12 SAT & PSAT practice test

12 SAT & PSAT practice test

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12 SAT PRACTICE TESTS AND PSAT

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Professional

Want to learn more?

Christopher Black, M.A is the founder and director of College Hill

Coaching He has been a consultant to the nation’s leading tional publishers and software developers and is coauthor of

educa-McGraw-Hill’s SAT.

Mark Anestis is the founder and director of The Learning Edge and

coauthor of McGraw-Hill’s SAT.

Copyright © 2008, 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc Click here for terms of use

CONTENTS

Practice Test 11 684

CHAPTER 1

WHAT YOU

NEED TO KNOW

ABOUT THE NEW SAT

Important Questions About a Tough Test

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1

Copyright © 2008, 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc Click here for terms of use

Why do colleges need to see my SAT

scores? Aren’t my grades and SAT Subject

Test scores enough?

Many colleges use your SAT scores to help them

assess your readiness to do tough college work

Although the SAT does not assess broad subject

knowledge, it provides a universal benchmark that

your high school transcript can’t It assess skills that

are essential to success in a competitive liberal-arts

college: written argumentation, critical reading, and

mathematical analysis

Competitive colleges need the SAT because course

grades are, unfortunately, far from objective measures

of your academic ability Teachers rarely give out

grades consistently and without bias We all know

that every school has easy graders and hard graders

Also, many teachers occasionally inflate or deflate

grades for reasons unrelated to intellectual ability, like

“effort” or personal preference Even when objective

standards are used, they vary widely from teacher to

teacher and school to school Achievement tests like AP

exams and SAT Subject Tests are more objective, but

they are designed to assess subject knowledge, which

can be easily forgotten, rather than basic reasoning

skills, which determine broader academic ability

Subject knowledge is effective only when it is

incorpo-rated into a meaningful and robust way of solving

problems The SAT, although not perfect, does a good

job of measuring how well you reason under pressure,

an important academic and life skill

SAT-bashing has been a very popular pastime in

the last 25 years or so, largely due to the

“crack-the-test” SAT-prep franchises Very few of their arguments

against the SAT, however, hold any water The fact is

that more students take the SAT every year, and more

colleges—not fewer—rely on the SAT every year

Doesn’t the SAT do a poor job of predicting

first-year college grades?

SAT-bashers have long liked to claim that the SAT

isn’t valuable to colleges because it doesn’t predict

college grades very well They miss two important

points: first, smart college admissions officers don’t

want it to predict grades, and second, it correlates

very well with something more important than

grades—real success in academic fields like law,

medicine, and the like

As we just discussed, predicting grades is a

wild-goose chase because grades are not objectively

distrib-uted: most any teacher can give out grades any way he

or she wishes Many students, as we all know, get

good grades without having great intellectual ability

They just learn to “play the game” of school—seek the

easy “A”s, suck up to teachers, and pad their transcripts

Smart college admissions officers like the SAT

because it often weeds the grade-grubbers out from

the truly good thinkers Rather than predicting yourgrades, your SAT scores indicate your ability to readcritically, write cogently, solve math problems intelli-gently, and think under pressure Thankfully, theSAT is not designed to predict how well you’ll playthe college grading game

Doesn’t the SAT just measure

“test-taking skills”?

Although many large SAT-prep franchises try to vince students that taking the SAT has nothing to dowith real academic skills, and that it’s all about apply-ing their test-taking “secrets,” most of this is justhype In fact the only way to see dramatic scoreimprovements on the SAT is through smart practice

con-in the reasoncon-ing skills at the core of the SAT Realsuccess on the SAT takes hard work and the right

attitude Treating the SAT like a joke is definitely not

the right attitude

The SAT isn’t written by a monopoly of sadistswho hate students and want to make college admis-sions as arduous as possible The Educational TestingService (ETS) writes the SAT at the request of theCollege Board, a nonprofit association of over 4,200colleges whose goal is to promote high academicstandards for students More than likely, any collegeyou apply to will be a member of the College Board.The ETS changes the format and content of theSAT from time to time, based on the needs of themember colleges and universities For instance, in

2002, educators at the University of California,unhappy with the writing skills of their incomingfreshmen, suggested that the SAT incorporate anessay and eleminate some of the more “artificial”vocabulary-based questions so that it would betterreflect actual college work After much research,the ETS changed the SAT accordingly, and themost recent version of the SAT was implemented in2005

Why does so much ride on just one test?

It may seem unfair that a 41⁄2 hour test is so tant Remember, though, that the SAT is not a one-shot, all-or-nothing affair Your standardized testscores account for only about 1⁄5to 1⁄3of your collegeapplication, depending on where you apply The otheressential components include your grades, your cur-riculum, your essay, your recommendations, yourspecial talents, and your extracurricular activities.Also, you can take the SAT many times, and collegeswill consider only the top individual scores from all

impor-of your tests In other words, if you take the SATtwice, and get scores of 460 Critical Reading, 530Math and 500 Writing on the first test, and 540Critical Reading, and 490 Math and 400 Writing onthe second test, then your score is, for all practical

purposes, 540 Critical Reading, 530 Math and 500

Writing Colleges won’t average the scores, or penalize

you for being a bit inconsistent They do this for their

own benefit as well as yours: they fare better in the

college rankings if they report higher scores!

The SAT is only “unfair” if you allow it to be by

not taking it seriously If, instead, you look at it as an

opportunity to hone important academic reasoning

skills, and prepare for it meaningfully, you’ll find the

process more rewarding and less nerve-racking

Don’t wealthy students who can afford

expensive coaching have an unfair advantage?

Undoubtedly, the ability to afford the best coaching

is an advantage This should come as no surprise

Athletes and musicians certainly benefit from good

personal coaching, and students are no different

This simply shows that the SAT is a test of ability, not

race or any other innate quality It is a test of

reason-ing skills, which can be learned The right kind of

training will pay off If you follow the College Hill

Method and take your preparation seriously, your

efforts will be rewarded

Is the SAT an intelligence test?

This isn’t a simple question, so there’s no simple

answer “Intelligence” can be used to refer to many

dif-ferent qualities, and certainly the SAT does not assess

all of them The common definition of intelligence as

“an innate, general, and stable cognitive ability that

determines one’s ability to reason across a wide range

of tasks” is outmoded and unhelpful Most

psycholo-gists agree that humans possess many different

“intel-ligences” that can improve or atrophy with use or

disuse These include musical intelligence,

interper-sonal intelligence, mechanical intelligence, verbal

intel-ligence, mathematical intelintel-ligence, and analytical

intelligence The SAT measures only certain aspects of

verbal, mathematical, and analytical intelligence

When people ask whether the SAT is an

“intelli-gence” test, usually they really mean: “Do my SAT

scores put limits on how successful I can be?” The

answer is: only if you misinterpret them Rather than

a measure of your innate “limits” for success, the

SAT indicates your mastery of a few basic but

essen-tial academic skills If you improve these skills, you

will be more successful academically Of course,

academic success isn’t the only kind of success We

can all find wonderful success stories about people who

have become successful artists, politicians, and

busi-ness leaders despite having low SAT scores The SAT

doesn’t measure artistic, athletic, intrapersonal, or

interpersonal skills, and these are often key elements

to nonacademic success You will find, however, that

success in academic fields correlates quite highly

(but not, of course, perfectly) with SAT scores

Doesn’t the College Board claim that you can’t study for the SAT?

In fact, the College Board openly states that you canand should study for the SAT, because it assessesvery learnable skills It strongly encourages prepara-

tion by focusing on academic skills In fact, for

decades the College Board has published materials tohelp students study for the SAT

The College Board’s research does shows quiteclearly, however, that just learning test-taking tricksdoesn’t help much Only solid practice in funda-mental reasoning skills produces dramatic scoreimprovements

Do I have to take the SAT?

Probably, but not necessarily Consult the web sites

of the colleges you are interested in to see if theyrequire the SAT or SAT Subject Tests Most compet-itive schools will require the SAT or a test like it(such as the ACT), but some colleges do not Even ifyour college does not require the SAT, you shouldconsider taking it anyway If you do well, your scorescan make your application much more attractive

If you don’t, just don’t send them

Do the colleges see all of my SAT Scores?

It’s very important to remember that no college will

see any of your SAT scores until you tell the College

Board to release them You will be given the tunity to release your scores to specific schools whenyou register for the test, but be cautious about doing

oppor-this Don’t—I repeat, don’t—release your scores until

either you’re satisfied with your entire score report

or you have no other choice (such as when a line is approaching)

dead-When you release your score report to a college,the report will contain all of the scores of the SATsand SAT Subject Tests that you have taken up to thatpoint But remember: if you have taken any testmore than once, the college will consider only thetop score among all of the results

Do I have to take SAT Subject Tests?

The SAT Subject Tests are one-hour subject areatests They are offered in most academic subjects,like mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, litera-ture, history, languages, and so on Some colleges donot require you to submit any SAT Subject Testscores, while others may require you to submit up tothree SAT Subject Test scores (But you may submitmore than three if you wish.) If you are planning toapply to highly competitive colleges, you should plan

to take three or more

If you believe you have academic strengths that arenot shown by your class grades, the SAT Subject Testsare an excellent way to show colleges those strengths

When should I take the SAT and SAT

Subject Tests?

It’s usually best to take the SAT Subject Test in June

for any course you’ve finished successfully, so that

the subject material is fresh in your mind For

instance, if you do well in freshman biology, take the

SAT Subject Test in biology in June of your freshman

year Likewise, consider taking the Math Level I after

completing algebra II successfully, the Math Level II

after precalculus, etc You will want to take any SAT

Subject Test in a subject when you feel you are “at

your peak” in that subject

Learn which SAT Subject Tests your colleges

require, and try to complete them by June of your

junior year You can take up to three SAT Subject

Tests on any one test date After you take the PSAT in

October of your junior year, you can take the SAT in

late January, late March (or early April), or early May

of your junior year and in early November, early

December, and late January of your senior year

Most of our students take the SAT in March and

May of their junior year and, only if necessary, again

in October of their senior year Remember, if you

submit more than one set of SAT scores, most

col-leges will use only your top scores

How do I register for the SAT or SAT

Subject Tests?

Since the cost and terms of registration change from

time to time, check the College Board web site,

www.collegeboard.com for all the necessary

informa-tion about registrainforma-tion The site also contains all the

information you need to apply for special

accommo-dations for students with disabilities

Are my SAT and SAT Subject Test scores

the most important part of my college

application?

In most cases, no, but these scores are becoming

more important as college admissions become more

selective Without exception, high SAT scores will

provide you with an admission advantage regardless

of what kind of school you are applying to Most

colleges are also very interested in your high school

curriculum, your high school grades, your essay,your teacher recommendations, your special talents

or experiences, and your extracurricular activities.Generally, the more selective a college is, the moreimportant the personal factors are, such as extracur-ricular activities and special talents Some large orspecialized schools will weigh the SAT or ACT scoresmore heavily than others, and even declare a cutoffscore for applicants If you have any questions abouthow heavily a certain college weighs your SAT or ACTscores, call the admissions office and ask

How is the SAT scored?

Each of the three SAT sections (Critical Reading, Mathand Writing) is scored on a scale from 200 to 800 Themedian (50th percentile) score for each section isusually between 490 and 530

Each scaled score is based on a raw score for thatsection This raw score increases by 1 point for everycorrect answer, and decreases by 1⁄4 point for everywrong answer (except for the “grid-in” math questions,for which there is no penalty for wrong answers) Ifyou skip a question, your raw score remains the same

Should I guess if I don’t know the answer to a question?

Because of the wrong answer penalty describedabove, blind guessing on multiple-choice questionswill likely harm your score in the short run If youare guessing on no more than five questions, be conservative and guess only when you can eliminatetwo or more choices

If you are guessing on more than ten questions,though, you can be more aggressive Answer all ofthe questions on which you can eliminate at least onechoice before guessing

On grid-in math questions, guessing can’t harmyour score, but it may help So, if you have any kind

of guess, fill it in

Can I take the SAT with extended time?

Some students with special needs can take the SATwith accommodations such as extended time Theseaccommodations are available only to students with

October 4, 2008 SAT & Subject Tests

November 1, 2008 SAT & Subject Tests

December 6, 2008 SAT & Subject Tests

January 24, 2009 SAT & Subject Tests

formal recommendations and are strictly proctored.

If you have a learning disability that has been

diagnosed by a psychologist and feel that special

accommodations would benefit you, talk to your

guidance counselor about how to qualify and register

When will I receive my scores?

You can get your SAT or SAT Subject Test scores by

phone or on the web about two weeks after you take

the test About ten days later, a written report will be

mailed to you free of charge Any schools to which

you release your scores will receive them by mail at

about the same time you do If a college needs your

scores sooner, you can “rush” them for a fee

Can I get the actual test back when I receive

my scores?

On some SAT administrations (usually those in

October, January, and May), the College Board

provides the Question and Answer Service (QAS) for

a fee This service provides you with a copy of the testbooklet, a record of your answers, the answer key,scoring instructions, and information about the typesand difficulty of each question You may order thisservice when you register or up to five months afterthe date of the test You may also order a copy of youranswer sheet only for a smaller fee You can findinformation about these services in your score report

Are some SATs easier than others?

No SATs are statistically “equated” so that one testshould be, on average, just as difficult as any other.Many people think that, since the SAT is “graded

on a curve,” it is best to take the test when the

“smart” kids are not taking the test, so the curvewill be in your favor They are wrong The gradingcurves are determined ahead of time for each test.Don’t let such misconceptions dictate when youtake the test Take it when you are best preparedfor it

What is the College Hill Method?

In the last few decades, the SAT-prep industry has been

dominated by two general approaches: the

“crack-the-test” approach and the “buckshot” approach The

“crack-the-test” approach assumes that acing the

SAT (and tests like it) requires only memorizing a set

of “proprietary” test-taking tricks The “buckshot”

approach assumes that acing the SAT requires

mem-orizing scores and scores of “best strategies” for

tack-ling every type of SAT question (A shotgun sprays

dozens of shotgun pellets over a wide area, hoping to

hit something, in contrast to a rifle, which is far

more accurate and efficient.)

Both approaches are occasionally somewhat

helpful to students, but neither is close to an optimal

approach Just as sugar pills can give patients the

feeling that they are getting better in the short run,

yet cause serious harm in the long run by

discourag-ing them from seekdiscourag-ing real medical help, so do

test-taking tricks give students a false sense of confidence

Worse, they often encourage poor thinking habits,

which hurt students in college

The “buckshot” approach also limits a student’s

potential on the SAT Imagine any professional—a

base ballplayer, for instance—training by simply

memorizing standard procedures for every possible

scenario that might arise There are too many to

count, so the effort is doomed from the start Instead,

real experts develop their expertise through active,

structured and flexible knowledge, and robust general

problem-solving skills that are particular to their

field of expertise A good baseball player learns to

react to novel situations, to analyze situations on the

fly, and to use his strengths flexibly If a major-league

hitter becomes too rigid and standardized in his

approach, he will never be able to handle a new

pitcher or a new hitting situation

Since 2005, the SAT has raised its standards It

now includes a written essay, more reading passages,

tougher math concepts, and questions about

gram-mar and usage It is, more than ever, an academic

reasoning test, requiring creativity, analytical skill,

insight, knowledge, logic, and genuine academic

skills Don’t let the big SAT-prep franchises fool you:

the test is less susceptible to their “tricks,” and the

colleges know it Students who see very large score

improvements on the SAT do it through smart

prac-tice and by systematically improving their creative

problem-solving skills

The College Hill Method, the focus of the

success-ful McGraw-Hill SAT workbook series, is not focused

on mere test-taking tricks or memorizing scores of

procedures Based on the work of Christopher Black,

founder of College Hill Coaching in Greenwich,

Connecticut, it focuses on two elements: structured

core knowledge and robust, flexible problem-solvingskills that apply to a wide array of problem situations

Structured Core Knowledge

Structured core knowledge is the essential edge of the concepts, skills and relationships in aparticular subject area In mathematics, for instance,structured core knowledge includes the “basics” ofsuch skills as adding, multiplying, dividing, and solv-ing equations, but also includes a deep and fluentunderstanding of number relationships, operationalequivalences (for instance, the fact that dividing by anumber is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal,and that multiplication is commutative but raising

knowl-to powers is not), and functional relationships(forinstance, that squaring a positive number less than 1makes it smaller) In reading and writing, structuredcore knowledge includes the “basics” of vocabularyand sentence-building skills, but also includes a deepand fluent understanding of the higher-order struc-ture of words, sentences, paragraphs, long passages,and books, as well as an understanding of rhetoricalstrategies, etymology and literary devices

In most game situations, chess masters instantlyintuit the best move because of their vast structuredcore knowledge culled from actively analyzing hundreds of previous games Similarly, good doc-tors can quickly diagnose their patients because oftheir vast structured core knowledge With smarttraining, you will build your structured core knowl-edge of the SAT

Robust problem-solving skills

Okay, so chess masters become masters by analyzinghundreds and hundreds of games But how does thishelp you on the SAT? After all, you sure haven’t takenhundreds of SATs before, and probably don’t plan to

in the near future

But you have been reading, writing and doing

math problems for many years, and if you haveapproached them mindfully, you have accumulated agreat deal of structured core knowledge in those subject areas The keys to success on the SAT are,

first, using that structured core knowledge

effec-tively on the SAT (rather than just applying standard

test-taking tricks), and building your structured core

knowledge through mindful problem-solving

How do some people seem to learn so muchmore quickly than others? The key is in how theysolve new problems If you use mindful problem-solving skills, then every new problem reinforces oldknowledge and builds new knowledge Poor problem-solvers just apply a standardized procedure and move

on to the next problem, hoping that they applied theprocedure correctly Good problem-solvers, on the

other hand, mindfully employ the eight reasoning

skills that we at College Hill Coaching summarize

with the mnemonic MAPS CATCH: mapping,

analyz-ing, finding patterns, simplifyanalyz-ing, connecting to

struc-tured knowledge, considering alternatives, thinking

logically, and checking work

In this book, we don’t have enough space to

discuss the College Hill Method and MAPS CATCH

in very much detail It is discussed in more detail in

books like McGraw-Hill’s SAT and Conquering the

SAT Writing and the upcoming Brain Corps Training

series

However, we can give you some important

mindful questions to ask as you solve SAT problems

that will help you to build your structured core

knowledge:

• As you read critical reading passages, are you in

control of how your eyes move through the page?

Do you always know what to look for in a passage?

Is your mind actively seeking to answer questions

as you read and to “construct” a representation of

what you read in your mind? Do you consolidate

information as you read? Do you notice the

struc-ture of the passage as you read?

• As you write your essay, do you stay mindful of

the central purpose of your essay? Do you think

about different ways of phrasing and arranging

your thoughts? Do you address the objections a

reader might have to your points? Are you

contin-ually checking that your writing is clear and

forceful to your reader?

• When solving a math problem, do you always

represent the problem information in a way you

can use, manipulate and check? Do you look for

patterns or repetition in the problem so that you

can simplify it? Do you consider the different

approaches you could take to solving the

prob-lem? Do you have good strategies for checking

your work?

Getting in the zone: mindful training

for the SAT

SAT training is like marathon training For one

thing, those who finish happy are those who take

their training seriously Unfortunately, many students

“train” to take the SAT merely by memorizing tricks

and gimmicks for “cracking” the test This is like

training for a marathon merely by buying a pair of

magic socks The socks may give you a little bit of

extra confidence, but they’re not going to make a big

difference Second, the vast majority of marathon

runners know that they don’t have any chance of

coming in first, but the good runners are happy just

running their own race as best they can They listen

to their own bodies, rather than chasing the other

runners around them Similarly, good test takersdon’t pay attention to the students around themwhen they are taking a test Instead, they know whatthey can do and what they can’t do, and they don’tstress out about not being able to answer everysingle question

There are two great reasons to combine a regimen ofvigorous physical exercise with your preparation forthe SAT First, physical health yields mental benefits.Those who are in good physical shape can focuslonger and think faster than those who don’t exer-cise Second, the task of getting your body in shapeteaches you a lot about getting your mind in shape.When you are training to run a race like a marathon,for instance, you learn quickly that consistency paysoff Getting out there every day and logging miles iscritical Similarly, consistency pays off in SAT prep

If you set aside only one day a week to do your work,you won’t see nearly as much benefit as if you hadspread it out over the week Also, physical trainingteaches you to listen to your body; you learn whenit’s okay to push yourself hard, and when you need toease up Similarly, good SAT training teaches you tolisten to your mind; you learn which problems youcan tackle easily, which are challenging but manage-able, and which ones to skip This will help you enor-mously on test day

Top athletes and performers often do focusing andrelaxation exercises before they perform These exer-cises help them to eliminate distractions and unnec-essary tension so that they can do their best Youshould practice these exercises, too Here are somethat work wonders

Focused breathing is perhaps the oldest and mostpowerful technique for calming nerves and focusingthe mind It is also amazingly simple Sit in anupright chair with your hands on your knees, or situpright on the floor with your legs crossed Closeyour eyes and focus your attention on your breath-ing Do not alter your breathing at first, just notice it.After a few breaths, you will notice that it willbecome slower and deeper

This deep breathing is the key to relaxation.When we are tense and anxious, our breathingbecomes short and shallow, and the oxygen flowthrough the body is diminished

Next, focus on gently controlling your breathing

so that you extend both the in breath and the outbreath Your in breath should feel like you are filling

your lungs completely with air The out breath should

be slow and controlled, and should produce a light,

hollow, raspy sound at the back of your throat

Do not hold your breath at any point Your in

breath should move smoothly into an out breath

After a few breaths like this, you will notice that your

mind will begin to wander You will think about

other things, perhaps about responsibilities that you

have, and your body will tense up briefly Focus on

“releasing” those thoughts from your mind in the

same way that you are releasing the air from your

lungs, and return your focus to the breath This

practice of noticing and releasing distractions is an

essential part of focused breathing practice It

teaches you that these thoughts are normal, that

you shouldn’t get too anxious about them, and that

you have control over them You can “release” them

from your mind

After a few minutes of focused breathing, your

body is relaxed and your mind is alert, so you are

prepared to do your homework or take your test

Another amazingly simple practice for releasing

tension is systematic relaxation Sit in an upright

chair, or lie on the floor Close your eyes Bring your

attention to the muscles in your head and face

These are usually the first muscles to become tense

when we are anxious As your attention moves

around your face to the different muscles, “see”

these muscles in your mind’s eye at the same time

that you consciously relax them When your face and

head feel relaxed, move to your neck and shoulders

Don’t rush Often, the tension in your muscles

goes so deep that you must focus on it for a minute

or so before that tension will release Then move

systematically down to your arms, your torso and

back, your hips, your legs, and your feet With each

stage of relaxation, you should feel the tension

flow-ing out of you like sand from a bag After several

minutes of systematic relaxation, your body is

relaxed, but your mind is focused, so you are ready

to do your work

The problem with most exercise is that it is not

mindful, and therefore can put more stress on your

body than it should If exercise to you means

grunt-ing out reps with a barbell, or runngrunt-ing with music

blasting from your earphones, then your exercise

strategy may be more of an assault on your body and

mind than a healthful practice

Certain exercise disciplines have evolved over

centuries to provide mindful, healthful practices

Yoga, for instance, is not just about bending and

twisting your body into odd shapes It is about

pushing your body’s strength, flexibility, and stamina

to their limits in a mindful way, so that not only doesyour body become stronger and more flexible, butyour mind develops a much deeper “body awareness”that is so essential to good health T’ai Chi is also agreat practice for developing body awareness,although it is generally not as physically demanding

as yoga can be

Learning these disciplines requires the help of aninstructor You can probably find such classes avail-able at your local gym, or find some instructiontapes in the library or store Incorporating thesepractices into your life can make you calmer andmore prepared to handle life’s problems

Listen to your body

Your brain is constantly receiving signals from yourbody When studying or taking a test, you don’t wantthose signals to interfere with your thinking Whenyou slouch in your seat, or slump over your desk,your body tells your brain that it’s time to rest, not tothink If you want to stay alert, sit upright and leanslightly forward over your work You will find thatthis position helps you to process information muchmore efficiently than if you are in a more relaxedposition

You will find it much easier to read when your testbook is facing you directly, rather than at an angle

As an exercise, try to read both ways You will noticethat your brain has to work harder to process thewords when the book is at an angle Don’t makethings harder than they need to be!

Whenever you begin to feel fatigued from studying,take a five-minute break But be strict—don’t let yourbreak get out of hand Five minutes is enough time

to get a snack or use the bathroom but not longenough to do much else Don’t take a break to watchyour favorite show; you can do that after your home-work is done But a good short break can provide agreat energy boost in the midst of your studying

Eat smart and get your rest

Most high school students don’t put nutrition andsleep near the top of their daily priorities If youowned a $70,000 sports car, would you leave it out inhailstorms, neglect changing the oil or transmissionfluid, and use only the cheapest gasoline? Obviouslynot So don’t think that your brain will work just fineeven if you neglect its basic needs Here are somesimple tips to make sure that your mind and bodyare getting what they need

1 DRINK FIVE GLASSES OF WATER A DAY

Even though water contains no calories or vitamins,

it is the most important part of a nutritious diet

Water vitalizes your cells by helping transport

essen-tial nutrients to them It also helps to flush out the

toxic by-products that can build up in your system

Even though soda and juice are mostly water, they

add lots of other unnecessary stuff that your cells

don’t need All of your vital systems require an ample

supply of pure water to function well

Even if you eat three square meals a day, you still

may not be getting some of the nutrients your body

and brain need to work at their best Just one

multi-vitamin supplement can ensure that you won’t miss

any nutrients even if you miss a meal But

remem-ber: many essential nutrients, like Vitamin C, are not

produced by your body, and so should be consumed

regularly throughout the day Vitamin supplements

are helpful, but they can’t substitute for good general

eating habits

Protein, which is found in eggs, milk, fish, poultry,

and meat, is essential to a good diet because it

provides the “building blocks” for a healthy body If

you eat a lot of cereal and processed, packaged

foods, you probably aren’t getting enough protein

Egg whites, fish, chicken, lentils, tofu, and beans are

the best sources of high-quality protein

There is some evidence that food additives can be

harmful to the functioning of your organs, and this

includes your brain Try to eliminate processed foods

from your diet: packaged crackers, cookies and cakes,

processed cheeses, soda, and so on, because the

addi-tives in these foods generally offset any nutritional

value they have America is fat largely because of

processed foods Instead, eat more salads and green

vegetables, fruits, and whole grains

Instead of sugary processed cereal in the morning,

try yogurt with fruit and oatmeal Instead of a

fast-food hamburger or pizza, try a grilled chicken

sand-wich with lettuce and tomato (keep the sauces to a

minimum) Cutting out processed food is not too

hard, and your energy will skyrocket and you’ll feel

(and think) much better

Whenever a student a walks into my office with

bleary eyes, I don’t need an explanation I usually get

one anyway: she was up until 2 a.m the previous

night because she needed to finish an assignment

that she had to postpone because of a softball game,

or because her friend had an emotional crisis Now,I’m not going to tell you to quit sports or abandonyour friends, but you must understand somethingcritical about sleep: if you don’t get enough, yourproblems will snowball If you have to stay up late tofinish an assignment, then you’ll be too tired to payattention in class the next day, and you’ll need tostudy harder to catch up, so you’ll stay up even laterthe next night, and so on

Think of it this way: if you plan your schedule sothat you get eight hours of rest instead of six, youwill probably find that you make up those two hourswith better focus, energy, and productivity each day

So treat your bedtime like it’s an important ment, and you’ll find you’ll be much happier and getmore done every day

appoint-Smart test-taking tips

One essential part of SAT prep is taking realisticpractice tests, like those in this book When takingeach practice SAT, try your best to replicate the expe-rience of the actual test as much as possible:

• If you can’t take the test in a proctored classroom,

at least take it in some other “neutral” setting like

a public library If you absolutely must take it athome, take it at the dining room table and have aparent turn off the phones and time you on eachsection

• Start your practice test in the morning sinceyou’ll probably start your official SAT between

To stay sharp, your brain needs a good supply ofoxygen So, a good aerobic exercise regimen can helpyour SAT preparation tremendously If you don’talready have a good exercise regime, get in the habit

of doing at least 20 minutes of good aerobic exerciseevery day, preferably before you sit down to do yourhomework or take a practice test This will get the

oxygen flowing to your brain, relieve stress, and

enhance your mental agility But be careful—always

check with your doctor before making dramatic

changes in your physical activity level

When taking a practice test or just studying,

prepar-ing the area is important Most students work

inef-ficiently because they don’t prepare their work

space Put yourself in a place where you can

main-tain mindful focus for an extended time Do not

study or take your tests on your bed Your bed is a

place for sleep, not study When you recline, your

brain becomes less alert You can’t study well if one

part of your brain is sending sleep signals to the

other parts! Instead, sit in a quiet area Sit in an

upright chair at a table or desk with good lighting

This makes it easier for your brain to absorb new

information and solve new problems Also, make

sure that all the tools you will need are within easy

reach: the test booklet, a calculator, and pencils with

erasers

When you take the SAT, the test booklet is yours—

mark it up freely You get no points for neatness on

the SAT Jotting down notes, crossing off wrong

answers, and marking up diagrams are essential to

good test-takers

Within any SAT section except the reading portion,

the questions are in roughly ascending order of

diffi-culty But you can skip around as necessary—difficulty

is a matter of opinion! Remember, your objective is to

accumulate as many “raw points” as you possibly can,

so don’t get needlessly bogged down on any tough

questions

Be careful, though: if you skip around, make sure

you keep extra careful track of your answers on the

answer sheet!

Head into each test with a well-formulated strategy

for attacking the test Have clear score goals in

mind, and know what percentage of questions youwill need to answer correctly to achieve those goals.The score conversion table below will tell you this.Remember that answering every question is a badstrategy unless you have a very realistic shot at break-ing 700 per section As a rule of thumb, rememberthat you need to get only about 50% (or 1⁄2) of thequestions right in order to break 500, about 67%(or2⁄3) of the questions right in order to break 600,and about 87.5% (or 7⁄8) of the questions right inorder to break 700 It’s best to focus the majority ofyour time on just that percentage of questions youwill need to break your score goal This strategygives you more time to check your work on eachquestion, and minimizes the chance of making care-less errors Use your PSAT scores or your DiagnosticTest scores as a starting point Then decide whatscore will make you happy You should know whatthe median SAT scores are for the schools you’dlike to apply to Set aggressive goals as you train(our students always expect to improve their scores

by 100 points or so on each section) but pick a realistic goal as you get closer to the test date,based on your performance on the practice tests Ifyou’ve been getting 400s on all sections of yourpractice tests, don’t expect to get 600s on the realthing!

After you take the practice tests in this book, youmay need to review particular academic skills Our

review book, McGraw-Hill’s SAT, provides a

compre-hensive review of all of the skills tested on the SAT.Are the geometry questions particularly tough foryou? If so, focus on Chapter 13, “EssentialGeometry Skills.” Was pre-algebra so long ago thatyou forget what the commutative law and remain-ders are? If so, Chapter 10, “Essential Pre-AlgebraSkills,” is a good place to start Look carefully at anytroublesome critical reading questions on yourtests What part was toughest? If it was the vocabu-lary, focus on Chapter 6, “How to Build anImpressive Vocabulary with MAPS-CATCH.” If youstruggled in analyzing the passages, or finding theirmain points, focus on Chapter 7, “Critical ReadingSkills.” If you missed more sentence completionquestions than you’d like, work on Chapter 8,

“Sentence Completion Skills.” Look carefully at anytroublesome writing questions on your tests Didyou find yourself struggling with the essay? If so,Chapters 15 and 16 will teach you how to approach

the essay more effectively, as will Conquering the SAT Writing If the rules of grammar sometimes

seem overwhelming, work on Chapter 18, “EssentialGrammar Skills,” and Chapter 17, “Attacking theGrammar Questions.”

Write on the test when you need to Mark up

the diagrams on math problems, write in your

own words in the Sentence Completion questions,

and summarize each paragraph of the reading

passages

Alex Davidow (Syracuse ’08, + 170 points CR)

SAT Score Conversion Table

Use this table to help you set your strategy for reaching your score goals Beneath each section heading,find your score goal Then find the “raw score” that corresponds to it This is the number of points youneed in total for that section For instance, if your score goal is 500 on the critical reading section, you

need a raw score of 29 points This means that you must get at least 29 correct answers in total on all of

the critical reading section Since there are 67 critical reading questions in total, this allows plenty ofroom to skip the harder questions

Remember, however, that a wrong answer on any multiple-choice question deducts 1⁄4point from your rawscore Therefore, it is important to answer more questions than the minimum required for your goal, sothat you give yourself room for error If your goal is 500 on the critical reading section, for instance, youshould plan to answer at least 35 questions to allow for a few wrong answers

Critical Critical Reading Math Writing Reading Math Writing Raw Scaled Scaled Scaled Raw Scaled Scaled Scaled Score Score Score Score Score Score Score Score

7 P RACTICE , PRACTICE , PRACTICE !

Whatever strategies you want to use on the SAT,

practice them on tests so that you don’t spend energy

re-thinking strategy during the real SAT Don’t get

too focused on “point-counting” during the test This

will take your focus away from the real problems

INSTRUCTIONS

One of the simplest ways to increase your chances of

success on test day is to familiarize yourself with the

format of the exam ahead of time Know the format

and instructions for each section of the SAT This

will save you time on the actual test Why waste time

reading the directions when you could memorize

them beforehand? The rules won’t change

The SAT is different from exams you take in the

class-room because you get negative points for wrong

answers On a 100-question classroom math exam, if

you answer 80 questions correctly and get 20 questions

wrong, your score would be an 80 On the SAT, if you

answer 80 questions correctly and get 20 questions

wrong, your score would be a 75 Why? Because the

ETS includes a “wrong-answer penalty” to age random guessing For 5-question multiple-choicequestions, a correct answer is worth 1 “raw” point, awrong answer costs you 1⁄4point, and an unansweredquestion costs you nothing It’s better to leave a ques-tion blank than it is to get it wrong If you can elim-inate two or more choices, however, you shouldprobably make an educated guess Work on yourguessing strategy as you practice When you take aPractice Test, write a “G” on the test booklet next toquestions you guess on (not on the answer sheet).After the exam, check to see how many of thoseguesses you got right If you consistently get morethan 20% (or 1⁄5) of your guesses right, you are “beat-ing the odds,” and your guessing strategy is betterthan omitting those questions

discour-On SAT Day

The night before the SAT, your studying should all bebehind you; cramming at this point will probably domore harm than good Relax, go see a movie, grabdinner with your friends, do whatever you need to do

to reward your brain for its efforts over the previousmonths As long as you get a good night’s rest, you’reallowed to have some fun the evening before theexam For a truly peaceful slumber, lay out every-thing you need for test day the night before

The night before the test, lay out everything you willneed for the test on your night stand or kitchen table.Don’t forget any of the following:

• Admission ticket

• Photo ID

• Several #2 pencils with erasers

Prepare in advance, but don’t study the nightbefore, just get a good night’s sleep And don’tforget a good breakfast the next morning! (Even

if you’re nervous!)

Julie MacPherson (+130 points CR)

Do some review almost every day rather thancramming it into just one or two days each week

Joia Ramchandani (MIT ’07, 700 CR 770 M)

Whenever you have the choice, turn off the TV

and read a good book instead!

Elisha Barron (Yale ’06, 800 CR 800 M)

Taking Practice Tests under real test conditions

helps a lot!

Alex Davidow (Syracuse ’08, +170 points CR)

Take Practice Tests in the library, where there

are no distractions, and go over each of your

practice SATs for a second time soon after you

take them to help you to understand where and

why you are going wrong

Joia Ramchandani (MIT ’07, 700 CR 770 M)

• Calculator (with fresh batteries)

• Stopwatch

• A light snack, like a banana or granola bar

• Your brain

• Earplugs (if you need them to shut out distractions)

• Directions to the test site (if you haven’t been

there before)

Few things are as awful as having your calculator

conk out ten minutes into your first math section, so

put in fresh batteries the night before Forgetting

your ticket would be disastrous And they rarely have

a spare brain available if you happen to forget yours

If you will be taking the SAT at an unfamiliar test

site, make sure to get directions to the site well

ahead of time Drive (or take the bus or subway) to

the test site at some point in the days before the test,

so you can familiarize yourself with it Even better,

have someone else drive you to the test, but make

sure that he or she knows the way, too Leave

your-self plenty of time to get to the test site by 8 am so

that you don’t stress out if you hit traffic or get a

little lost

4 BYOS— BRING YOUR OWN STOPWATCH

Your testing room will almost certainly have a clock,

but it can be a big advantage to have your own

stop-watch.(But make sure it doesn’t make noise, or the

proctor will confiscate it!) The best stopwatch is one

that counts backwards from the time that you set

Make sure you practice setting, starting, and

stopping the watch before you get to the test site This

will help you to manage your time and avoid that

annoying mental arithmetic you would have to do to

tell how much time you have left Practice using your

stopwatch when taking your practice exams so that

you feel comfortable using it

Wear clothes that will keep you comfortable in any

temperature If it is late spring, bring an extra layer

in case the room is too cold; if it is winter, wear

layers so that you can remove clothing if you are too

hot Sometimes it seems as if NASA is using SAT

testing rooms to test human endurance at extreme

temperatures

Eat a good breakfast before the exam, with protein

to give your brain the energy it will need Oatmeal is

a good option, or eggs and bacon Try to stay awayfrom sugary cereals and syrup While eating, youmay want to relax to some peaceful music, or youmay want to “start your engine” by looking over anSAT critical reading passage or an interesting mathproblem to get your brain in the right mode

Finally, head into the SAT with a positive attitude Ifyou go in with an “I don’t want to be here” attitude,the SAT will eat you alive Your attitude is critical tosuccess on the SAT Any negative energy will detractfrom your thinking power and cost you points.Positive energy serves as motivation and puts youinto a sharper mindset, helping you to focus on thetough questions

8 I T STARTS — FOCUS !

Good preparation will be wasted if you can’t focus ontest day When you step into the classroom to take yourSAT, you shouldn’t be thinking about the things thatcould go wrong Fight the urge to think about thesweet party you will go to that night, the argument thatyou had with your best friend the night before, or whatyou are going to have for lunch Before the test begins,focus on relaxing and carrying out your game plan

The SAT is like a marathon, so pace yourself well If youlose focus for the last section, it may cost you dearly.When you get near the end, don’t think, “I’m almost out

of here!” Focus by thinking, “Finish strong!” Keep self mentally sharp from beginning to end; don’t allowyourself to let up until that final answer is filled in

your-10 D ON ’ T CHANGE YOUR ANSWER FOR DUMB REASONS

When should you change an answer and when

should you leave it alone? The answer is simple: only change your answer when you’ve reviewed the entire problem and discovered a mistake Don’t change your

answer for dumb reasons like, “This one can’t be (A)because the last two answers were (A)!” or “It can’t

be that easy, it must be another answer!”

On your practice exams, whenever you changeyour answer, write a “Ch” next to the question inyour test booklet After you finish the exam, see howmany of those changes were for the better This willgive you a better sense on test day of whether yourchecking strategy is an effective one

11 W ASTE NOT

Don’t waste too much time on any one question.Some students lose 30–40 points on a section simply

Bring a light snack for energy on SAT day to eat

during one of the breaks

Joia Ramchandani (MIT ’07, 700 CR 770 M)

by being too stubborn to let a problem go If a

tion is going to take too much time, circle the

ques-tion number in the test booklet, skip it on your

answer sheet, and come back to it later If you return

to the problem 10 or 15 minutes later, your refreshed

brain may well see things more clearly and find a

simple way to solve the problem!

12 D ON ’ T GIVE THE RIGHT ANSWER TO

THE WRONG QUESTION

Don’t go so fast that you answer the wrong question

when doing a math problem Always re-read the

question to make sure you are giving the answer to

the question it asks! For example, in the question

3x + 6 = 12, what is the value of 3x?

even bright students often solve for x and give the

answer of 2 However, the question asked for the

value of 3x, which is 6 This is an example of giving

the right answer to the wrong question If you

occa-sionally make this kind of mistake, get into the habit

of underlining what the question wants you to find

This will help you to focus on answering the right

question

13 D ON ’ T BLOW BUBBLES

Many SAT horror stories begin with a student

put-ting answers in the wrong places on the answer

sheet To avoid this, practice using the answer sheets

when taking your practice tests so that you get

comfortable with them Experiment with differentmethods of filling in your answer sheet Some students like to slide the answer sheet from under thetest booklet, revealing just one space at a time foreach question Others prefer to fill in the answer afterevery question, and some prefer to wait until they’veanswered all of the questions on a page (circling theiranswers on the test booklet before transferring them

to the answer sheet) There is no one “best way” to doit; just find the approach that is best for you

If you skip a problem, be extremely careful toskip that question on your answer sheet as well

A small erasable dash next to the question number

on the answer sheet works well as a reminder

14 F INISH STRONG

If you budget your time wisely, you should haveplenty of time to do everything you need to do on theSAT, and that probably includes leaving some hardquestions unanswered But what should you do ifsuddenly time is running out and you have severalquestions left that you need to answer? First, makesure that you really do need to answer them; answer-ing too many questions is a common mistake If youreally do need to rush a bit, at least rush wisely Firstanswer the questions that can be done quickly Forexample, a “word-in-context” critical reading ques-tion can usually be answered much more quicklythan a “main idea” question If your time is runningout, attack the simplest questions!

CHAPTER 3

ATTACKING THE SAT ESSAY

Know What They’re Looking For

16

✓

Copyright © 2008, 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc Click here for terms of use

Why an essay?

The first section of your SAT is a 25-minute writing

assignment designed to assess how well you can

express your ideas in writing—that is, make an

argu-ment using clear and specific examples, solid

reason-ing and fluent language It is not simply an assessment

of “what you know,” and it isn’t a spelling or grammar

test Many colleges regard this as one of the most

important elements of the SAT, because essays are

often an important part of college evaluation

The assignment will be to answer a very broad

question about human values or behavior, such as Is

an individual person responsible, through his or

her example, for the behavior of others? There is no

“right” or “wrong” answer to the question; you may

present any point of view you wish

Writing an argumentative essay is not like

writ-ing a story or a letter to a friend On the SAT essay,

your job is not to entertain but to persuade You may

be funny and creative if you wish, but your primary

task is to explain and support an interesting point of

view, not to impress someone with flowery language

or cute observations

A good persuasive essay respects the reader’s

intelligence, yet explains an argument carefully

Although you can assume that your readers are

smart and well-read, you cannot assume that they

think exactly as you do, or that they will fill in

logi-cal gaps for you You must show your reasoning

How long should it be?

Quality is much more important than quantity

Nevertheless, you should try to fill both of the pages

you’re given for the essay Plan to write four

para-graphs, and add a fifth if you have enough time and

substance

Most essays that get perfect scores are four or

five paragraphs long Very few top-scoring essays

have fewer than four paragraphs The scorers will

evaluate your essay’s organization, and this includes

how effectively you use paragraphs

The five essential qualities of a good persuasive essay

Your SAT essay will be scored by two SAT Englishteachers who are trained by the ETS They are look-ing for the five basic elements that all good humani-ties professors expect of good writing

POINT OF VIEW

Do you take a thoughtful and interesting position onthe issue? Do you answer the question as it is pre-sented? Do you maintain a consistent point of view?

Do you define any necessary terms to make your reasoning clear? Do you explain the reasons for andimplications of your thesis? Do you acknowledgeand address possible objections to your thesis with-out sacrificing its integrity?

Do you give relevant and specific examples to support

your thesis? Do you explain how these examples support your thesis?

Does every paragraph relate clearly to your thesis?

Do you provide logical transitions between graphs? Do you have a clear introduction and conclusion? Does the conclusion provide thoughtfulcommentary, rather than mere repetition of thethesis?

Do you use effective and appropriate vocabulary? Doyou vary sentence length and structure effectively?

Do you avoid needless repetition? Do you use lelism, metaphor, personification, or other rhetoricaldevices to good effect? Do you use strong verbs? Doyou avoid needlessly abstract language? Do you avoidcliché?

paral-PRACTICE TEST 1

19

✓Copyright © 2008, 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc Click here for terms of use

ANSWER SHEET

Last Name: First Name: _Date: _ Testing Location: _

Directions for Test

• Remove these answer sheets from the book and use them to record your answers to this test

• This test will require 3 hours and 20 minutes to complete Take this test in one sitting

• The time allotment for each section is written clearly at the beginning of each section This test contains six 25-minute sections, two 20-minute sections, and one 10-minute section

• This test is 25 minutes shorter than the actual SAT, which will include a 25-minute “experimental” section thatdoes not count toward your score That section has been omitted from this test

• You may take one short break during the test, of no more than 10 minutes in length

• You may only work on one section at any given time

• You must stop ALL work on a section when time is called

• If you finish a section before the time has elapsed, check your work on that section You may NOT work on anyother section

• Do not waste time on questions that seem too difficult for you

• Use the test book for scratchwork, but you will receive credit only for answers that are marked on the answersheets

• You will receive one point for every correct answer

• You will receive no points for an omitted question

• For each wrong answer on any multiple-choice question, your score will be reduced by 1⁄4point

• For each wrong answer on any “numerical grid-in” question, you will receive no deduction

When you take the real SAT, you will be asked to fill in your personal information in grids as shown below

7

Last Name (First 4 Letters.)

First Init.

N O P Q R S T U

′ A B C D E F G H I J K L M

N O P Q R S T U

′ A B C D E F G H I J K L M

N O P Q R S T U

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

N O P Q R S T U

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

N O P Q R S T U

A

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1 2 3

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

5 4 3 2

0 1

5 4 3 2

0 1

5 4 3 2

0 1

5 4 3 2

0 1

5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

0 1

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 B

C D E F G H I J K L M

N O P Q R S T U

3

6

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER 5 SEX

REGISTRATION NUMBER

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov

Female Male

MONTH DAY YEAR

(Copy from Admission Ticket.)

(Supplied by Test Center Supervisor.)

Start with number 1 for each new section If a section has fewer questions than answer spaces,

leave the extra answer spaces blank Be sure to erase any errors or stray marks completely.

Use the answer spaces in the grids below for Section 2 or Section 3 only if you are told to do so in your test book.

ONLY ANSWERS ENTERED IN THE CIRCLES IN EACH GRID WILL BE SCORED.YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT FOR ANYTHING WRITTEN IN THE BOXES ABOVE THE CIRCLES.

/

Start with number 1 for each new section If a section has fewer questions than answer spaces,

leave the extra answer spaces blank Be sure to erase any errors or stray marks completely.

Use the answer spaces in the grids below for Section 4 or Section 5 only if you are told to do so in your test book.

ONLY ANSWERS ENTERED IN THE CIRCLES IN EACH GRID WILL BE SCORED.YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT FOR ANYTHING WRITTEN IN THE BOXES ABOVE THE CIRCLES.

/

Start with number 1 for each new section If a section has fewer questions than answer spaces,

leave the extra answer spaces blank Be sure to erase any errors or stray marks completely.

Use the answer spaces in the grids below for Section 6 or Section 7 only if you are told to do so in your test book.

ONLY ANSWERS ENTERED IN THE CIRCLES IN EACH GRID WILL BE SCORED.YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT FOR ANYTHING WRITTEN IN THE BOXES ABOVE THE CIRCLES.

/

Start with number 1 for each new section If a section has fewer questions than answer spaces,

leave the extra answer spaces blank Be sure to erase any errors or stray marks completely.

1 ESSAY ESSAY 1

ESSAY Time—25 minutes

Write your essay on separate sheets of standard lined paper

The essay gives you an opportunity to show how effectively you can develop and express ideas Youshould, therefore, take care to develop your point of view, present your ideas logically and clearly, and uselanguage precisely

Your essay must be written on the lines provided on your answer sheet—you will receive no other paper onwhich to write You will have enough space if you write on every line, avoid wide margins, and keep yourhandwriting to a reasonable size Remember that people who are not familiar with your handwriting willread what you write Try to write or print so that what you are writing is legible to those readers

Important Reminders:

• A pencil is required for the essay An essay written in ink will receive a score of zero.

• Do not write your essay in your test book You will receive credit only for what you write on your

answer sheet

• An off-topic essay will receive a score of zero.

You have twenty-five minutes to write an essay on the topic assigned below

Consider carefully the issue discussed in the following passage, then write an essay that answers the questionposed in the assignment

The liberally educated person is one who is able to resist the easy and preferred answers,

not because he is obstinate but because he knows others worthy of consideration

—Allan Bloom

Assignment: What is one important “easy and preferred answer” that we should resist? That is,

what dangerous misconception do people commonly hold? Write an essay in which

you answer this question and support your position logically with examples from ture, the arts, history, politics, science and technology, current events, or your experience

litera-or observation

If you finish before time is called, you may check your work on this section only.

Do not turn to any other section of the test.

m r

r m

GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE

SECTION 2 Time—25 minutes

20 questions

Turn to Section 2 of your answer sheet to answer the questions in this section.

Directions: For this section, solve each problem and decide which is the best of the choices given Fill in

the corresponding circle on the answer sheet You may use any available space for scratchwork

1 The use of a calculator is permitted

2 All numbers used are real numbers

3 Figures that accompany problems in this test are intended to provide information useful in ing the problems They are drawn as accurately as possible EXCEPT when it is stated in a spe-cific problem that the figure is not drawn to scale All figures lie in a plane unless otherwiseindicated

solv-4 Unless otherwise specified, the domain of any function f is assumed to be the set of all real bers x for which f(x) is a real number.

num-The number of degrees of arc in a circle is 360

The sum of the measures in degrees of the angles of a triangle is 180

Note: Figure not drawn to scale.

3. In the figure above, if l is a line, a + b = 120

and b + c = 100, then what is the value

(A) $5,500,000(B) $6,500,000(C) $9,000,000(D) $10,500,000(E) $12,000,000

7. An isosceles triangle has one angle with ameasure greater than 95° and another with a

measure of x° Which of the following must betrue?

(A) x> 85(B) x= 85(C) x= 42.5(D) x< 42.5

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9. If a is a multiple of 3 and b is an odd integer,

then which of the following must be an odd

10. The point (a, b) is reflected over the x-axis, and

then the reflected point is reflected over the

y-axis If a and b are both positive, which of

the following represents the coordinates of the

point after the second reflection?

11. A right circular cylinder with a radius of 1 and

a height of 1 has a volume that is most nearly

the same as the volume of a rectangular solid

12. If the nth term of a sequence is 3n2– n, then

how much greater is the 10th term than the

(E) x is not a real number

15. If (m + n)2= 18 and mn = 4, then what is the value of m2+ n2?

(A) 10(B) 14(C) 18(D) 22(E) 26

16. An isosceles triangle has two sides of length 5and 12 Which of the following could be theperimeter of this triangle?

I 22

II 29III 30(A) II only(B) I and II only(C) I and III only(D) II and III only(E) I, II, and III

a

b

17. The figure above shows a digital counter above

a dial counter showing the digits 0 through 5

Both counters are initially set to 0 and count

upward together in increments of 1 For

in-stance, when the digital counter reads 5 the

dial counter also reads 5, but when the digital

counter reads 6, the dial counter resets back to

0 What will the dial counter read when the

digital counter reads 1000?

18. In a mixture of raisins and dates, the ratio by

weight of raisins to dates is 7 to 3 How many

pounds of raisins will there be in 7 pounds of

19. If m and n are integers and

then which of the following could be the value

of m?

I –5

II –3III –1(A) II only(B) II and III only(C) I and II only(D) I and III only(E) I, II, and III

20. Each of the k girls in a club agreed to raise an

equal amount of money to give to a charity to

which the club had pledged a total of x dollars.

If p more girls later join the club and also

agree to raise an equal share of the pledgedamount, how much less would each of theoriginal club members have to raise, in dol-lars, than she had originally agreed to raise?(A)

24

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1. Andrews was one of the first executives to

re-alize that employees are most productive

when he or she feels to be part of a family

(A) he or she feels to be part of a family

(B) they feel as if they are part of a family

(C) he or she feels part of a family

(D) it’s more like a family for them

(E) feeling a part of a family is made

possible

2. Several agents were dispatched to Europe for the purpose of investigating a lead thatcould potentially provide a break in the case.(A) for the purpose of investigating(B) to investigate on

(C) for the investigation of(D) to investigate

(E) to investigate after

3. Although worried about the dangers of goinginto debt, Helena’s concern was more aboutthe possibility of losing her business

(A) Helena’s concern was more about thepossibility of losing her business(B) it was the possibility of losing her businessthat gave Helena more concern

(C) Helena was more concerned towards herbusiness and the possibility of losing it(D) the possibility of losing her business gaveHelena more concern

(E) Helena was more concerned about thepossibility of losing her business

4. Those who enjoy Marquez’s novels, being thosewho tend not to read traditional fiction, prefer-ring instead the intellectual challenge of mag-ical realism

(A) novels, being those who tend not to read(B) novels, tending to be those who do notread

(C) novels tend not to read(D) novels are the ones that tend not

to be the ones reading(E) novels being the ones tending not

to read

SECTION 3 Time—25 minutes

35 questions

Turn to Section 3 of your answer sheet to answer the questions in this section.

Directions: For each question in this section, select the best answer from among the choices given and

fill in the corresponding circle on the answer sheet

The following sentences test correctness and

effectiveness of expression Part of each

sen-tence or the entire sensen-tence is underlined;

beneath each sentence are five ways of

phras-ing the underlined material Choice A repeats

the original phrasing; the other four choices

are different Select the choice that completes

the sentence most effectively

In making your selection, follow the

require-ments of standard written English; that is,

pay attention to grammar, choice of words,

sentence construction, and punctuation

Your selection should result in the most

effective sentence—clear and precise,

with-out awkwardness or ambiguity

EXAMPLE:

The children couldn’t hardly believe their

eyes

(A) couldn’t hardly believe their eyes

(B) could hardly believe their eyes

(C) would not hardly believe their eyes

(D) couldn’t nearly believe their eyes

(E) couldn’t hardly believe his or her eyes

5. The reason the event was cancelled was not so

much the poor weather as the lack of interest

(A) as the lack of interest

(B) than the lack of interest

(C) than because of the lack of interest

(D) but rather the lack of interest

(E) as it was lacking interest

6. The statute recently passed gives the chief of

police sole authority to determine about which

duties qualify for overtime pay

(A) about which duties qualify for overtime

pay

(B) regarding the qualifications of duties for

overtime pay

(C) whether overtime pay qualifies for

certain duties or not

(D) for those duties that qualify for overtime

pay

(E) which duties qualify for overtime pay

7. In baseball, the batter attempts to hit the ball

within a ninety degree quadrant, in cricket the

batter can hit the ball in any direction

(A) quadrant, in cricket the batter can hit

(B) quadrant; but in cricket the batter

(E) quadrant; the batter in cricket hitting

8. Skeptical of the abilities of prophets to tell thefuture, Athens was where significant numbers

of philosophers began to value reason over revealed truths

(A) Athens was where significant numbers of philosophers began to valuereason over revealed truths

(B) it was a significant number of philosophers that began to value reason over revealed truths(C) a significant number of philosophers

in Athens began to value reason over revealed truths

(D) the valuing of reason over revealedtruths was begun by a significant number of philosphers in Athens(E) valuing of reason over revealed truths byphilosophers in Athens was begun

9. As the investigation concludes, the debate over theorigins of the scandal, the merits of the federal in-vestigation, and the legal authority of the prosecu-tor have intensified greatly

(A) the legal authority of the prosecutor have(B) whether the prosecutor has legal author-ity has

(C) the legal authority of the prosecutor has(D) what the legal authority of the prosecutor is has

(E) the prosecutor’s legal authority have

10. Excited by the prospect of starting her ownbusiness, Kyra’s first decision needed to bewhere she could rent office space

(A) Kyra’s first decision needed to be whereshe could rent office space

(B) Kyra first had to decide where it was torent office space

(C) Kyra’s first decision had to be regardingrenting office space and where it would be(D) Kyra first had to decide where to rent office space

(E) renting office space had to be whatKyra’s first decision was about

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11. Elizabeth is a highly skilled teacher, in

addi-tion to being an outstanding pianist and

com-poser, and these are talents she uses to get her

students interested in music

(A) Elizabeth is a highly skilled teacher,

in addition to being an outstanding

pianist and composer, and these are

talents she uses to get her students

interested in music

(B) A highly skilled teacher, Elizabeth uses

her outstanding talents as a pianist and

composer to get her students interested

in music

(C) Getting her students interested in music,

Elizabeth uses her outstanding talents as

a pianist and a composer, making her a

highly skilled teacher

(D) Elizabeth being an outstanding pianist

and composer and a highly skilled

teacher, she uses these talents to get her

students interested in music

(E) To get her students interested in music,

Elizabeth uses her outstanding talents as

a pianist and composer, her being a

highly skilled teacher

12. Yet to be discussed in the conference is

Amore than a dozen proposals for changes

themselves much more civil than they

as a fire fighter, Leon handled the disasterB

calmly and effectively and in fact is

Ccredited with saving several lives No error

15. While the Athenians were outraged by the

Aoppressive and unenlightened Spartans,

but the Spartans were indignant about

the Athenians’ indifference to the gods

Dand religious matters No error

E

The following sentences test your ability to

recognize grammar and usage errors Each

sentence contains either a single error or no

error at all No sentence contains more than

one error The error, if there is one, is

under-lined and lettered If the sentence contains an

error, select the one underlined part that must

be changed to make the sentence correct If the

sentence is correct, select choice E In

choos-ing answers, follow the requirements of

stan-dard written English