism, you know communism and socialism are schools of thought. This can help you narrow down your choices to definitions that might fit the same pattern. (3) Using Multi-Variables Sometimes in algebra sections, youll have to figure out one variable before you can get to the answer for another variable. For instance: If 4(x+y) (x-y) = 40 and x-y=20, what is the value of x+y? Again, this is a fairly simple example. In this, you dont even need to know what x or y are individually. You can simply substitute 20 for (x-y) in the first equation, meaning 4(x+y) x 20 = 40, or 4(x+y) = 2, meaning x+y is . However, there are more complex versions out there and the trick is not to get bogged down in the details. If youre wracking your brain trying to solve for x and then y, this question will take much longer than it needs to (and could take time away from the rest of your SAT questions). Keep your eye out for tricky questions like these and the ones above and you should be able to avoid the worst of the hard questions.

9 Ways To Increase the SAT Score By 203 Points Or More

1. The key to the math section is: reading.

Whenever you are stumped on a question, re-read it. Then read it again. Test question creators have recently added subtle word changes to the math section questions to make them increasingly difficult. 2. Math questions become more difficult as you go through each section. If you are nearing the end of a section and find that you cannot figure out the last few questions, don't waste your time trying to answer them. Your time will be better spent reviewing your answers to the questions in the beginning and middle of the section. Keep in mind that all the questions are weighted the same. You won't get extra points for answering the hardest questions. Furthermore, a few blank answers will not make a material impact on your score. 3. Avoid random guessing in the multiple choice sections The SAT's scoring formula has been adjusted to penalize you for incorrect answers. As a result, you will not benefit from random guessing. Truth is, you lose more points for answering a question incorrectly than you do for not answering it at all. As a result, you will not be rewarded for random guessing. So, if you have absolutely no idea what the correct answer is to a question, we suggest you simply skip it and move on. It is to your advantage to guess at the answer, however, when you can eliminate at least one answer choice as incorrect. Usually you will be able to identify at least one choice that is clearly wrong. Eliminating even one incorrect choice will improve your odds of selecting the correct answer. The only exception to this rule is when you face a problem-solving question that requires you to write in an answer. Since you don't have a set of answer choices to give you a clue as to the correct solution, your best strategy is to solve the problem to the best of your ability and write in your answer. 4. Know the directions ahead of time. This probably sounds like self-evident advice. However, we mention it because we've often had clients tell us how they inadvertently wound up wasting precious test time by going back to re-read directions after the test had begun, or by not making it back from their hourly breaks promptly. Remember, these activities will take time away from working on the questions.

5. Eliminate the obvious but sneaky wrong choices.

With practice, you should begin to recognize how the SAT presents deceptive but obvious incorrect answer choices. There are several common patterns here that will begin to become apparent. 6. For the Reading Comprehension section, be aware of strong answers. In this section, avoid answer choices that use extreme wording. Examples include: only, never, and all. 7. Know and study the common writing section topics. These topics include the five grammar rules tested most often, specifically: modifiers, subject/verb agreement, pronouns, parallelism, and idioms. 8. Beware and have a deep understanding of common vocabulary words. These words appear frequently on the reading section: ambivalent, underscore, disinterested. 9. Skip questions that are exceedingly difficult for you. Every question on the SAT is worth the same, equal number of points. So, it's to your advantage to occasionally skip questions you find difficult to answer... and come back to them later. This two-pass system will create your own efficient order of difficulty. Generally speaking, you have approximately one minute per question if you finish them all.

What is the College Board?

The College Board, a non-profit association, is composed of more than 4,700 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. Each year, the College Board serves over three million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,500 colleges through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, and teaching and learning. Among its best known programs are the SAT, the PSAT/NMSQT, and the Advanced Placement Program. (Courtesy of the College Board.)

What is the Educational Testing Service (ETS)?

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) prepares and administers the SAT under contract to the College Board, which first commissioned the tests in 1926. The ETS also prepares the GRE for graduate school admissions, the CBEST test for California teaching applicants, and other specialized testing for education and other professions, including the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), and the TWE (Test of Written English), sometimes required along with the TOEFL.

What was the purpose of the early tests?

Twelve selective institutions in the northeastern U.S. wanted "entrance exams" that would compare students fairly and equitably, regardless of where they went to high school. The test was devised to assess ability and acquired knowledge more broadly so that the exam would not depend on the specifics of any curriculum.

The first exams consisted of a series of essays in nine subjec

What Do I Need To Know for the SAT 2?

5 Commonly Asked Questions Prior To Taking the SAT 2
The SAT II (or SAT 2) is now a standard part of the college admissions process. Unlike the SAT, the SAT II is comprised of short, focused tests. Each one takes an hour, and you can take up to three at any one sitting. The SAT II is designed to test your knowledge of specific subjects (but not your problem-solving ability). When taking the SAT II, youll want to choose your best subjects (keeping in mind whether or not you have a declared major). It may be important that you show some range in subject matter as a Liberal Arts major, or show your ability in Math and Science as an Engineering major. And if youre applying to a specifically focused school (engineering, again, as an example), the school may only want to see subject tests in that field. In this case, math and a few sciences would be important. Youd also be wise to take the subject tests as close to the end of your coursework in that subject as possible since the test will be going over your knowledge of the subject matter. Regardless of which test(s) you take on the SAT II, youll want to know the answers to these five questions before you begin. The 5 Most Common SAT and SAT II Questions 1. How late can I take the SAT/SAT II? For early decision, you can take a test in October and still include it. For regular decision, youve got until December and some schools will accept a January re-test. However, remember: The later you take the test, the less chance you have to improve your school. Also, with a test right up against the deadline, you might not have a chance to review your scores before sending them to colleges.

2. My test was a disaster; can I cancel my score? You have until the Wednesday after taking the test to cancel. Dont expect a refund and, since all colleges will simply take your best score, you might be better off retaking the test. Unless youve got a good ACT score to fall back on, youre still better off taking your current score and improving on it next testing period. For the SAT II, you can only cancel a full days worth of scores. Thus, if you take three tests and one scores well below the others you cant simply erase just that one. The only exception is mechanical failure. If a calculator breaks during a math test, for instance, or a CD player dies during a listening test. In that case, you have to notify your proctor IMMEDIATELY. This cant be done retroactively. 3. How many SAT II tests do I need to take? Many colleges requires two. Some elite schools (like Harvard and Princeton) require three. They can be any of the following: English

Literature

History

United States History World History

Mathematics

Mathematics Level 1 Mathematics Level 2

Science

Biology Chemistry Physics

Languages

Chinese ,French,German, Modern Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Spanish

Please note schools dont consider the two math tests as separate. If you take both, theyll accept the better score but the second test wont count as two SAT II requirements. 4. I signed up for one SAT II section, but would prefer to take another. Can I change my selection the day of? Absolutely, as far as the Educational Testing Service is concerned, you signed up for a test. If you signed up for one test thats equal to one hour of testing. Which one you take is entirely up to you. At the front of each test section, theres a code you must write on your answer sheet. Just write the code for whichever test youd like to take. 5. I signed up for two SAT II tests, but Id like to take three. Can I change this the day of the test or vice versa? Yes. If you want to take an extra test, just alert your proctor. Youll be billed later. If, conversely, you want to skip a test, simply leave after completing your tests. Youll still be billed for the unattended test, but thats the only penalty you face.

6 Tips for ACT Success : The ACT, which has long been the college-entrance exam of choice in the nation's heartland and some portions of the Southeast, is expanding its reach. It's proven to be a viable alternative to the SAT, as every four-year school that accepts SAT scores also accepts the ACT. With the test's broadening appeal, it's important to get a firm grasp of the test's structure to determine if it might be a better fit for you than the SAT. The ACT doesn't consist of numerous subsections like the SAT. Instead, it is divided into four separate, timed tests: English, math, reading, and science reasoning. There's also an optional essay that most students complete. The English section consists of 75 questions over 45 minutes with a primary focus on sentence structure and grammar. Students are allotted 60 minutes to complete the 60 math problems, which range from basic algebra to trigonometry. The reading and science reading sections each have 40 questions, and test takers have 35 minutes to complete each section. The test is scored on a scale of 1 to 36.

1. You have options. It's wise to invest some time to pick the test that best suits your skills and test-taking strengths, rather than simply selecting the ACT or SAT at random. Experts agree that students should take a timed practice version of each test to determine which one they're more comfortable with and which one might give them the best score. Colleges put equal weight into both tests, so there's no drawback in taking the ACT if you feel you can perform better. The official practice tests provided by the College Board (SAT) and ACT, Inc. can take several hours each but are the most effective way to help you earn a high score. "The ACT is a shorter and more straightforward test than the SAT," says Alexis Avila, founder and president of Prepped & Polished, a Boston area-based college counseling and tutoring firm. "To decide which test is best suited for you, I suggest taking a practice test for both the SAT and ACT, and go for the test that yielded the best results." 2. Are you a math whiz? If so, the ACT is for you. Experts say that the math section on the ACT offers more challenging problems than those on the SAT. While the SAT might try to trick test takers with subtle wording in its otherwise simpler math questions, the ACT tests harder material and requires a deeper background in math in order to be successful. There are four trigonometry questions on the ACT and a higher concentration of intermediate algebra questions. Why should you take a test that has tougher math? There is a tradeoff, experts say. The ACT does not directly test vocabulary like the SAT does. A strong working vocabulary is useful for the reading sections, but not essential for a good score. If you're a stronger math student, but have some catching up to do on the English side, the ACT is likely your best choice. "I think the ACT is a viable option for a lot of [mathematically inclined] students," says Ed Carroll, executive director of high school program development at the Princeton Review. 3. Pay attention in the science lab. Unlike the SAT, the ACT has a science reasoning section. While only a handful of these questions are based on science content assimilated during school, a working knowledge of and familiarity with scientific concepts is advantageous. A bulk of the questions in the scientific reasoning section require you to examine graphs and data to draw conclusions. While simply reading these questions carefully, examining the data closely, and

ignoring any superfluous information is enough to excel at these questions, a background in science keeps the questions from looking too complex at first glance. "They do a good job of making it look really confusing," says Carroll. "That section can be trouble for people who aren't necessarily science inclined." The time limit can be a significant obstacle in the science section as well. Those who have had success on the test advise students not to spend too much time dissecting the scientific data or graphs. "There's not enough time to read all of the articles and graphs in the science section of the ACT," says Anna Lawrence, a high school junior from Illinois who scored a 35 out of 36 in April. "Go to the questions first and refer to the information as needed."

4. Take practice tests. After taking those initial tests that help you decide whether the ACT is right for you, it's important to test frequently. Schools sometimes don't provide their students with ACT prep questions as part of classwork like they do with SAT questions, so familiarizing yourself with the subtle differences in question style and format by practicing is beneficial. And don't simply sit down with a book and try to knock out a few problems when you have a spare 10 minutes. People that have had success on the test claim that they would block out time to complete a whole practice section, or an entire practice version of the test, to prepare them for the actual testing experience. Ryan Pope, now a Harvard University graduate, took the ACT during his junior year of high school in 2003, scoring a 34. The biggest key to his success? He took five practice tests on his own. "Going through previous tests did a lot for me," he says. "In my opinion, there's no substitute for sitting down with a book of old exams and just going through them." 5. Don't skip questions. Another key difference between the SAT and ACT is that there is no penalty for getting a question incorrect on the ACT. The SAT's penalty is in place in order to keep students from guessing, but ACT test takers can guess freely if they're stumped or out of time. Experts say it's best to work through each section in its entirety, skipping questions that prove to be

problematic. Return to those questions when you've finished the entire section, but if you run out of time and are still clueless, pick a letter and bubble in any questions you have skipped. "No answer should be left blank," says Carroll. "Even if you run out of time, you should just pick the letter of the day."

6. Know your directions. Through practice, you should get to know the directions for each section before you take the actual test. Because there are only four sections, learning what to expect from each type of problem should come easily with enough repetition. If you know the directions, experts say, there's no need to waste precious minutes reading the descriptions at the beginning of each section. This will buy you added time to solve tougher questions at the end of a section. This can be a risky strategy, but it could pay off if you practice enough before the test. It's particularly beneficial to slow test takers. "You want to know what the directions are for each section," says Kristen Campbell, director of college prep programs at Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions. "It's about time saving. You're going to need every second you can get to answer the questions. The last thing you want to do is spend a couple of minutes up front reading directions."

Common Grammar Errors

The Big Five recurring errors :
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Passive voice Run-on sentences Misplaced modifiers Parallelism Wordiness

We cover all of the Big Five below in more detail. Learn to spot all five and youll be well on your way to beating Improving Sentences with ease.

1. Passive Voice
In sentences that use the active voice, the subject does the action. For example, in the sentence My dog ate a bunch of grass, you immediately know who ate a bunch of grass: the dog. The passive voice, in contrast, identifies the performer of the action late, or even never. For example, the sentence A bunch of grass was eaten leaves the reader unsure of who or what did the eating. Writers tend to avoid using the passive voice because it creates weak, wordy sentences. So, how do you know if you are dealing with a case of the passives? Usually, youll spot these words: is, was, were, are (or any other version of the verb to be) and the word by. If you see these words, ask yourself, Whats the action and whos doing it? If the person (or entity) committing the action appears only at the end of the sentence, or doesnt appear at all, youve got a passive voice whispering bland nothings in your ear.

After Timmy dropped his filthy socks in the hamper, the offensive garment was washed by his longsuffering father . (A) the offensive garment was washed by his long-suffering father (B) his long-suffering father washed the offensive garment (C) the washing of the offensive garment took place by his long-suffering father (D) long-suffering, the offensive garment was washed by his father

(E)

he left the offensive garment for his long-suffering father who washed it

Here we see passive voice rearing its horrendous head. Theres a was, a by, and the fact that you dont know until the last word of this sentence who washed Timmys socks. The phrase was washed suggests that someone or something did the cleaninga parent, a washing machine, a river in Egypt. The point is, you dont know how the socks got washed. In order to fix the passive voice, the performer of the action must get a place of prominence in the sentence and clear up what theyre doing. In the example above, the correct answer must make clear that Timmys father did the load of laundry. Both answers B and E fix the passive voice problem, but E is wordy and redundant, so B is the right answer.

2. Run-On Sentences
A run-on sentence results when two complete sentences get jammed together. Run-ons usually sound breathless, as if an excited child is telling a story. Heres an example of a run-on sentence:

I walked into the pet store and asked the clerk if she had any talking parrots, this made her roll her eyes.

The best way to test if a sentence is a run-on is to split the sentence in two and see if both halves of the sentence could function alone:

I walked into the pet store and asked the clerk if she had any talking parrots. This made her roll her eyes.

Because each half of this sentence is complete on its own, the two halves cannot be joined together with a comma. Here are three ways to fix run-on sentences in Improving Sentences questions:

Method 1: Use a semicolon. Method 2: Add a conjunction. Method 3: Make the clauses relate clearly.

METHOD 1: USE A SEMICOLON One of the most common remedies youll find on the SAT is a semicolon. A semicolon (;) signals that both sides of the sentence are grammatically separate but closely related to one another.

I walked into the pet store and asked the clerk if she had any talking parrots; this made her roll her eyes.

METHOD 2: ADD A CONJUNCTION Another method for correcting run-on sentences is adding conjunctions. Suppose you see this run-on sentence:

In her incredible eagerness to cheer her team to victory, Amy the cheerleader has lost her voice, therefore

her performance at the games is a silent one.

If you add the conjunction and:

In her incredible eagerness to cheer her team to victory, Amy the cheerleader has lost her voice and therefore her performance at the games is a silent one.

The run-on disappears. METHOD 3: MAKE THE CLAUSES RELATE CLEARLY Sometimes sentences contain strange relationships among clauses that can obscure the meaning of the sentence. (A clause is just a bunch of words with a subject and a predicate). Heres an example:

The student council attempted to lure people to the dance with free food, most people attended the field hockey game.

This sentence suggests that despite the student councils efforts, people didnt go to the dance because they went to the field hockey game. You can correct this run-on sentence by adding a word that makes this relationship clear:

Although the student council attempted to lure people to the dance with free food, most people attended the field hockey game.

Okay, time for a real example:

The police reprimanded everyone at the graduation party, they didnt seem very sympathetic to the fact that it was our senior year . (A) at the graduation party, they didnt seem very sympathetic to the fact that it was our senior year (B) at the graduation party, seemingly the fact that it was our senior year did not make them sympathetic (C) at the graduation party without being sympathetic to the fact that it was our senior year (D) at the graduation party they didnt, despite the fact that it was our senior year, seem very sympathetic (E) at the graduation party; they didnt seem very sympathetic to the fact that it was our senior year

A classic run-on. The two parts could easily stand alone:

The police reprimanded everyone at the graduation party. They didnt seem very sympathetic to the fact that it was our senior year.

Remember, the SAT usually fixes run-ons by exchanging the comma for a semicolon. In this case, E, which uses the semicolon method, is the correct answer. Notice that you could have corrected the question above by turning the second half into a subordinate clause:

Since they reprimanded everyone at the graduation party, the police didnt seem very sympathetic to the fact that it was our senior year.

Alternatively, you could have inserted the word and between the two clauses:

The police reprimanded everyone at the party, and they didnt seem very sympathetic to the fact that it was our senior year.

The majority of Improving Sentence questions dealing with run-ons will require you to use one of the three methods weve discussed to fix the sentence.

3. Misplaced Modifiers
A modifying phrase is a phrase that explains or describes a word. In standard written English, modifiers usually appear right next to the word they explain or describe. When modifiers are placed far away from the word they describe, the sentence becomes confusing because its often unclear which word the modifying phrase is referring to, as in the following sentence:

Eating six cheeseburgers, nausea overwhelmed Jane.

This sentence is problematic. We can logically infer that Jane was doing the eating, but because the modifying phrase (Eating six cheeseburgers) is so far from the word its intended to modify (Jane), figuring out the meaning of the sentence takes a lot of work. It could very well seem as if nausea rather than Jane is being described. Therefore, the meaning of the sentence could be that nausea ate six cheeseburger fries. The sentence as-is does not convey the meaning the writer intended. When you see a modifier followed by a comma, make sure the word that the modifier describes comes right after the comma. A corrected version of this sentence could read:

After eating six cheeseburgers, Jane was overwhelmed with nausea.

The phrase eating six cheeseburgers describes what Jane is doing, so Janes name should come right after the phrase. Another way to correct the sentence:

Nausea overwhelmed Jane after she ate six cheeseburgers.

Now take a look at this sample question:

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

Having a bargain price, Marcel snatched up the designer jeans right away. Having a bargain price, Marcel snatched up the designer jeans. Marcel who has a bargain price, snatched up the designer jeans. The jeans bargain price led to Marcels snatching them up. Due to their bargain price, Marcel snatched up the designer jeans. Based on their bargain price, the jeans were snatched up right away by Marcel.

The misplaced modifier in this sentence confuses the meaning of sentence. As it is, it sounds like Marcel has a bargain price, but he certainly isnt for sale. That means you can cut A right away, since it just preserves the underlined portion of the sentence. Cut B since it also identifies Marcel as the object with the bargain price. C uses the possessive awkwardly and uses them incorrectly to refer to the bargain price. E looks better, but the phrase the jeans were snatched up uses the passive voice. D is the correct answer. In D, the phrase bargain price modifies designer jeans rather than Marcel. The correct answer solves another problem with the original sentence, which is the phrase having a bargain price. Having does not clearly express the relationship between the jeans and Marcels purchase. In the correct answer, the phrase due to suggests that Marcel bought the designer jeans because they had a bargain price.

4. Parallelism
We covered parallelism in the Identifying Sentence Errors chapter, but we give it another brief review, since its also likely to show up in Improving Sentences questions. In every sentence, all of the different components must start, continue, and end in the same, or parallel, way. Its especially common to find errors of parallelism in sentences that list actions or items. In the example below, the pool rules are not presented in the same format, which means there is a parallelism error.

In the pool area, there is no spitting, no running, and dont toss your half-eaten candy bars in the water.

The first two forbidden pool activities end in ing (-ing words are called gerunds), and because of that, the third forbidden thing must also end in ing. If you start with gerunds, you must continue with gerunds all the way through a list.

In the pool area, there is no spitting, no running, and no tossing your half-eaten candy bars in the water.

Heres a sample Improving Sentences parallelism question:

The unlimited shopping spree allowed Rachel to raid the department store and she could eat everything in the cafe. (A) and she could eat (B) as well as eating (C) so she could eat (D) and a meal (E) and to eat

The description of the shopping sprees powers begins with an infinitive, to raid. Therefore, on the other side of that and, we should find another infinitive. Instead, the original sentence contains the phrase she could eat, which is not parallel. E, the correct answer, balances both sides of the equation by substituting to eat. In its corrected form, the sentence is made nicely parallel and balanced by the two infinitives:

The unlimited shopping spree allowed Rachel to raid the department store and to eat everything in the cafe.

5. Wordiness
Wordiness means using more words than you absolutely need. Its the crime you commit when youve only gotten four pages written of a six-page paper and its 1 a.m. the night before the papers due. Its all that meaningless redundant junk you write in a desperate attempt to fill up space. Heres an example from a paper Justin wrote senior year: The history of nineteenth-century France is one marked by great periods of continuity and change. Heres what Justins got: Wordy meaninglessness with only the vague sheen of insight. Wordiness often comes hand in hand with the passive voice, as in Justins weak example (is one marked by). Other times wordiness shows up on its own. Heres an example:

Pierre observed the diners and motels of middle America, and these are sights that are depicted in his trendy paintings. (A) these are sights that are depicted (B) the depiction of these sights is (C) these sights having been depicted (D) his depiction of these sights (E) he depicted these sights

This sentence is both wordy and passive. The underlined part could be said in half the space, and you could remove a few words without changing the meaning of the sentence at all. For example: Pierre observed the diners and motels of middle America, and these sights are depicted in his trendy paintings. But even in that succinct version, the passive voice remains: The underlined phrase does not make it clear that Pierre depicted the sights. The phrase sights that are depicted makes it sound like a disembodied hand put paint on canvas. If you encountered this question on the test, you could immediately eliminate A if you realized there was a problem to begin with. Both B and C repeat the original mistakes. They are wordy and they avoid identifying Pierre as the performer of the action. Answer choice D looks much better; its short and there are no red-flag phrases or words, such as having been or is, that suggest the passive voice. Suppose you suspect that D is the right answer; if you plug it back into the sentence, as you should always do, you get, Pierre observed the diners and motels of middle America, and his depiction of these sights in his trendy paintings. This newly created sentence is actually a fragment, and therefore grammatically unacceptable.

So you come to E: brief, clear, to the point, and entirely devoid of the passive voice. Does it check out? Pierre observed the diners and motels of middle America, and he depicted these sights in his trendy paintings. Yes. E avoids wordiness, names Pierre as the performer of the action, and is a grammatically correct sentence.

The Little Four

In addition to the Big Five, youll likely see a question once in a while that deals with one of these four concepts: 1. 2. 3. 4. Conjunctions Fragments Coordination and subordination Pronouns

1. Conjunctions
Conjunctions are connecting words such as and, but, that, and or. They help link two parts of a sentence together. Suppose you have two sentences:

Abigail jumped off her horse. She then dove into a pool of deep water.

A conjunction such as and enables you to connect the two halves of the sentence:

Abigail jumped off her horse and into a pool of deep water.

Improving Sentences questions test you on conjunctions by including sentences in which the conjunction makes the sentence illogical or clunky.

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

Nick wrote a novel and it depicts the life of a somewhat inspiring record store clerk. and it depicts being the depiction of it depicts that depicts and depicting in it

The right answer is D. In this sentence, the conjunction that expresses the function of the novel more smoothly than the clunky phrase and it does.

2. Fragments
Fragments are almost the opposite of run-on sentences. Run-on sentences have clauses squashed together and joined incorrectly. Fragments have no independent clause and therefore are incomplete sentences.

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

The hunchback vice principal growling at students in the main office. The hunchback vice principal growling The hunchback vice principal having growled Growling, the hunchback vice principal It is the hunchback vice-principal The hunchback vice principal growls

In this sentence, the clause lacks a proper verb for the subject (the hunchback vice principal). The sentence would be complete if it read, The hunchback vice principal growling at terrified students was notorious for his brutal tactics. Notice though that the answer choices dont fix the fragment that way. Instead, the correct answer, E, takes away the problem of expectation altogether. When you read The hunchback vice principal growls at terrified students, you dont expect the sentence to continue. He growls and thats the end of the story.

3. Coordination and Subordination

Bad coordination happens in gym class when you trip over your own feet or crash into someone else on the field. Bad coordination in a sentence happens when two clauses are joined together with a word that makes their relationship confusing.

(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

John made T-shirts for the swim team, but he designed the logos himself . but he designed the logos himself however, he designed the logos himself and he designed the logos himself since he designed the logos himself and yet, he designed the logos himself

The sentence makes it clear that John creates his own T-shirts. He also designs logos for the T-shirts. So should the word but express the relationship between these two activities? No, because the two activities are closely related. The word but would make sense only if the sentence said something like John made T-shirts, but other than that he sat around playing video games all day. The word but suggests a contrast, a change in the direction of the sentence. If you get to the middle of a sentence and it takes an unexpected turn, look for a coordination error. In this question, you can eliminate B because the word however is also a bad choice when joining these two clauses. It expresses the same kind of contrasting relationship as does the word but. You can eliminate E for the same reason. Answer D isnt quite as bad as B and E, but John made T-shirts for the swim team, since he designed the logos himself doesnt make that much sense. John doesnt make T-shirts because he designs the logos, he makes T-shirts and designs the logos, which is exactly what C says. Bingo. We thought it would be helpful to put together a list of conjunctions and split them up based on whether they suggest contrast or no contrast. Contrast conjunction words like but require the meaning of the sentence to change direction. For example, I would go to school, but I dont feel well. Noncontrast conjunction words like and keep the sentence flowing in the same direction. For example, After school I will practice piano and eat a snack. Heres a chart to help you learn the most important contrast and noncontrast conjunction words.

Noncontrast Conjunctions and because since so thus therefore

Contrast Conjunctions but though although while rather instead unless despite however nevertheless notwithstanding

Subordination problems happen when there are two subordinate clauses and no main clause. You dont need to know what that jargon means. Instead, you just need to know subordination problems tend to occur when sentences contain more than one of the conjunction words listed above. If you see one clause that starts with although, because, if, since, or so that, and then another clause that starts with one of these words, youll hear the subordination problem loud and clear:

Because Teddy thought his first date with Maria went well, so that he called her every day for the next week . (A) so that he called her every day for the next week (B) although he called her every day for the next week (C) because he called her every day for the next week (D) he called her every day for the next week (E) and he called her every day for the next week

You dont need to know that this sentence is an example of bad subordination. Just notice that the two parts of the sentence dont go together. Why dont they fit together? Because theres something strange about the middle of the sentence. You hit the comma, and then the sentence takes an unexpected turn. The first part of the sentence sets you up: Since Teddy thought his first date with Maria went well, you expect something along the lines of he invited her out again or he kissed her on her front porch, right? Instead, you get the phrase so that. That just sounds incorrect and doesnt make a lot of sense. Knowing the sentence contains an error allows you to eliminate A. In B, the word although gives you exactly the same sort of problem that plagues the original sentence. Same with C, because. He thought the date went well because he called her every day the next week? No. That doesnt make

sense. In E, the word and doesnt go with the although that starts the sentence. Plug D back into the sentence to make sure it fits: Because Teddy thought his first date with Maria went well, he called her every day for the next week. Lookin good. As we emphasized a few times already, relying on your ear and on what sounds right is dangerous on the SAT. The SAT wants you to trust your ear and go with what you think might sound right in conversation or casual English. Remember that the SAT is anything but casual and that Improving Sentences questions test standard written English, not the same English you speak with friends or family. That makes learning the rules and familiarizing yourself with these words all the more important.

4. Pronouns
Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns (words for people, places, and things)words like she, her, hers, he, him, his, they, their, it, its, that, and which. There are a number of ways that pronouns can be used incorrectly (and we cover those in our Identifying Sentence Errors chapter), but in Sentence Improvement questions one type of pronoun error generally appears: ambiguous pronouns. An ambiguous pronoun occurs when it isnt clear to which noun the pronoun is referring. Take a look at the following sentence:

Arnold and Ebenezer went to the store, where he bought a pair of polyester pants.

Wait a minute. Who bought the pants? Arnold or Ebenezer? You cant know, because that pronoun he is ambiguous. Now most Sentence Improvement questions dealing with ambiguous pronouns wont be quite as obvious as that last example. Check this out:

Clay, Nina, and Melissa were crossing the street when, looking to the right, she saw a sign advertising a yard sale.

This sentence tries to hide the ambiguous pronoun she by separating it from the nouns Clay, Nina, and Melissa at the beginning of the sentence. You have to be able to see through such trickery, and notice that because there were two girls crossing the street, its unclear which of them saw the sign.