SAT PREP

(AND ACT BASICS)

 Sample SAT Prep Format
DAY ONE (2 hours) DAY TWO (5 hours)

GENERAL TEST STRATEGIES BEFORE LUNCH

SAT (from previous year’s
VERBAL TIPS Taking the SAT)
(each section followed by practice)
Analogy Tips AFTER LUNCH
Sentence Completion Tips Self Scoring
Critical Reading Tips Form in Taking the SAT
Scoring with wrong answers
MATH REVIEW (in Taking the SAT) changed to omitted answers
Difficulty Analysis
MATH TIPS % correct at each level
(each section followed by practice) Lessons Learned
Multiple Choice Tips Students write reminders to
Quantitative Comparison Tips selves which they’ll review the
Grid-In Tips day before the test
 SAT Format
FORMAT VERBAL QUESTIONS
Seven Sections • Analogies (19)
3 hours
• Sentence Completion (19)
Verbal: • Critical Reading (40)
Two 30-minute sections
One 15-minute section
MATH QUESTIONS
Math: • Multiple choice (15)
Two 30-minute sections
One 15-minute section • Quantitative comparison
(15)
Equating: • Student response (10)
One 30-minute section
SAT – Test Dates & Costs
 TEST DATES – SATURDAYS
Oct / Nov / Dec / Jan / April / May / June

 MOST STUDENTS – May of Junior Year

Oct / Nov of Senior Year

 RECOMMENDED - Nov / Dec

of Junior Year
May / June of Junior Year

 COST - $23.50
SAT – General Score Information
 SCORES (MATH / VERBAL) RANGE FROM 200 – 800
 1998 AVERAGE: VERBAL - 505
MATH - 512
COMPOSITE - 1017

 MIDDLE 50% of ADMITTED FRESHMENT

(1998)
Indiana State 830 - 1060
Indiana University 1010 - 1250
DePauw University 1090 - 1300

 SAT SCORES REQUIRED FOR

SCHOLARSHIPS (1998)
(also include other criteria such as class
rank)
Franklin College 1100, 1200
IU Bloomington 1150
 SAT – Guessing Strategies

WHEN TO GUESS
Correct = 1 pt
Omitted = 0 pt
Wrong = Negative Pts

Guess when you can positively eliminate 1 answer

Exception: -- Math Quantitative Comparison

-- Grid-In
-- GUESS:
No penalty for wrong answers
 SAT – Guessing Sample
10 questions / 5 answer choices ( - ¼ for wrong answers)

JOHN SARAH
6 right +6 6 right +6
4 wrong - 1 4 omitted 0
Score +5 Score +6
 SAT – Pacing Strategies
Questions in each section begin with the easiest
and get harder (except critical reading)
• Know where the easy questions are, and do
them first.
• Know where the hard questions are, and
consider omitting them. If a hard question looks
easy, your answer is probably wrong.
• Generally, students who answer 50% of the
questions right will have an average SAT score,
1000
 SAT – Answer Sheet
Strategies

Know the answer sheet

(especially the “grid-in” section)
SAT – Test Directions Strategies

Memorize the
test directions
 SAT – Analogy Strategies

• Make up a sentence that shows the relationship between

the two words:
CRUMB:BREAD::
(A) ounce : unit
(B) splinter : wood
(C) water : bucket
(D) twine : rope
(E) cream : butter
 SAT – Analogy Strategies

• Make up a sentence that shows the relationship between

the two words:
CRUMB:BREAD::
(A) ounce : unit
(B) splinter : wood
(C) water : bucket
(D) twine : rope
(E) cream : butter

“A crumb is a small piece of bread”

Correct answer: B – A splinter is a small piece of wood.
 SAT – Analogy Strategies
• Read all answer choices
• Be careful that your sentence isn’t too general
“A crack is a sound made by a whip.”
CRACK:WHIP::
(A) music : guitar
(B) murmur : crowd
(C handle : spoon
(D) slam : door
(D) trickle : water
New sentence:
“A crack is a sudden, sharp noise made by a whip.”
 SAT – Analogy Strategies
• Always compare the relationship between the pair
capitalized words with the relationship between the two
words in the answer choices.
CLAY : POTTER
(A) stone : sculptor
(B) machines : mechanic
(C hems : tailor
(D) bricks : architect
(E) chalk : teacher
• Think about the precise meaning of the words.
• Remember, words can have more than one meaning.
• Consider each of the five answer choices.
• QUESTIONS GET HARDER / DO NOT GUESS
SAT – Sentence Completion Strategies
At a recent press conference, the usually reserved biochemist was
unexpectedly _____ in addressing the ethical questions posed by her
work.
(A) correct
(B) forthright
(C) inarticulate
(D) retentive
(E) cautious

Because King Phillip’s desire to make Spain the dominant power in

sixteenth-century Europe ran counter to Queen Elizabeth’s insistence
on autonomy for England, _____ was _____.
(F) reconciliation .. assured
(G) warfare .. avoidable
(H) ruination .. impossible
(I) conflict .. inevitable
(J) compromise .. simple
SAT – Sentence Completion Strategies

 Read the sentence carefully

 Pay attention to the precise meaningful of words
 Look for the logic of the sentence
 Be careful of words that change the logic of the sentence:
although / but / however / usually / if / but
 Two blanks – be sure each word is correct
 Two blanks – try answering one blank at a time
 Consider all answer choices
 After choosing an answer, check it by reading the entire
answer to yourself
 QUESTIONS GET HARDER / DO NOT GUESS
SAT – Critical Reading Strategies
 Passages are from 400 – 850 words
 College-level reading
 Some selections include a pair of passages
 Types of questions:
 Meaning of a word in context
 Demonstrate understanding of significant information
Identify cause and effect
Relate parts of the passage to each other or the whole
Make inferences
Recognize implications
Follow the logic of an argument
Recognize the consistency or inconsistency of an
argument
Compare or contrast two related passages
SAT – Critical Reading Strategies
 Read each passage thoughtfully
 Don’t spend too much time taking notes as you read
 Consider reading the questions before the passage
 Answer questions based on the passage (not on your
knowledge of the subject)
 Read all answer choices:
 Answer choices may include true statements that don’t
answer the question
 Some answers may only be partially correct
 QUESTIONS NOT SEQUENCED BY DIFFICULTY
 DO NOT QUESS
 SAT – Math, General Strategies
 Content
 Arithmetic
 Algebra
 Geometry (no proofs)

 Formulas are provided

 Bring a calculator (and a backup)
 QUESTIONS GET HARDER
 GUESSING: Multiple Choice – NO
Quantitative Comparison – YES
“Grid-In” - YES
SAT – Math, Multiple Choice Strategies
 Read all answer choices
 The correct answer may be written in a variety of formats:
½ or 0.5 or 3/6
 If a diagram is given, use it
 Information may be given which is not required to answer
the question.
SAT – Math, Quantitative Comparison Strategies

A if the quantity in Column A is greater

 Memorize the answer
choices B if the quantity in Column B is great
C if the two quantities are the same
 Understand the layout
D if the relationship cannot be determined
 Variables could stand for
negative numbers, zero, Column A Column B
fractions, etc.
 HARDER AS YOU GO 1 3m 5m
 GUESS – NO PENALTY
The number of The number of
2 positive positive
divisors of 21 divisors of 12

0<a<b<1

3 a3 b3
SAT – Math, “Grid-In” Strategies

 No negative answers / /
 No answers greater than 9,999 . . . .
 Write your answer in the boxes 1 0 0 0
above the grid
1 1 1 1
 Always begin at the same point –
left or right 2 2 2 2
 Must grid percents as decimals or fractions
3 3 3 3
25% becomes .25 or ¼
4 4 4 4
 No mixed numbers. 2½
becomes 5/2 or 2.5 5 5 5 5
 Do not use a leading zero. 6 6 6 6
0.44 is less accurate than 0.444
7 7 7 7
 Fractions do not have to be reduced
unless they don’t fit on the grid 8 8 8 8

9 9 9 9
 SAT – Before the Test
The Night Before
 Get a good night sleep
 Lay out your identification, test admission
ticket, pencils, and calculator

The Morning Of
 Don’t be rushed
 Have a good breakfast
 Leave plenty of time to get to the test center
and find your test room
 PSAT – General Information
 Taken by: College Bound Juniors
& Sophomores preparing for the NMSC

 PSAT Test Dates

Year Tuesday Saturday
2002 Oct 15 Oct 19

 Cost = $9.00
The state will pay for either the PSAT or PLAN for every junior
 Same as SAT without equating section
 PSAT results interpretation
 projected SAT scores
 guessing and pacing strategies
 difficulty with one type of question
 concept of college “match”
 ACT
BASICS
 ACT - Format
FORMAT ACT NOTES
four sections / 3 hours
• Accepted by all Indiana
ENGLISH colleges
75 questions / 45 minutes
• No negative points for
MATH wrong answers, students
60 questions / 60 minutes should guess

READING • Scores range from 1 – 36

40 questions / 35 minutes Average score – 21 (1998)

SCIENCE REASONING • Middle 50% of Freshmen

40 questions / 35 minutes - Indiana State 17 - 23
- Indiana Univ 21 - 27
TEST DATES: - DePauw Univ 25 - 29
Oct, Dec, Feb, Apr, June
 PLAN (Pre-ACT)

 Given to: All 10th graders

 Guidance Use: Career Interest Assessment
Student Needs Assessment
 Scores: Not adjusted for guessing
 Test Dates: Anytime during a two-month window as
convenient for the school
 Instructional Use: Interpretive reports link results with
curricular content
 Cost: $ 8.00