Princeton Review PSAT/NMSQT Prep, 2023-2024 : 2 Practice Tests + Review for the NEW Digital PSAT (2023)

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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,SeniorDirector,DataOperationsStephenKoch,SeniorManager,DataOperationsDeborahWeber,DirectorofProductionJasonUllmeyer,ProductionDesignManagerJenniferChapman,SeniorProductionArtistSelenaCoppock,DirectorofEditorialOrionMcBean,SeniorEditorAaronRiccio,SeniorEditorMeaveShelton,SeniorEditorChrisChimera,EditorPatriciaMurphy,EditorLauraRose,EditorPenguinRandomHousePublishingTeamTomRussell,VP,PublisherAlisonStoltzfus,SeniorDirector,PublishingBrettWright,SeniorEditorEmilyHoffman,AssistantManagingEditorEllenReed,ProductionManagerSuzanneLee,DesignerEugeniaLo,PublishingAssistantThePrincetonReview110East42ndStreet,7thFloorNewYork,NY10017Copyright©2023byTPREducationIPHoldings,LLC.Allrightsreserved.PublishedintheUnitedStatesbyPenguinRandomHouseLLC,NewYork.TermsofService:ThePrincetonReviewOnlineCompanionTools(“StudentTools”)forretailbooksareavailableforonlythetwomostrecenteditionsofthatbook.StudentToolsmaybeactivatedonlyoncepereligiblebookpurchasedforatotalof24monthsofaccess.ActivationofStudentToolsmorethanonceperbookisindirectviolationoftheseTermsofServiceandmayresultindiscontinuationofaccesstoStudentToolsServices.ISBN9780593516584EbookISBN9780593516591

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PSAT/NMSQTisaregisteredtrademarkoftheCollegeBoardandtheNationalMeritScholarshipCorporation,whicharenotaffiliatedwith,anddonotendorse,thisproduct.ThePrincetonReviewisnotaffiliatedwithPrincetonUniversity.Thematerialinthisbookisup-to-dateatthetimeofpublication.However,changesmayhavebeeninstitutedbythetestingbodyinthetestafterthisbookwaspublished.Ifthereareanyimportantlate-breakingdevelopments,changes,orcorrectionstothematerialsinthisbook,wewillpostthatinformationonlineintheStudentTools.RegisteryourbookandcheckyourStudentToolstoseeifthereareanyupdatespostedthere.Editor:PatriciaMurphyProductionEditors:EmmaParkerandHeidiTorresProductionArtist:DeborahWeberCoverartbyKritchanutOnmang/AlamyStockPhotoCoverdesignbySuzanneLeePhotoselectionandlayoutbyCarlingDesign,Inc.Forcustomerservice,pleasecontacteditorialsupport@review.com,andbesuretoinclude:ofulltitleofthebook*ISBNepagenumbera_prh_6.0_144228926_c0_r3fStudyxy

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AcknowledgmentsSpecialthankstoKennethBrenner,SaraKuperstein,AmyMinster,andScottO'Nealfortheircontributionstothisedition.ThanksalsotoAnneBader,KevinBaldwin,GraceCannon,NicoleCosme,AprilDavis,GinaDonegan,AnneGoldberg-Baldwin,BrianHong,BradKelly,AaronLindh,JomilLondon,DaveMacKenzie,JasonMorgan,AmandaNowotny,DaniellePerrini,GabbyPeterson,XanderPosner,JessThomas,ChristinaTorturo,andJimmyWilliams.ThePrincetonReviewwouldalsoliketothankDeborahWeber,EmmaParker,andHeidiTorresfortheirtimeandattentiontoeachpage.SpecialthankstoAdamRobinson,whoconceivedofandperfectedtheJoeBloggsapproachtostandardizedtests,andmanyothertechniquesinthisbook.

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ContentsGetMoreFree)ContentPartI:Orientation11WhatIstheDigitalPSAT/NMSQT?2AllAbouttheNationalMeritScholarships3GeneralStrategiesPartll:PracticeTest14PracticeTest15PracticeTest1:AnswersandExplanationsPartlll:PSATINMSQTPrep6ReadingandWritingIntroduction7ReadingComprehension8RulesQuestions:Punctuation9RulesQuestions:Grammar10RhetoricQuestions11MathBasics12MathTechniques13AdvancedMath14GeometryandTrigonometryPartIV:DrillAnswersandExplanations_144228926_

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1GotoPrincetonReview.com/prepandenterthefollowingISBNforyourbook:97805935165912AnswerafewsimplequestionstosetupanexclusivePrincetonReviewaccount.(Ifyoualreadyhaveone,youcanjustlogin.)

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3EnjoyaccesstoyourFREEcontent!Needtoreportapotentialcontentissue?ContactEditorialSupport@review.comandinclude:

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fulltitleofthebook*ISBN*pagenumberNeedtoreportatechnicalissue?ContactTPRStudentTech@review.comandprovide:«yourfullname«emailaddressusedtoregisterthebook«fullbooktitleandISBN*Operatingsystem(Mac/PC)andbrowser(Chrome,Firefox,Safari,etc.)Onceyou'veregistered,youcan...«Accessandprintoutonemorefull-lengthpracticetestaswellasthecorrespondinganswersandexplanations«Useouronlinetoolstotakeyourpracticetestsdigitallyoruseouronlineproctortotimeyouwhileyoutakethetestinthebook,thenenteryouranswersonline.«Enteryouranswersinouronlinebubblesheettogetanapproximatescaledscorewithexplanations«Getvaluableadviceaboutthecollegeapplicationprocess

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«Ifyou'restillchoosingbetweencolleges,useoursearchablerankingsofTheBest389CollegestofindoutmoreinformationaboutyourdreamschooleAccessprintableresources,includingastudyguide,ascoreconversiontable,andmore«ChecktoseeiftherehavebeenanycorrectionsorupdatestothiseditionLookForTheseIconsThroughoutTheBookOnlinePRACTICETESTSONLINEARTICLESPROVENTECHNIQUESAPPLIEDSTRATEGIESSTUDYBREAKMOREGREATBOOKS

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PartIOrientation1WhatIstheDigitalPSAT/NMSQT?2AllAbouttheNationalMeritScholarships3GeneralStrategies

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Chapter1WhatIstheDigitalPSAT/NMSQT?TheDigitalPSAT/NMSQT—fromnowon,we’lljustcallitthePSAT—isastandardizedtestgivenprimarilytohighschooljuniorstogivethema“preliminary”ideaofhowwelltheycoulddoonSATquestiontypes.ThetestisalsousedtodeterminewhichstudentsareeligibleforNationalMeritScholarrecognition.Thischapterwillgiveyouageneraloverviewofthetestandhowitisused,alongwiththebasicstostartyourpreparation.We’llalsogiveyouaglimpseattheothertestsinCollegeBoard’sSuiteofAssessments:thePSAT8/9andthePSAT10.

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THEDIGITALPSAT/INMSQTCollegeBoard’s“SuiteofAssessments”rangesfromthePSAT8/9totheSAT.Ifyouarereadingthisbook,youarelikelymostinterestedinthePSATatthistime,sowe’llstartthere.JustliketheothertestsintheSuite,thePSATcontainsaReadingandWritingsectionandaMathsection,eachdividedintotwomodules.ThecontentofallthetestsintheSuiteissimilar,andthenumberofquestionsandtimepermoduleareidentical.Psst...CollegeBoardmakesthePSAT8/9,thePSAT10,andPSAT/NMSQT.Butwhenwerefertojusttheplainold“PSAT”inthisbook,we'rereferringtothePSAT/NMSQT.ThisiswhatCollegeBoardsaysabouttheReadingandWritingsection:“Thesectionfocusesonkeyelementsofcomprehension,rhetoric,andlanguageusethatthebestavailableevidenceidentifiesasnecessaryforcollegereadinessandsuccess.Inthissection,studentsanswermultiple-choicequestionsrequiringthemtoread,comprehend,anduseinformationandideasintexts;analyzethecraftandstructureoftexts;revisetextstoimprovetherhetoricalexpressionofideas;andedittextstoconformtocoreconventionsofStandardEnglish.”HereisthePrincetonReview’stake:Bepreparedtojustifyyourselectedanswerwithevidencefromthetextand/orgraphprovided.Thistestisnotaboutmakingupanything;it’saboutfindingthecorrectanswerbasedonthetext.CollegeBoardhasthistosayabouttheMathsection:“ThedigitalSATSuiteMathsectionfocusesonkeyelementsofalgebra,advancedmath,problemsolvinganddataanalysis,andgeometryandtrigonometry(exceptforthePSAT8/9whichdoesnottesttrigonometry)thatT=StudyXY

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evidenceidentifiesasnecessaryforcollegeandcareerreadinessandsuccess.OverthecourseoftheMathsection,studentsanswermultiplechoiceandstudent-producedresponse(SPR)questionsthatmeasuretheirfluencywith,understandingof,andabilitytoapplythemathconcepts,skills,andpracticesthataremostessentialforreadinessforentry-levelpostsecondarywork.”HereisthePrincetonReview’stake:ExpecttoseeAlgebraIandII,someGeometry,andquestionsthathavecharts,graphs,datatables,scatterplots,orotherformsofdata.TheDigitalSuiteofAssessmentshasabuilt-inDesmoscalculatorthatcanbeusedonallMathquestions.Inaddition,studentsmaybringtheirownapprovedcalculatorsiftheyprefer.Eventhoughthistoolisalwaysathand,itisuptothetest-takertodeterminewhetherthecalculatorwillhelpsolveaquestion.AccordingtotheCollegeBoard,“studentswhomakeuseofstructureortheirabilitytoreasonwillprobablyfinishbeforestudentswhouseacalculator.”Thebottomline:Writedownyourworkandusethecalculatorfortediouscalculations,butacalculatormostlikelywillnotbenecessarytosolvemostofthequestions.AllquestionsintheReadingandWritingsectionaremultiple-choice.MostoftheMathquestionsaremultiple-choice,butabout25%ofthequestionsare“student-producedresponses,”forwhichstudentsentertheirownanswers.Eachcorrectanswerearnspoints,andthereisnopenaltyforanincorrectresponseoraquestionleftblank.Thebottomline:Don’tleaveanythingblank!WhenIsthePSATGiven?PriortotheswitchtoDigital,thePSATwasofficiallyadministeredtwiceeachyear,typicallyonaWednesdayandSaturdayofthesameweekinOctober.Now,theDigitalPSATwillbeadministeredinatestingwindowof+StudyXy

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severaldays.Yourschoolwillannouncetheexactdatesatthebeginningoftheschoolyear,andyoucanfindoutmoreaboutthetestingwindowsatPrincetonReview.comorthroughCollegeBoardatCollegeBoard.org.You'llofficiallytakethePSATinthefallofyourjunioryear.PlantotaketheSATanytimebetweenthewinterofyourjunioryearandthefallofyoursenioryear.HowDo|SignUpforthePSAT?Youdon’thavetodoanythingtosignupforthePSAT;yourschoolwilldoalltheworkforyou.Testregistrationfeescanvaryfromschooltoschool,sobesuretocheckwithyourschoolcounselorifyouhavequestionsabouthowmuchthePSATwillcostyou.WhatAboutStudentswithSpecialNeeds?Ifyouhaveadiagnosedphysicalorlearningdisability,youwillprobablyqualifyforaccommodationsonthePSAT.However,it’simportantthatyougettheprocessstartedearly.Thefirststepistospeaktoyourschoolcounselorwhohandleslearningdisabilities.Onlyyourcounselorcanfiletheappropriatepaperwork.You’llalsoneedtogathersomeinformation(documentationofyourcondition)fromalicensedpractitionerandsomeotherinformationfromyourschool.Thenyourschoolcounselorwillfiletheapplicationforyou.Youwillneedtoapplyforaccommodationsonlyonce;withthatsingleapplicationyou’llqualifyforaccommodationsonthePSAT,SAT,andAPExams.Theoneexceptiontothisruleisthatifyouchangeschooldistricts,you’llneedtohaveacounseloratthenewschoolrefileyourpaperwork.DoesthePSATPlayaRoleinCollegeAdmissions?No!ThePSATplaysnoroleincollegeadmissions.It’sreallyjustapracticetestfortheSAT.Theoneexceptionisforthatverysmallgroupofstudents,about4percentofallstudentsnationwide,whosePSATscoresqualifythem

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forNationalMeritrecognition.(We’lltellyoumorethanyoueverwantedtoknowaboutthatinthenextchapter.)Recognitionasacommendedscholar,semifinalist,orfinalistforNationalMeritisafairlyimpressiveadditiontoyourcollegeadmissionsportfolioandissomethingthatyoushouldcertainlypursueifyouareseriouslyincontentionforit.WhatHappenstotheScoreReportfromthePSAT?Onlyyou,yourhighschool,andtheNationalMeritScholarshipCorporation(whichco-sponsorsthePSAT)willreceiveacopyofyourscorereport.Itwon’tbesenttocolleges.Do|needtoprepareforthePSAT?Youmightbethinking,Ifcollegesdon’tseemyPSATscore,whydoIneedtobotherdoingwellonthistest?DoIevenneedtoprepforit?That’saverygoodquestionbecausethetruthisthatyoudon’tnecessarilyneedtoprepareforordowellonthePSAT.Ifyoudon’tthinkthatwithalittlebitofpreparationyoucouldscoreinthetop4%ofPSATtest-takersinyourstate,thenthere’svirtuallynobenefittoscoringbetter-than-okayonthePSAT.Thatbeingsaid,ifyouplantotaketheSAT,yourPSATpreparationwilltransfer,sothere’snoharminpreparingforaslightlyeasierversionofatestyouwillbetakingsoonenough.However,ifyouplantotaketheACTinsteadoftheSAT,aren’taimingtoqualifyforNationalMerit,anddon’thaveanyotherreasontodowellonthePSAT,youhaveourpermissiontoputthisbookdowninfavorofamoreworthwhileactivity.WHATDOESTHEPSATTEST?Asyoubeginyourprep,it’susefultorememberthatthePSATisnotatestofhowcapableyouareacademically,howgoodofapersonyouare,orhowsuccessfulyouwillbeinlife.ThePSATsimplytestshowwellyoutakethePSAT.That’sit.AndperformingwellonthePSATisaskillthatcanbelearnedlikeanyother.ThePrincetonReviewwasfoundedover40yearsagoonthisverysimpleidea,and—asourstudents’testscoresshow—ourapproachistheonethatworks.Itcanfeelextremelydauntingtohearthat

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changestotestscouldheavilyinfluenceyourcollegeadmissionoutlook.However,rememberthatanystandardizedtestisacoachabletest.Abeatabletest.ThePSATdoesn’tmeasurethestuffthatmatters.Itmeasuresneitherintelligencenorthedepthandbreadthofwhatyou’relearninginhighschool.Itdoesn’tpredictcollegegradesaswellasyourhighschoolgradesdo.Collegesknowthereismoretoyouasastudent—andasaperson—thanhowyoudoonasingletest.WhoWritesthePSAT?ThePSATiswrittenandadministeredbytheCollegeBoardandusedforscholarshipsbyNationalMeritScholarshipCorporation.YoumightthinkthatthepeopleatCollegeBoardareeducators,professorsofeducation,orteachers.They’renot.Theyarepeoplewhojusthappentomakealivingwritingtests.Infact,theywritehundredsoftests,forallkindsoforganizations.ThefolksatCollegeBoardaren’treallypaidtoeducate;they’repaidtowriteandadministertests.Andeventhoughyou’llbepayingthemtotakethePSAT,you'renottheircustomer.TheactualcustomersCollegeBoardcaterstoarethecolleges,whichgettheinformationtheywantatnocost.ThismeansthatyoushouldtakeeverythingthatCollegeBoardsayswithagrainofsaltandrealizethatitstesting“advice”isn’talwaysthebestadvice.(GettingtestingadvicefromCollegeBoardisabitlikegettingbaseballadvicefromtheopposingteam.)Everytestreflectstheinterestsofthepeoplewhowriteit.Ifyouknowwhowritesthetest,youwillknowalotmoreaboutwhatkindsofanswerswillbeconsidered“correct”answersonthattest.

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HOWISTHEPSATSTRUCTUREDANDSCORED?CategoryPSATINMSQTTimeOverall134minutesplusbreakComponents¢ReadingandWritingsectioneMathsectionNumberof¢ReadingandWriting:54,including4experimentalQuestionsquestions*Math:44,including4experimentalquestionsAnswerChoices|ReadingandWriting:allmultiple-choicewith4answersperquestioneMath:75%multiple-choicewith4answersperquestion,25%student-producedresponsesTimebySection|eReadingandWriting:64minutesintwo32-minutemoduleseMath:70minutesintwo35-minutemodulesRelationshipeModule1hasabroadmixoflevelsofdifficulty.BetweenePerformanceonModule1determinesthedifficultyModulesofModule2.*StudentswhodowellonModule1willgetaModule2thatisharder,onaverage.oStudentswhodolesswellonModule1willgetaModule2thatiseasier,onaverage.ScoringoThescoreisbasedonthenumberofquestionscorrectandthedifficultyofthequestionsseen.oStudentswhodowellonModule1areputintoahigherbracketofpossiblescores.*StudentswhodolesswellonModule1areputintoalowerbracketofpossiblescores.*Sectionscoresrangefrom160to760.oTotalscoreisthesumofthesectionscoresandrangesfrom320to1520.

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WiththemovetoadigitalPSATstartinginfallof2023,CollegeBoardtooktheopportunitytoalternotjustthedeliveryformatbutthecontentofthetestfromitspreviousversion.AllReadingandWritingquestionsarenowattachedtoshorttexts,withonequestionpertext.Therewillbeawiderangeoftextcomplexitiespresented,andthepassageswillcoveravarietyoftopicsfromhistory,science,andliterature(evensomepoetry).TheMathcontentisfairlysimilartotheformittookonpapertestsin2022andearlier.Thereisastrongfocusonalgebra,problem-solving,andanalyticaltopics,anditincludessomehigh-levelcontentsuchastrigonometry.Somequestionsrequirestudent-producedresponses,andthesewillbescatteredthroughouttheMathmodules.Aspreviouslystated,calculatorusewillbeallowedonallmathquestions.Asyoucanseefromthetableabove,bothsections(Reading-WritingandMath)aredividedintotwomodules.OntheDigitalPSAT,yourperformanceonthefirstmoduleineachsectionwilldeterminethemakeupofyoursecondmodule.Dowellonthefirstmodule,andyouwillseeaharder(onaverage)mixofquestionsonthesecondmodule.Missmorequestionsinthefirstmodule,andyouwillgetaneasier(onaverage)difficultyforthesecondmodule.Youalwayswanttodoaswellaspossible,ofcourse,butit’sworthkeepinginmindthatyouwillneedtogetthehardsecondmoduleoneachsectioninordertoearnatopscore.Tohelpyoudoyourbest,werecommendthatyoureviewtheexplanationsforthequestionsinthedrillsandthepracticetests,evenifyouansweraquestioncorrectly.Youmaydiscovertechniquesthathelptoshavesecondsfromyoursolutions.Alargepartofwhat’sbeingtestedisyourabilitytousetheappropriatetoolsinastrategicfashion,andwhiletheremaybemultiplewaystosolveagivenproblem,you’llwanttofocusonthemostefficientpathtoasolution.ScoringonthePSAT

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ThePSATisscoredonascaleof320-1520,whichisthesumofthetwosectionscoresthatrangefrom160-760.ThetwosectionsaretheReadingandWritingsectionandtheMathsection.Wronganswersarenotpenalized,soyou'readvisednevertoleaveaquestionblank—evenifthatmeansblindlypickingaletterandclickingitforanyuncompletedquestionsbeforetimerunsout.So,howdothetwomodulesworktogethertodetermineyourscoreinasection?Well,ifyourrawscoreishighenoughonthefirstmodule,youwillautomaticallybebumpedintoapossiblescorerangethatisoverallhigherthanyouwouldbeinifyouhadalowerrawscoreonthefirstmodule,thoughthetworangesmayoverlapsome.Somequestionswithinamodulearealsoweighted,sodoingbetteronthosewillincreaseyourscoremorethandoingwelloneasier,non-weightedquestions.Assuch,yourscoreisdeterminednotonlybyhowmanyquestionsyougotrightbutalsobyhowhardthequestionswerethatyoudid.AlthoughthescoringcurveoneachDigitalPSATmaycalculateyourscoreslightlydifferently,youwillalwayshavetwojobs:understandingwhichquestionscanmaximizeyourscoreandbuildingyourstaminatostaysharpthroughbothmodulesineachsection.Throughoutthisbook,wewillshowyouhowtodojustthat.Ontherecentpaper-and-pencilversionsoftheSATSuiteofAssessments,varioussubscoresandcross-testscoreswerereportedinadditiontothe

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sectionandoverallscores.OntheDigitalSuite,onlyyoursectionscoresandtotalscorewillbereported.WhatDoesthePSATScoreMeanforMySATScore?TheSATisscoredona1600scale,whereasthePSATisscoredona1520scale.However,becausethePSATandSATarealignedbyCollegeBoardtobescoredonthesamescale,yourPSATscoreindicatestheapproximateSATscoreyouwouldearnwereyoutohavetakentheSATonthatsameday.SincethePSATisslightlyeasier,youcan’tscorequiteashighonitasyoucanontheSAT.PSAT10Nowthatwe’vecoveredsomebasicsaboutthePSAT,let’sdiscusshowitworkswiththeothertestsintheSATSuiteofassessments.ThoughthereisatestcalledthePSAT10,itisidenticaltothestructureofthePSAT/NMSQTintermsofbothnumberofquestionsandtimelimitspersection.JustaswiththeSATandthePSAT,thePSAT10includesaReadingandWritingsectionandaMathsection.ThemajordifferencesbetweenthePSATandthePSAT10arewhotakesthePSAT10andwhen:10th-graders,sometimeinthespring.Additionally,thePSAT10testdoesnotqualifyyouforNationalMeritScholarshipconsideration.PSAT8/9ThePSAT8/9isdesignedforeighthandninthgraders,asthenamewouldimply.TheDigitalversionofthetestwillalsomatchtheothertestsintheSuiteintermsofstructure,timing,andnumberofquestions.ThecontentofeachsectioniscomparabletothecontentoftheSATandPSAT,butitisalittleeasierandisthereforescoredonasomewhatlowerscale.WHAT'SWITHALLTHESETESTS?!So,ifthePSAT8/9,thePSAT10,andthePSAT/NMSQTallhavethesamesections,numberofmodules,numberofquestions,andtimetotakethem,

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whatexactlyAREthedifferencesbetweenthetests?Therearetwomainones:thecontentcoveredoneachtestandthepossiblescoreranges.SeethechartbelowforacomparisonofallthetestsintheDigitalSATSuiteofAssessments.AccordingtoCollegeBoard,theSATSuiteofAssessmentsisdesignedtoreflecthowpreparedyouareforcollegeandtheworkingworld.Bycreatingaseriesoftestsgivenoverseveralyears,CollegeBoardclaimstomeasureastudent’sprogresstowardreadinessforhighereducationandbeyond.ThetestsintheSuiteallusethesameverticalscale,meaningthatthescoreyougetonaPSAT8/9shouldbethesamescoreyou’dgetonthePSATorSATifyoutookthosetestsonthesameday.CollegeBoardmaintainsthatthebestwaytoprepareforthetestistodothefollowing:oTakechallengingcourses*DoyourhomeworkoPreparefortestsandquizzes*Askandanswerlotsofquestions

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WeatthePrincetonReviewaredubiousabouttheseclaims,especiallyinregardtocollegeandcareerreadiness.Moreover,wethinkthebestwaytoprepareforanexamistoknowthecontentandstructureofthatexam.Byreadingthisbook,youarealreadyonyourwaytoimprovingyourtestscores.WHATISTHEPRINCETONREVIEW?ThePrincetonReviewisthenation’sleadingtest-preparationcompany.Injustafewyearsfromourfoundingin1981,webecamethenation’sleaderinSATpreparation,primarilybecauseourtechniqueswork.Weoffercoursesandprivatetutoringforallofthemajorstandardizedtests,andwepublishaseriesofbookstohelpinyoursearchfortherightschool.Ifyou’dlikemoreinformationaboutourprogramsorbooks,giveusacallat800-2-REVIEW,orcheckoutourwebsiteatPrincetonReview.com.ThePrincetonReview'stechniquesaretheclosestthingthereistoashortcuttothePSAT.However,thereisnoshortcuttolearningthesetechniques.HOWTOUSETHISBOOKThisbookisdividedintofiveparts.ThefirstthreepartsofthebookcontainPracticeTest1,generaltestingstrategies,andquestion-specificproblem-solvinginstruction.Usethefirstpracticetestasadiagnostictooltoseewhichsectionsofthetestyouneedtoworkonwhenyoureadthroughthecontentchapters.Thelastpartofthebookcontainsdrillanswersandexplanations.Afterworkingthroughthecontentchaptersandcheckingyouranswersandtheexplanationstothechapterdrills,takePracticeTest2onlineandapplyeverythingyou’velearnedtoimproveyourscore.The“Session-by-SessionStudyGuide”startingonthispagewillgiveyouaplanofattackforthesetestsandtherestofthebook.Thereisnosingleplanthatwillfiteveryone,sobepreparedtoadapttheplananduseitaccordingtoyourownneeds.

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digitallyoruseouronlineproctortotimeyouwhileyoutakethetestinthebook,thenenteryouranswersonline.Eitherway,you'llseeyourresultsandabreakdownofthequestioncategories.SeethispageformoreinfoPracticeTest1willgiveyouanideaofyourstrengthsandweaknesses,bothofwhichcanbesourcesofimprovement.Ifyou’realreadygoodatsomething,additionalpracticecanmakeyougreatatit;ifyou’renotsogoodatsomething,whatyoushoulddoaboutitdependsonhowimportantitis.Iftheconceptisonethatfrequentlyappearsonthetest,youshouldspendalotoftimeonit;ifitcomesuponlyonceinawhile,youshouldspendverylittletimeworkingonitandrememberthatit’ssomethingyoushouldeitherputoffuntilyou’vecompletedeasierthingsorskipitentirely.Howdoyouknowwhat’simportant?We’lltellyouthroughoutthisbook,whenwediscusstechniqueslikePluggingInandsoforth,butyoucanalsogetanideaofwhattofocusonsimplybyobservinghowthisbookislaidout.TheReadingandWritingIntroductiontellsyouhowtojumptothequestionsyouwanttoworkonfirst.IntheMathchapters,themostimportantconceptsappearfirst.Forexample,ifyou'reshakyonReading,youknowyou’llneedtodevotesometimetoReadingquestionsbecausethereisatotalof25-29suchquestionsonthetest.Andifyou’renotsoconfidentwhenitcomestogeometry,don’tpanic.Geometryquestionsappearonlyinthelastmathchapter,whichtellsyouthatthistopicisn’tasmuchofapriorityasPluggingInorMathBasics.Oneimportantnote:Inthisbook,thesamplequestionsareinnumericalorderwithinachapter.Thequestionnumberdoesnotindicatewhereyoucan

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expecttoseeasimilarquestiononthetest.Aswe’llshowyoulater,whatreallymattersisyourPersonalOrderofDifficulty.HowMuchShould|PrepareforthePSAT?Ifyou'reinthatverysmallpercentageofstudentswhoareincontentionforNationalMeritrecognition,itmaybeworthyourwhiletoputinagooddealoftimetoprepareforthistest.Afterall,yourextrahardworkmaywellputyouinabetterpositionforNationalMeritrecognition.Otherwise,youshouldprepareenoughsothatyoufeelmoreincontrolofthetestandhaveabettertestingexperience.(Nothingfeelsquiteasawfulasbeingdraggedthroughatestingexperiencefeelinglikeyoudon’tknowwhatyou’rebeingtestedonorwhattoexpect—exceptperhapsdentalsurgery.)TheotherreasontoprepareforthePSATisthatitwillgiveyousometestingskillsthatwillhelpyoubegintoprepareforthetestthatactuallycounts:theSAT.Thebottomlineisthis:ThebestreasontoprepareforthePSATisthatitwillhelpyougetanearlystartonyourpreparationfortheSAT.Ifyouweregettingreadytotakeabiologytest,you'dstudybiology.Ifyouwerepreparingforabasketballgame,you'dpracticebasketball.So,ifyou'repreparingforthePSAT(andeventuallytheSAT),studythePSAT.ThePSATcan'ttesteverything,soconcentrateonlearningwhatitdoestestHowCan|BePreparediftheTestisSoNew?Ifyou’vedoneanyresearchontheDigitalPSAT,youmayhavefoundthatthereisn’tallthatmuchinformationavailable.Infact,ifyou’repreparingforthe2023DigitalPSAT,you’llbeamongthefirststudentstotakethisnewversionofthetest.Thismightseemnerve-wracking,especiallyifyoutook

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thePSAT10orstartedyourSATprepearlyandarenowfacingasomewhatdifferenttest.ThegoodnewsisthateveryoneelsetakingtheDigitalPSATisinthesamepositionasyou.TheNationalMeritcutoffsarebasedonpercentiles,whichmeansthatyouonlyneedtodobetterthantheotherstudentswhotakethetest,nothitanarbitraryscore.Restassuredthatbycompletingthepracticeinthisbookandapplyingourstrategies,youwillbemuchbetterpreparedthanthevastmajorityofstudents,evenifsomeaspectsofthetestarealittlemysterious.TimeManagementTomanageyourPSATpreparation,makeuseofthestudyguideonthefollowingpages.ThisguidewillbreakdowntheseeminglydauntingtaskofPSATprepintobite-sizedpieceswecall“sessions.”Wehavemappedouttasksforeachsessiontobesureyougetthemostoutofthisbook.Thetestswillbethefirstandlastsessions,soyoushouldbesuretoplantohaveabouttwo-and-a-halfhoursforthesesessions.Mostothersessionswilllastbetweenanhourandtwohours,soplantotakeashortbreakinthemiddle,andifitlookslikethesessionisgoingtoexceedtwohours,feelfreetostopandpickupwhereyouleftoffonthenextday.WhenYouTakeaPracticeTestYou'llseewhentotakepracticetestsinthesessionoutlines.Herearesomeguidelinesfortakingthesetests:oIfpossible,takeyourpracticetestsonline.Althoughonetestisprintedinthisbook,takingitonlineinsteadofonpaperwillallowyoutobecomemorecomfortablewiththeonlineenvironment.*Whentakinganonlinetest,makesuretopracticeusingtheonlinetools.Usetheannotationtooltomarkimportanttextinthepassagesandquestions.UsetheAnswerEliminatortogetridofthewronganswers.Markquestionsyouwanttoreturnto.

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oTakeapracticetestinonesitting,underconditionssimilartothoseofaproctoredtest.Sitinaquietplaceandremovedistractionslikephonesfromthearea.Youneedtobuildupyourendurancefortherealtest,andyoualsoneedanaccuratepictureofhowyouwilldo.However,dotakea10-minutebreakbetweentheReadingandWritingsectionandtheMathsection.Ontherealtestyouwillhaveabreak,soit’simportantnottoskipitonthepracticetests.«Ifyoutakeyourtestsonline,youwillbeabletousetheon-screentimertokeeptrackofthetimeremainingineachmodule.Ifyoutakethefirsttestinthebookinsteadofonline,youcantimeyourselforusetheonlineproctorinyourstudentportal.Justmakesureyoudonotallowyourselftogoovertimeforanymodule.*Whetheryoutakeatestonlineoronpaper,writedownthethingsyouneedinordertoanswerthequestion.FortheDigitalPSAT,youwillgetthreesheetsofscratchpaper.Makesuretowritedowncalculationsormakenotesyouneed.Donotwriteonthequestionsoranswersthemselvesonthepapertest,asyouwillnotbeabletodosoontheDigitalPSAT.yourpracticetests,seethispage.Session-by-SessionStudyGuideSessionZeroYou'reinvolvedinthissessionrightnow.Finishreadingthefirstchaptersoyou’llknowwhatthetestisabout,howitisused,andwhattoexpectfromtherestofthebook.Thisstepprobablywon’ttakeyoulong,soifyouhaveabouttwo-and-a-halfhoursafteryoucompleteChapter1,youcangoontoSessionOneandtakethefirstpracticetest.SessionOneTakePracticeTest1andscoreit.You’llusethisresulttogetanideaofyourstrengthsandweaknesses,andthepartsofeachsectionyoushouldconcentrateon.Notethatourexplanationsrefertoconceptsdiscussed

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elsewhereinthisbook,soyoumaywanttowaituntilafterSessionFourbeforereviewingthistest.SessionTwoWorkthroughChapters2and3oftheOrientationandChapter6,ReadingandWritingIntroduction.SessionThreeReadChapter7,ReadingComprehension.SessionFourWorkthroughtheMathBasicsinChapter11andthecorrespondingdrills.ThendoChapter8,RulesQuestions:Punctuation.SessionFiveWorkthroughtheMathTechniquessectioninChapter12andassociateddrills.TakealookatChapter9,Rules:Grammar.SessionSixReviewAdvancedMath,Chapter13.Asyouworkthroughthischapter,besuretoapplytechniqueslikePluggingInthatyoulearnedinChapter12.SincethesetechniquesarecentraltodoingwellontheMathsection,youcanneverpracticethemtoomuch.Ifthere’stime,startChapter14.SessionSevenWorkthroughGeometryandTrigonometryinChapter14.Whenyoufinish,readthroughChapter10,Rhetoric.Thiswillcompleteyourworkinthecontentchapters.SessionEightTakePracticeTest2,availableonlineinyourstudentportal.Usethetechniquesyou’vebeenpracticingthroughoutthebook.Scoreyourtestandgothroughtheexplanations,focusingonwhereyoumayhavemissedtheopportunitytouseatechniqueandyourdecisionsaboutwhetheryoushouldhaveattemptedaquestionornot,givenyourpacinggoalsandPersonalOrderofDifficulty.Someoftheterminologyinthestudyguidemaybeunfamiliartoyounow,butdon’tworry,you’llgettoknowitsoon.Also,you’llwanttoreferbacktothisstudyguideateachsessiontokeepyourselfontrack.

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So,whatareyouwaitingfor?GoaheadanddiveintotheDigitalPSAT!

Princeton Review PSAT/NMSQT Prep, 2023-2024 : 2 Practice Tests + Review for the NEW Digital PSAT (2023) - Page 31 preview image

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Chapter2AllAbouttheNationalMeritScholarshipsTheNMSQTpartofthenamePSAT/NMSQTstandsforNationalMeritScholarshipQualifyingTest.ThatmeansthePSATservesasthetestthatwillestablishwhetheryouareeligibleforNationalMeritrecognition.Thischapterwillhelpyoufigureoutwhatthatmaymeanforyouandevenotherscholarshipsyoumayqualifyfor.

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