SAT PREPARATION Reading and Writing

O VERVIEW OF THE TEST Four hours and 5 minutes overall (2 breaks) Ten sections (one experimental) Seven 25-minute sections Two 20-minute sections One 10-minute section

D ATES AND R EGISTRATION Test DatesTestU.S. Registration Deadlines (Expire at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, U.S.A.) RegularLate (a fee applies) October 6, 2012SAT & Subject Tests September 7, 2012September 21, 2012 November 3, 2012SAT & Subject Tests October 4, 2012October 19, 2012 December 1, 2012SAT & Subject Tests November 1, 2012November 16, 2012 January 26, 2013SAT & Subject Tests December 28, 2012January 11, 2013 March 9, 2013SAT onlyFebruary 8, 2013February 22, 2013 May 4, 2013SAT & Subject Tests April 5, 2013April 19, 2013 June 1, 2013SAT & Subject TestsMay 2, 2013May 17, 2013

T EST F ORMAT The essay is always first. Writing Skills: 10 minutes, always last Sections 8 and 9: always 20 minutes each– one reading – one math Sections 2-7: 25 minutes each – any order You will not know which is the experimental section. It can be a reading, math, or writing skills section. Breaks – you will have 10 minutes after sections 3 and 6.

T HERE ARE T HREE C RITICAL R EADING S ECTIONS (67 Q UESTIONS OVERALL ) These sections test critical reading, diction, and vocabulary. Reading sections have passages, followed by questions. 19 of these questions are Sentence Completion Questions, arranged in order of difficulty. Example: Brown, this biography suggests, was an________employer, giving generous bonuses one day and then ordering pay cuts the next. A. Indifferent B. Objective C. Unpredictable D. Ineffectual E. Unobtrusive

T HERE ARE 48 R EADING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS These generally follow the passage’s organization. Short passages (100 words) usually come before longer, and more difficult, passages.

T HERE ARE 49 W RITING Q UESTIONS These questions test your ability to identify sentence errors, improving sentences, improving paragraphs. Example (identify the error): Illiteracy is an enormous problem, A it affects B millions of people worldwide, C and is an impediment to D social progress. No error E. A. B. C. D. E.

(M ATH S ECTION ) 54 questions (44 multiple–choice and 10 grid in) 70 minutes (two 25 minutes sections and one 20 minute section) Tests basic arithmetic, algebra I & II, and geometry

YES, YOU CAN STUDY FOR THE SAT; P ROVEN STRATEGIES WORK !!! READ high-quality newspapers and magazines every day. Look up words that you don’t know.

REHEARSE Go over all question types. Memorize the directions for each question type so you aren’t wasting time reading directions. Directions don’t change. Take a practice test under test conditions. Build your stamina for the four hour test.

SHOULD YOU GUESS? YES!!!!

W RONG A NSWERS ONLY COST ¼ OF A POINT If you guess wrong 4 times out of every 5, you still come out even. If you can eliminate one or two answer choices, take an educated guess. Figure out what kind of a guesser you are on the practice tests.

FOCUS Block out distractions.

S TAY R ELAXED ; B REATHE

K EEP A POSITIVE OUTLOOK

Y OU ’ RE HERE. I’ M HERE … SAT Prep is an elective that is Pass/Fail. Your motivation in this course is not a grade but a better SAT score. If you try to implement the suggestions, good things will happen. If you just go through the motions, you will have wasted our time together. What you learn here can be applied in other classes, college, and life in general. Stay positive. You’re in training!

If you have a smart phone, go to the app store and get the free College Board Official SAT Question of the Day. You can also sign up to have the question ed to you. Get out your cell phones!

Choose a time of day to answer the question every day to make it a routine. (in homeroom, right after school, right before bed, etc.) After it’s downloaded, answer today’s question now

U SE Y OUR T IME W ISELY Don’t get bogged down on one question. You can take seconds for each sentence completion question. You can take 75 seconds for each reading comprehension question, if you average in reading passage time. Write in your testing booklet (see next slide).

M ARK UP YOUR TESTING BOOKLET Mark questions in booklet that you are skipping. Mark the questions that you think you can answer with a check or something similar. Mark the questions that you don’t think you can answer and that you shouldn’t waste time on with an X. As you do this, make sure you are always at the correct spot on the answer key.

U SE T IME W ISELY ; M AXIMIZE YOUR TIME EFFICIENTLY Answer easy questions first. Skip questions that are taking too long, but try each question before you skip it. Answer shorter questions before longer ones. Eliminate as many wrong answers as you can – draw a line through them. Watch out for eye-catchers / distracters that tempt you into the wrong answer.

A T YPICAL W EEK IN SAT P REP – E NGLISH MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday New Vocabulary SAT Questions of the Day Grammar; 1-2 Lessons in Small Books (Powerpoint, book activity) Vocabulary Practice Grammar Lesson in Small Books (Powerpoint, book activity) Reading Compre- hension (article to practice skills) Vocabulary “Quiz” Quack Videos

College Search in Writing Center (day before Thanksgiving) A 2-3 minute I-Movie video to help other students learn SAT vocabulary words In-class essay outlining practice (5 mins) Full in-class essay (25 minutes), followed by a 1- on-one meeting