1. PSAT PREP Titan Forum Lesson Plans October, 2013

2. What's on the Test The PSAT/NMSQT includes five sections: Two 25-minute critical reading sections Two 25-minute math sections One 30-minute writing skills section The whole test requires two hours and 10 minutes. Students should expect to be at South for approximately 3 hours. About Guessing Educated guessing means guessing an answer whenever you are able to eliminate one or more of the choices as definitely wrong. Educated guessing may help you. Random guessing probably won't help you because of the way the test is scored. Random guessing means that you have no idea which answer choice is correct. Don't waste time on that kind of question. Move on to the next one.

3. CRITIAL READING CRITICAL READING Two 25-minute critical reading sections Read the entire sentence to yourself. Watch for introductory or connecting words and phrases like "but," "not," "because," etc. In sentences with two blanks, make sure the words for both blanks make sense in the sentence. Start by working with one blank at a time. Stay within the meaning of the sentence. Before you mark your answer, read the complete sentence with your choice filled in.

4. CRITICAL READING HELPFUL HINTS for CRITICAL READING Don't skip introductions to passages. Read each passage and any accompanying information carefully. Follow the author's reasoning and be aware of features such as assumptions, attitudes, and tone. You may find it helpful to mark the passages as you are reading, but don't spend too much time making notes. Read each question and all the answer choices carefully. When a question asks you to compare an aspect of a pair of passages, don't be misled by choices that are correct for only one of the two passages. Select the choice that best answers the question asked. Don't select a choice just because it is a true statement. You may find it helpful to read the questions first to get an idea of what to look for. Or, you may prefer to read the passage and try to answer the questions.

5. MATH Two 25-minute math sections Multiple-choice math questions Here are some general hints for answering Regular Multiple Choice questions. Look at the answer choices before you begin to work on each question. Read each question carefully, even if it looks like a question you don't think you can answer. Don't let the form of the question keep you from trying to answer it. If your answer isn't among the choices, try writing it in a different form. You may have the same answer in a different mathematical format.

6. MATH Since answer choices aren't given, a calculator may be helpful in avoiding careless mistakes on these questions.calculator It's suggested that you write your answer in the boxes above the grid to avoid errors in gridding. The grid can hold only four places and can accommodate only positive numbers and zero. Do not worry about which column to begin gridding the answer. As long as the answer is gridded completely, you will receive credit. Unless a problem indicates otherwise, an answer can be entered on the grid either as a decimal or as a fraction. You don't have to reduce fractions like 3/24 to their lowest terms. Convert all mixed numbers to improper fractions before gridding the answer. If the answer is a repeating decimal, you must grid the most accurate value the grid will accommodate. Some questions may have more than one right answer. You don't lose any points for a wrong answer. Know the gridding rules before taking the test.

7. MATH Students are advised to bring a calculator with which they are comfortable. Students should have basic knowledge of 4 math categories: 1.Numbers and Operation 2.Algebra and Functions (but not 3rd year level math that may appear on the new SAT) 3.Geometry and Measurement 4.Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability

8. WRITING SKILLS One 30-minute writing section Identifying sentence errors HELPFUL HINTS FOR IDENTIFYING SENTENCE ERRORS: Read the entire sentence carefully but quickly. Look at choices (A) through (D) to see whether anything needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Don't waste time searching for errors. Mark (E) No error, on your answer sheet if you believe the sentence is correct as written. Move quickly through questions about Identifying Sentence Errors. The other kinds of questions (Improving Sentences and Improving Paragraphs) will probably take more time. Mark questions that seem hard for you and return to them later.