Princeton Review PSAT 8/9 Prep (2021)

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DownloadedfromStudyXY.com[=Ww+StudyXYoias.Za\Rr'BE\StudyAnythingThisContentHasbeenPostedOnStudyXY.comassupplementarylearningmaterial.StudyXYdoesnotendroseanyuniversity,collegeorpublisher.Allmaterialspostedareundertheliabilityofthecontributors.|8)www.studyxy.com

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EditorialRobFranek,Editor-in-ChiefDavidSoto,DirectorofContentDevelopmentStephenKoch,StudentSurveyManagerDeborahWeber,DirectorofProductionGabrielBerlin,ProductionDesignManagerSelenaCoppock,ManagingEditorAaronRiccio,SeniorEditorMeaveShelton,SeniorEditorChrisChimera,EditorEleanorGreen,EditorOrionMcBean,EditorPatriciaMurphy,EditorialAssistantRandomHousePublishingTeamTomRussell,VP,PublisherAlisonStoltzfus,PublishingDirectorAmandaYee,AssociateManagingEditorEllenReed,ProductionManagerSuzanneLee,DesignerThePrincetonReview110East42ndStreet,7thFloorNewYork,NY10017E-mail:editorialsupport@review.comCopyright©2020byTPREducationIPHoldings,LLC.Allrightsreserved.PublishedintheUnitedStatesbyPenguinRandomHouseLLC,NewYork,andinCanadabyRandomHouseofCanada,adivisionofPenguinRandomHouseLtd.,Toronto.TermsofService:ThePrincetonReviewOnlineCompanionTools(“StudentTools”)forretailbooksareavailableforonlythetwomostrecenteditionsofthatbook.StudentToolsmaybeactivatedonlyoncepereligiblebookpurchasedforatotalof24monthsofaccess.ActivationofStudentToolsmorethanonceperbookisindirectviolationoftheseTermsofServiceandmayresultindiscontinuationofaccesstoStudentToolsServices.

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ISBN9780525570165EbookISBN9780525570264PSAT™isatrademarkoftheCollegeBoard,whichisnotaffiliatedwith,anddoesnotendorse,thisproduct.ThePrincetonReviewisnotaffiliatedwithPrincetonUniversity.Permissionhasbeengrantedtoreprintportionsofthefollowing:“MysteriousNeutrinosGetNewMassEstimate,”byClaraMoskowitz.Adaptedwithpermission.Copyright©2019ScientificAmerican,adivisionofNatureAmerica,Inc.Allrightsreserved.“CanPokémonGoGetPlayersIntoNationalParks?”byElainaZachos.©2016byNationalGeographic.“Physicistscloseinonelusiveneutrino’smass.”byDavideCastelvecchi.©2019bySpringerNature.ExcerptfromTHEKITERUNNERbyKhaledHosseini,copyright©2003byTKRPublications,LLC.UsedbypermissionofRiverhead,animprintofPenguinPublishingGroup,adivisionofPenguinRandomHouseLLC.AllRightReserved.ExcerptfromTHEKITERUNNERbyKhaledHosseini,copyright©2003KhaledHosseini.ReprintedbypermissionofAnchorCanada/DoubledayCanada,adivisionofPenguinRandomHouseCanadaLimited.Allrightsreserved.“Understandingtheconditionsthatfostercoralreefs’caretakerfishes,”byAdelHeenan,AndrewHoey,GarethJ.Williams,andIvorD.Williams.TheConversationNovember29,2016.PermissiongrantedbyAdelHeenan.“Ratingnewssourcescanhelplimitthespreadofmisinformation,”byAntinoKim,AlanR.Dennis,PatriciaL.Moravec,andRandallK.Minas.TheConversationDecember1,2019.PermissiongrantedbyAntinoKim.“TheNewNormal?:AverageGlobalTemperaturesContinuetoRise,”byDavidBiello.Copyright©2010ScientificAmerican,aDivisionofSpringerNatureAmerica,Inc.Allrightsreserved.“SomeReliefforTestAnxietyIsFoundinanUnusualTreatment.”ByCindiMay.Adaptedwithpermission.Copyright©2019ScientificAmerican,adivisionofSpringerNatureAmerica,Inc.Allrightsreserved.“WhyDoesMusicFeelSoGood?”byVirginiaHughes.Copyright©2013byNationalGeographic.Editor:ChrisChimeraProductionEditors:EmmaParkerandLizDacey+Studyxy

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ProductionArtist:GabrielBerlinCoverartbyYanGayvoronskaya/AlamyStockPhotoCoverdesignbySuzanneLeea_prh_5.6.0_c0_r0+StudyXy

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AcknowledgmentsSpecialthankstoAmyMinster,SaraKuperstein,andCynthiaWardfortheircontributionstothisedition,aswellasAaronLindhforhisexpertguidance.ThanksalsotoAnneBader,KevinBaldwin,GabbyBudzon,NicoleCosme,LoriDesRochers,AnneGoldberg-Baldwin,CatHealey,BradKelly,JomilLondon,DaveMcKenzie,DaniellePerrini,BenjaminTallon,JessThomas,andJimmyWilliams.ThePrincetonReviewwouldalsoliketothankGabrielBerlin,EmmaParker,andLizDaceyfortheirtimeandattentiontoeachpage.SpecialthankstoAdamRobinson,whoconceivedofandperfectedtheJoeBloggsapproachtostandardizedtests,andmanyothertechniquesinthisbook.

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ContentsCoverTitlePageCopyrightAcknowledgmentsGetMore(Free)ContentPartI:Orientation1WhatIsthePSAT8/9?2GeneralStrategiesPartll:PracticeTest13PracticeTest14PracticeTest1:AnswersandExplanationsPartlll:PSAT8/9Prep5ReadingComprehension6IntroductiontotheWritingandLanguageStrategy7Punctuation8Words9Questions10MathBasics11MathTechniques12AdvancedMathPartIV:DrillAnswersandExplanations

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1GotoPrincetonReview.com/prepandenterthefollowingISBNforyourbook:97805255702642AnswerafewsimplequestionstosetupanexclusivePrincetonReviewaccount.(Ifyoualreadyhaveone,youcanjustlogin.)

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3EnjoyaccesstoyourFREEcontent!Needtoreportapotentialcontentissue?ContactEditorialSupport@review.comandinclude:fulltitleofthebook

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*ISBN*pagenumberNeedtoreportatechnicalissue?ContactTPRStudentTech@review.comandprovide:oyourfullname+emailaddressusedtoregisterthebook«fullbooktitleandISBNeOperatingsystem(Mac/PC)andbrowser(Firefox,Safari,etc.)Onceyou'veregistered,youcan...*GetourtakeonanyrecentorpendingupdatestothePSAT8/9*Takeafull-lengthpracticePSAT,SAT,and/orACT«Getvaluableadviceaboutthecollegeapplicationprocess,includingtipsforwritingagreatessayandwheretoapplyforfinancialaid«Ifyou'restillchoosingbetweencolleges,useoursearchablerankingsofTheBest386Collegestofindoutmoreinformationaboutyourdreamschool.*Accesscomprehensivestudyguidesandavarietyofprintableresources,including:anadditionalpracticetest,explanations,andabubblesheet.«Checktoseeiftherehavebeenanycorrectionsorupdatestothisedition

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BookPROVENTECHNIQUESAPPLIEDSTRATEGIESWATCHOUTANOTHERAPPROACH

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PartlOrientation1WhatIsthePSAT8/9?2GeneralStrategies

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Chapter1WhatIsthePSAT8/9?ThePSAT8/9isastandardizedtestgiventoeighthandninthgraderstogivethema“preliminary”ideaofhowwelltheycoulddoonSATquestiontypes.Thischapterwillgiveyouageneraloverviewofthetestandhowitisused,alongwiththebasicstostartyourpreparation.Finally,we'lltakeaglimpseattheothertestsinCollegeBoard’sSuiteofAssessments:thePSAT10,PSAT/NMSQT,andtheSAT.

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PSAT8/9JustliketheSATandtheotherPSATtests,thePSAT8/9,whichisdesignedforeighthandninthgraders,containsaReadingTest,aWritingandLanguageTest,andaMathTest.Intermsofthemainareasoffocus,thecontentofeachsectioniscomparableamongthedifferentversionsofthePSATandtheSAT.AlthoughReadingandWritingandLanguagearetwoseparatesectionsandtwodifferentsetsofskills,CollegeBoardusesbothsectionstoproduceasingleEvidence-BasedReadingandWritingscore.AccordingtoCollegeBoard,theEvidence-BasedReadingandWritingsectionasksyouto“interpret,synthesize,anduseevidencefoundinawiderangeofsources.”Thebottomline:bepreparedtojustifyyourselectedanswerwithevidencefromthepassageand/orgraphprovided.Thistestisstillnotaboutmakingupanything,butfindingthecorrectanswerbasedonthetext.CollegeBoardalsoclaimsthattheMathTest“focusesin-depthontwoessentialareasofmath:ProblemSolvingandDataAnalysis,andHeartofAlgebra.”Thebottomline:expecttoseeAlgebraI(andmaybesomeAlgebraII)andquestionswithcharts,graphs,datatables,scatter-plots,orotherformsofdatarepresentationprovided.TheMathTestissplitintotwosections:oneinwhichacalculatormaybeusedandoneinwhichitmaynotbeused.Eventhoughacalculatorisallowedinonesection,itisuptothetest-takertodeterminewhetherthecalculatorwillbehelpfulinsolvingaquestion.AccordingtoCollegeBoard,“studentswhomakeuseofstructureortheirabilitytoreasonwillprobablyfinishbeforestudentswhouseacalculator.”Thebottomline:showyourworkandusethecalculatorfortediouscalculations,butacalculatorwillnotbenecessarytosolveamajorityofthequestions.AllquestionsintheEvidence-BasedReadingandWritingsectionaremultiplechoice.MostoftheMathTestquestionsaremultiplechoice,with18percentofallMathTestquestionsintheGrid-In,orstudent-

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produced,format.Foreachquestionansweredcorrectly,onerawpointisearned,andthereisnopenaltyforanincorrectresponseoraquestionleftblank.Thebottomline:don’tleaveanythingblank!What'swithAllTheseScores?ThePSAT8/9(andthePSAT10,PSAT/NMSQT,andSAT)aredesigned(accordingtoCollegeBoard)toreflecthowpreparedyouareforcollegeandfortheworkingworld.WhileweatThePrincetonReviewmaytakeissuewiththatclaim,thisideadoesinformbothhowCollegeBoardrecommendsyouprepareandwhytherearesomanydifferentscoresonyourscorereport.CollegeBoardmaintainsthatthebestwaytoprepareforthetestisto:otakechallengingcourses¢doyourhomeworkopreparefortestsandquizzes«askandanswerlotsofquestionsCollegeadmissionsadvisorswanta“well-rounded”pictureoftheapplicant,soCollegeBoardhasdoneitsbesttomeetthedemandwithitssuiteoftests.ThePSAT8/9ismoreforschoolstodeterminehowwell-preparedeighth-andninth-gradersarefortheotherPSATsandtheSAT.ThePSAT8/9providesameasurementoffourEvidence-BasedReadingandWritingsubscores(CommandofEvidence,WordsinContext,StandardEnglishConventions,andExpressionofIdeas),andtwoMathsubscores(HeartofAlgebraaswellasProblemSolvingandDataAnalysis).Inadditiontothesixsubscoresreported,CollegeBoardnowprovidestwocross-testscorestooffermoreinsight:onescoreforAnalysisinHistory/SocialStudiesandanotherforAnalysisinScience.Remaincalm;thesescoresaregatheredonlyfromselectquestionsthatdealwithrelevantsubjectmatterandarenotactualentiretestsections.WewillgointoPSAT8/9scoringinmoredetaillater.

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WhenIsthePSAT8/9Given?ThePSAT8/9isofferedbyschools.Schoolschoosethedatetoofferthetest;thisdatecanbeanytimebetweenlateSeptemberandtheendofApril,excludingthefirsttwoweeksofApril.HowDo|SignUpforthePSAT8/9?Youdon’thavetodoanythingtosignupforthePSAT8/9;yourschoolwilldoalltheworkforyou.Testregistrationfeescanvaryfromschooltoschool,sobesuretocheckwithyourschoolcounselorifyouhavequestionsabouthowmuchthePSAT8/9willcostyou.WhatAboutStudentswithSpecialNeeds?Ifyouhaveadiagnosedlearning,physical,orcognitivedisability,youwillprobablyqualifyforaccommodationsonthePSAT8/9.However,it’simportantthatyougettheprocessstartedearly.Thefirststepistospeaktoyourschoolcounselorwhohandlesaccessibilityandaccommodations.Onlyheorshecanfiletheappropriatepaperwork.You'llalsoneedtogathersomeinformation(documentationofyourcondition)fromalicensedpractitionerandsomeotherinformationfromyourschool.Thenyourschoolcounselorwillfiletheapplicationforyou.Youwillneedtoapplyforaccommodationsonlyonce;withthatsingleapplicationyou'llqualifyforaccommodationsonthePSAT8/9,PSAT10,PSAT/NMSQT,SAT,SATSubjectTests,andAPExams.Theoneexceptiontothisruleisthatifyouchangeschooldistricts,you'llneedtohaveacounseloratthenewschoolrefileyourpaperwork.DoesthePSAT8/9PlayaRoleinCollegeAdmissions?No!ThePSAT8/9playsnoroleincollegeadmissions.It’sreallyjustapracticetestfortheSAT.WhatHappenstotheScoreReportfromthePSAT8/9?Onlyyouandyourschoolwillreceivecopiesofyourscorereport.Itwon'tbesenttocolleges.

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WhatDoesthePSAT8/9Test?Asyoubeginyourprep,it’susefultorememberthatthePSAT8/9isnotatestofaptitude,howgoodofapersonyouare,orhowsuccessfulyouwillbeinlife.ThePSAT8/9simplytestshowwellyoutakethePSAT8/9(and,byextension,howwellyouwouldhaveperformedonthePSAT10,PSAT/NMSQT,orSAT,ifyouhadtakenoneofthosetestsinstead).That’sit.AndperformingwellonthePSAT8/9isaskillthatcanbelearnedlikeanyother.ThePrincetonReviewwasfoundedmorethan40yearsagoonthisverysimpleidea,and—asourstudents’testscoresshow—ourapproachistheonethatworks.Thesetestscanbeextremelydaunting.However,rememberthatanystandardizedtestisacoachabletest.Abeatabletest.Justremember:ThePSAT8/9doesn’tmeasurethestuffthatmatters.Itmeasuresneitherintelligencenorthedepthandbreadthofwhatyou'relearninginschool.ThePSAT8/9isanopportunitytostartpreparingfortheteststhatdomatter:thePSAT/NMSQTandtheSAT.WhoWritesthePSAT8/9?ThePSATiscreatedbyCollegeBoard.YoumightthinkthatthepeopleatCollegeBoardareeducators,professorsofeducation,orteachers.They'renot.Theyarepeoplewhojusthappentomakealivingwritingtests.Infact,theywritehundredsoftests,forallkindsoforganizations.ThefolksatCollegeBoardaren'treallypaidtoeducate;they'repaidtomakeandadministertests.AndeventhoughyoumaypaythemtotakethePSAT8/9,you'renottheircustomer.TheactualcustomersCollegeBoardcaterstoarethecolleges,whichgettheinformationtheywantatnocost,andthemiddleandhighschools,whichareoftenjudgedbasedonhowwelltheirstudentsdoonthesetests.Becauseyou,thestudent,arenotCollegeBoard’scustomer,youshouldtakeeverythingthatCollegeBoardsayswithagrainofsaltandrealizethatitstesting“advice”isn’talwaysthebestadvice.(GettingtestingadvicefromCollegeBoardisabitlikegettingbaseballadvicefromtheopposing

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team.)Everytestreflectstheinterestsofthepeoplewhowriteit.Ifyouknowwhowritesthetest,youwillknowalotmoreaboutwhatkindsofanswerswillbeconsidered“correct”answersonthattest.WHATISTHEPRINCETONREVIEW?ThePrincetonReviewisthenation’sleadingtest-preparationcompany.Injustafewyears,webecamethenation’sleaderinSATpreparation,primarilybecauseourtechniqueswork.Weoffercoursesandprivatetutoringforallofthemajorstandardizedtests,andwepublishaseriesofbookstohelpinyoursearchfortherightschool.Ifyou'dlikemoreinformationaboutourprogramsorbooks,giveusacallat800-2-Review,orcheckoutourwebsiteatPrincetonReview.com.HOWTOUSETHISBOOKThisbookisdividedintofiveparts.ThefirstthreepartsofthebookcontainPracticeTest1,generaltestingstrategies,andquestion-specificproblem-solvinginstruction.Usethefirstpracticetestasadiagnostictoseewhichsectionsofthetestyouneedtoworkonwhenyoureadthroughthecontentchapters.Thelastpartofthebookcontainsdrillanswersandexplanations.Afterworkingthroughthecontentchaptersandcheckingyouranswersandtheexplanationstothechapterdrills,takePracticeTest2(downloadableinyouronlineStudentTools)andapplyeverythingyou'velearnedtoimproveyourscore.TheSession-by-SessionStudyGuidestartingonthispagewillgiveyouaplanofattackforthesetestsandtherestofthebook.Thereisnosingleplanthatwillfiteveryone,sobepreparedtoadapttheplananduseitaccordingtoyourownneeds.PracticeTest1willgiveyouanideaofyourstrengthsandweaknesses,bothofwhichcanbesourcesofimprovement.Ifyou'realreadygoodatsomething,additionalpracticecanmakeyougreatatit;ifyou'renotsogoodatsomething,whatyoushoulddoaboutitdependsonhow

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importantitis.Iftheconceptisonethatfrequentlyappearsonthetest,youshouldspendalotoftimeonit;ifitcomesuponlyonceinawhile,youshouldspendverylittletimeworkingonitandrememberthatit’ssomethingyoushouldeitherputoffuntilyou'vecompletedeasierthingsorskipentirely.Howdoyouknowwhat’simportant?We'lltellyouthroughoutthisbookwhenwediscusstechniqueslikePluggingInandsoforth,butyoucanalsogetanideaofwhattofocusonsimplybyobservinghowthisbookislaidout.Themostimportantconceptsappearfirstineachsectionofthebook.Forexample,ifyoureshakyonreadingcomprehension,youknowyou'llneedtodevotesometimetoReadingquestionsbecausethereare42suchquestionsonthetest.Butifyou'renotsoconfidentwhenitcomestoGrowthandDecay,don’tpanic:GrowthandDecayquestionsappearonlyintheAdvancedMathchapter,whichtellsyouthatthistopicisn’tasmuchofapriorityasPluggingInorMathBasics.TimeManagementTomanageyourPSAT8/9preparation,makeuseofthestudyguideonthefollowingpages.ThisguidewillbreakdowntheseeminglydauntingtaskofPSAT8/9prepintobite-sizedpieceswecall“sessions.”Wehavemappedouttasksforeachsessiontobesureyougetthemostoutofthisbook.Thetestswillbethefirstandlastsessions,soyoushouldbesuretoplantohaveabouttwoandahalfhoursforthesesessions.Mostothersessionswilllastbetweenanhourandtwohours,soplantotakeashortbreakinthemiddle,andifitlookslikethesessionisgoingtoexceedtwohours,feelfreetostopandpickupwhereyouleftoffonthenextday.WhenYouTakeaPracticeTestYou'llseewhentotakepracticetestsinthesessionoutlines.Herearesomeguidelinesfortakingthesetests:*Timeyourselfstrictly.Useatimer,watch,orstopwatchthatwillring,anddonotallowyourselftogoovertimeforanysection.If

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youtrytodosoontherealtest,yourscoreswillprobablybecanceled.oTakeapracticetestinonesitting,allowingyourselfbreaksofnomorethantwominutesbetweensections.Youneedtobuildupyourendurancefortherealtest,andyoualsoneedanaccuratepictureofhowyouwilldo.However,dotake5-minutebreaksaftertheReadingandMath(NoCalculator)sections.Ontherealtestyouwillhavethesebreaks,soit’simportantnottoskipthemonthepracticetests.oAlwaystakeapracticetestusingananswersheetwithbubblestofillin,justasyouwillfortherealtest.Forthepracticetestinthisbookandtheoneonline,usetheanswersheetsprovidedinyouronlineStudentTools,whichyoucanfeelfreetoprint.Youneedtobecomfortabletransferringanswerstotheseparatesheetbecausethat’sanotherskillthatwillberequiredontestday.*Eachbubbleyouchooseshouldbefilledinthoroughly,andnoothermarksshouldbemadeintheanswerarea.oAsyoufillinthebubbleforaquestion,checktobesureyouareonthecorrectnumberontheanswersheet.Ifyoufillinthewrongbubbleontheanswersheet,itwon’tmatterifyou'veworkedouttheproblemcorrectlyinthetestbooklet.AllthatmatterstothemachinescoringthetestistheNo.2pencilmark.Session-by-SessionStudyGuideSessionZeroYou'redoingthissessionrightnow.Finishreadingthefirstchapter,soyou'llknowwhatthetestisabout,whyitisimportantforyoutotake,andwhattoexpectfromtherestofthisbook.Thisstepprobablywon'ttakeyoulong,soifyouhavetwo-and-a-halfhoursfreeafteryoucompleteChapter1,youcangoontoSessionOneandtakethefirstpracticetest.SessionOneTakePracticeTest1andscoreit.You'llusethisresulttogetanideaofhowmanyquestionsoneachsectionyoushouldattemptbeforeguessingstrategically,andthepartsofeachsectionyoushould

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concentrateon.Notethatourexplanationsrefertoconceptsdiscussedelsewhereinthisbook,soyoumaywanttowaituntilafterSessionFourbeforereviewingthistest.SessionTwoWorkthroughChapter2oftheOrientationandChapter5,ReadingComprehension.SessionThreeReadChapter6,IntroductiontotheWritingandLanguageStrategy,alongwithChapter7,Punctuation.SessionFourWorkthroughtheMathBasicsinChapter10andthecorrespondingdrills.SessionFiveWorkthroughtheMathTechniquessectioninChapter11andassociateddrills.TakealookatChapter8,Words.SessionSixReviewAdvancedMath,Chapter12.Asyouworkthroughthischapter,besuretoapplytechniqueslikePluggingInthatyoulearnedinChapter11.Sincethesetechniquesarecentraltodoingwellonthemathsections,youcanneverpracticethemtoomuch.SessionSevenWorkthroughChapter9,Questions.ThiswillgiveyouagoodideaofhowthePSATwillputtogetherallthethingsyou'vegoneoverfortheWritingandLanguagesectionofthetest.SessionEightTakePracticeTest2.Usethetechniquesyou'vebeenpracticingthroughoutthebook.Scoreyourtestandgothroughtheexplanations,focusingonwhereyoumayhavemissedtheopportunitytouseatechniqueandyourdecisionsaboutwhetheryoushouldhaveattemptedaquestionornot,givenyourpacinggoalsandPersonalOrderofDifficulty.Someoftheterminologyinthestudyguidemaybeunfamiliartoyounow,butdon’tworry,you'llgettoknowitsoon.Also,you'llwanttoreferbacktothisstudyguideateachsessiontokeepyourselfontrack.Oneimportantnote:IntheMathchaptersofthisbook,some

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samplequestionsdonotappearinnumericalorderwithinachapter.Forexample,youmightseeaquestion4followedbyaquestion14.ThisisbecauseontheMathsectionsofthePSAT8/9,ahigherquestionnumbergenerallyindicatesahigherlevelofdifficulty(thisisnotthecasewithReadingorWritingandLanguage).Chapter2hasgreatadviceonhowtocracksomeofthemostdifficultquestions.HowIsthePSAT8/9StructuredandScored?CategoryPSAT8/9Components|¢Evidence-BasedReadingandWriting:oReadingoWritingandLanguageeMathoCalculatoroNoCalculatorNumberofeReadingao42questionsover5passagesSectiono55minuteseWritingandLanguage©40questionsover4passageso30minuteseMath(NoCalculator)o13questions(10Multiple-Choice,3Grid-In)o20minuteseMath(Calculator)o25questions(21Multiple-Choice,4Grid-In)

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©40minutesScoring»Rights-onlyscoring(apointforacorrectanswerbutnodeductionforanincorrectanswer;blankaScoreeScoredonascaleof240-1440thatwillbethesumReportingofthetwosectionscores(Evidence-BasedReadingandWritingaswellasMath)thatrangefrom120-720Subscore»Subscoresforeverytest,providingaddedinsightAnswer»4answerchoicesformultiple-choicequestionsEe|omermemae|ThePSAT8/9wascreatedinthewakeofmajorchangestoboththeSATandPSATinthe2015-2016schoolyear.Aswewilldiscussbelow,thePSAT8/9,PSAT,andSATaremoresimilarthandifferent.AccordingtoCollegeBoard,thePSATredesignof2015raisedthecomplexityofquestionsacrosstheboard.FortheReadingandWritingandLanguageTests,thisrefersinparttothewayinwhichallquestionsarenowconnectedtofullpassages,whicharewrittenatthesamelevelaswritingexpectedinintroductorycollegeandvocationaltrainingprograms.Thismeansthattherewillbeagoodamountofhistory-andscience-basedreadingmaterial.Further,thePSATclaimstotestyourabilitytodemonstrateafullunderstandingofasource’sideas.OnthePSAT8/9,thetextsareslightlylesscomplexandthequestionsslightlymorestraightforward,butthetestoverallgivesanaccuratepreviewofwhatyou'llseeonthePSATandtheSAT.Moreover,thescopeofmathcontenttestsaspecificsetofproblem-solvingandanalyticaltopics,focusingonalgebraanddataanalysisinthePSAT8/9.YouwillalsoencounterGrid-Inquestions,andyouwill

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facetopicsthatarespecificallygearedtotestyourabilitytouseacalculatoraswellasthoseforwhichcalculatorsarenotpermitted.TheMathTestisdividedintotwosections,onewithoutacalculator,with13questionsoverthecourseof20minutes,followedbyonewithacalculator,with25questionsadministeredin40minutes.Becauseofthetighttimelimits,youshouldworkasefficientlyaspossible.Tohelpyoudothis,evenifyouansweraquestioncorrectly,werecommendthatyoureviewtheexplanationsfortheproblemsinthedrillsandthepracticetests.Youmaydiscovertechniquesthathelptoshavesecondsfromyoursolutions.Alargepartofwhat’sbeingtestedisyourabilitytousetheappropriatetoolsinastrategicfashion,andwhiletheremaybemultiplewaystosolveagivenproblem,you'llwanttofocusonthemostefficientapproach.ScoringYourPracticeTestsAsyoucansee,scoringisalittletricky.That'swhyweprovidescoringtablestohelpyoudetermineyourapproximatescore.Whenwesaythatthescoreis“approximate,”wemeanthatthescoreisaccurateforthatparticulartest.However,thenumberofquestionsyouneedtogetrightorwrongtoearnacertainscorecanvarydependingonthePSAT8/9’sscalefromtesttotest.Forexample,ifyoumiss10Mathquestionsandgeta620onapracticetest,thatdoesnotnecessarilymeanthat10missedMathquestionsonanactualexamwillresultina620aswell;youmaygetthatscorefrommissing8questionsor12questions.ScoringonthePSAT8/9ThePSAT8/9isscoredonascaleof240-1440,whichisthesumofthetwoareascoresthatrangefrom120-720.ThetwoareasaretheEvidence-BasedReadingandWritingportionandtheMathematicsportion.Wronganswerstomultiple-choicequestionsarenotpenalized,soyou'readvisednevertoleaveaquestionblank—evenifthatmeansblindlypickingaletterandbubblingitinforanyuncompletedquestionsbeforetimerunsout.StudyXY

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Inadditiontotheoveralltotalscoreandthesectionscores,you'llfindseveralsubscoresonyourPSAT8/9scorereport.AnalysisinHistory/SocialStudiesandAnalysisinSciencecross-testscoresaregeneratedbasedonquestionsfromallthreeofthesubjecttests(Mathincluded!).Thesecross-testscoresassessthecross-curricularapplicationofthetestedskillstoothercontexts.Relax!Thisdoesn’tmeanthatyouhavetostartcrammingdatesandanatomy—everyquestioncanbeansweredfromthecontextofagivenreadingpassageorthedataincludedinatableorfigure.Theonlychangeshavetodowiththecontentofthepassagesandquestionsthemselves.Forexample,ReadingquestionsonapassageaboutahistoricaleventoraMathquestionthatdescribesascienceexperiment(butisultimatelystilltestingmathskills)wouldfallintothesecross-testscores.Additionally,theMathTestisbrokenintotwocategories.TheHeartofAlgebrasubscorelooksspecificallyathowwellstudentsunderstandhowtohandlealgebraicexpressions,workwithavarietyofalgebraicequations,andrelatereal-worldscenariostoalgebraicprinciples.ProblemSolvingandDataAnalysisfocusesmoreoninterpretationofmathematicalexpressions,graphicalanalysis,anddatainterpretation.Yourabilitytounderstandwhataquestionisaskingwillcomeinhandyhere.Finally,therearefewquestionsthatshowcasethehigher-levelmaththat’sbeenaddedtothetest,fromquadraticsandtheirgraphstothecreationoffunctions.Althoughthesequestionsmightnotcorrelatedirectlytoasubscore,6ofthesemiscellaneoustypeswillshowuponthetest.IntheVerbalportionsofthetest,theCommandofEvidencesubscoremeasureshowwellyoucantranslateandcitespecificlinesthatbackupyourinterpretation,whiletheWordsinContextsubscoreensuresthatyoucanselectthebestdefinitionforhowawordisusedinapassage.TheWritingandLanguageTestadditionallymeasuresExpressionofIdeas,whichdealswithrevisinglanguageinordertomakemorelogicalandcohesivearguments,andStandard

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EnglishConventions,whichassessesyourabilitytoconformtothebasicrulesofEnglishgrammar,punctuation,andusage.HOWDOESTHEPSAT8/9DIFFERFROMTHEPSATANDSAT?CollegeBoardhascreatedwhattheycalla“SuiteofAssessments”thatstartswiththePSAT8/9.Oneoftheideasbehindthesetestsisthateachtestpreparesyouforthenext.Tothatend,thetestsaremoresimilarthandifferent.Thetestsdogetlongerasyoumovefromtesttotest,butthedifferencesarerelativelyslight.ReadingonthePSAT8/9has42questionsin55minutes;thePSAThas47questionsin60minutes;andtheSAThas52questionsin65minutes.Inotherwords,asyoumovefromtesttotest,you'llsee5morequestions(onemorequestionperpassage)andhave5moreminutestoanswerthosequestions.WritingandLanguagehas40questionsin30minutesonthePSAT8/9,whereasboththePSATandSAThave44questionsand35minutes.Finally,Mathhasatotalof38questionsin60minutesonthePSAT8/9,48questionsin70minutesonthePSAT,and58questionsin80minutesontheSAT.Eachtesthas10morequestionsand10moreminutesthanthepreviouslevel.Here’sabreakdownofhowthetestsdiffer:

Princeton Review PSAT 8/9 Prep (2021) - Page 28 preview image

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WhatDoesthePSAT8/9ScoreMeanforMyPSATandSATScores?ThePSAT8/9isscoredona1440scale,whereasthePSATisscoredona1520scaleandtheSATona1600scale.However,becausethePSAT8/9,PSAT,andSATarealignedbyCollegeBoardtobescoredonthesamescale,yourPSAT8/9scoreindicatestheapproximatePSATorSATscoreyouwouldearnwereyoutohavetakenthePSATorSATonthatsameday.HowMuchShould|PrepareforthePSAT8/9?ThePSAT8/9givesyouinsightintothePSATandSAT.Yourgoalshouldbetoprepareenoughsothatyoufeelmoreincontrolofthetestandhaveabettertestingexperience.(Nothingfeelsquiteasawfulasbeingdraggedthroughatestingexperienceunsureofwhatyou'rebeingtestedonorwhattoexpect—exceptperhapsdentalsurgery.)TheotherreasontoprepareforthePSAT8/9isthatitwillgiveyousometestingskillsthatwillhelpyoubegintopreparefortheteststhatactuallycount,namelytheSATandSATSubjectTests.Thebottomlineisthis:thebestreasontoprepareforthePSAT8/9isthatitwillhelpyougetanearlystartonyourpreparationfortheSAT.Ifyouweregettingreadytotakeabiologytest,you'dstudybiology.Ifyouwerepreparingforabasketballgame,you'dpracticebasketball.So,ifyou'repreparingforthePSAT8/9(andeventuallythePSATandSAT),studythePSAT8/9.ThePSAT8/9can'ttesteverything,soconcentrateonlearningwhatitdoestest.PSAT10ANDPSAT/NMSQTThoughthesetestsgobydifferentnames,theyareidenticalintermsofbothnumberofquestionsandtimelimitspersection.Themajordifferencesarewhotakesthetestandwhen:thePSAT10istakenby1oth-gradersandschoolschooseadateinthespring,whereasthe

Princeton Review PSAT 8/9 Prep (2021) - Page 29 preview image

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PSAT/NMSQTistakenby11ith-gradersononeoftwoorthreespecifieddatesinOctober.Additionally,thePSAT10doesnotqualifyyouforNationalMeritScholarshipconsideration,butthePSAT/NMSQTdoes.JustaswiththePSAT8/9andtheSAT,thePSAT10andPSAT/NMSQTincludeEvidence-BasedReadingandWritingsectionsandMathTests.AsyouprogressthroughCollegeBoard’s“SuiteofAssessments,”thepassagesbecomemorecomplex,andtheMathcontentexpandstoincludemorenonlinearequations,somegeometry,andevencomplexnumbers.However,thecoreskillsyoulearninpreparingforthePSAT8/9willapplydirectlytothesetests.

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Chapter2GeneralStrategiesThefirststeptocrackingthePSAT8/9istoknowhowbesttoapproachthetest.ThePSAT8/9isnotlikethetestsyou'vetakeninschool,soyouneedtolearntolookatitinadifferentway.Thischapterwillshowtest-takingstrategiesthatimmediatelyimproveyourscore.Makesureyoufullyunderstandtheseconceptsbeforemovingontothefollowingchapters.Goodluck!

Princeton Review PSAT 8/9 Prep (2021) - Page 31 preview image

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BASICPRINCIPLESOFCRACKINGTHETESTWhattheCollegeBoardIsGoodAtThefolksattheCollegeBoardhavebeenwritingstandardizedtestsformorethan80years,andtheywritetestsforallsortsofprograms.Theyhaveadministeredthetestsomanytimesthattheyknowexactlyhowyouwillapproachit.Theyknowhowyou'llattackcertainquestions,whatsortofmistakesyou'llprobablymake,andevenwhatansweryou'llbemostlikelytopick.Freaky,isn’tit?However,theCollegeBoard’sstrengthisalsoaweakness.Becausethetestisstandardized,thePSAT8/9hastoaskthesametypeofquestionsoverandoveragain.Sure,thenumbersorthewordsmightchange,butthebasicsdon’t.Withenoughpractice,youcanlearntothinklikethetest-writers.Buttrytouseyourpowersforgood,okay?ThePSAT8/9Isn’tSchoolOurjobisn’ttoteachyoumathorEnglish—leavethattoyoursupersmartschoolteachers.Instead,we'regoingtoteachyouwhatthePSAT8/9isandhowtocrackthePSAT8/9.You'llsoonseethatthePSAT8/9involvesaverydifferentskillset.Bewarnedthatsomeoftheapproacheswe'regoingtoshowyoumayseemcounterintuitiveorunnatural.Someofthesestrategiesmaybeverydifferentfromthewayyoulearnedtoapproachsimilarquestionsinschool,buttrustus!Trytacklingtheproblemsusingourtechniques,andkeeppracticinguntiltheybecomeeasier.You'llseearealimprovementinyourscore.NoPenaltyforIncorrectAnswers!YouwillNOTbepenalizedonthePSAT8/9foranywronganswers.Thismeansyoushouldalwaysguess,evenifthismeanschoosinganansweratrandom.

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