Princeton Review Digital SAT Advanced (College Test Preparation), 2nd Edition (2024)

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ThePrincetonReviewPublishingTeamRobFranek,Editor-in-ChiefDavidSoto,SeniorDirector,DataOperationsStephenKoch,SeniorManager,DataOperationsDeborahWeber,DirectorofProductionJasonUllmeyer,ProductionDesignManagerJenniferChapman,SeniorProductionArtistSelenaCoppock,DirectorofEditorialOrionMcBean,SeniorEditorAaronRiccio,SeniorEditorMeaveShelton,SeniorEditorChrisChimera,EditorPatriciaMurphy,EditorLauraRose,EditorIsabelleAppleton,EditorialAssistantPenguinRandomHousePublishingTeamTomRussell,VP,PublisherAlisonStoltzfus,SeniorDirector,PublishingEmilyHoffman,AssociateManagingEditorPattyCollins,ExecutiveDirectorofProductionMaryEllenOwens,AssistantDirectorofProductionAliceRahaeuser,AssociateProductionManagerMaggieGibson,AssociateProductionManagerSuzanneLee,SeniorDesignerEugeniaLo,PublishingAssistantThePrincetonReview110East42ndSt,7thFloorNewYork,NY10017Copyright©2024byTPREducationIPHoldings,LLC.AllrightsreservedPublishedintheUnitedStatesbyPenguinRandomHouse,LLC,NewYork.TermsofService:ThePrincetonReviewOnlineCompanionTools(“StudentTools’)forretailbooksareavailableforonlythetwomostrecenteditionsofthatbook.StudentToolsmaybeactivatedonlyoncepereligiblebookpurchasedforatotalof24monthsofaccess.ActivationofStudentToolsmorethanonceperbookisindirectviolationoftheseTermsofServiceandmayresultindiscontinuationofaccesstoStudentToolsServices.SATisaregisteredtrademarkoftheCollegeBoard,whichdoesnotsponsororendorsethisproductThePrincetonReviewisnotaffiliatedwithPrincetonUniversity.ISBN9780593517475EbookISBN9780593517482Thematerialinthisbookisup-to-dateatthetimeofpublication.However,changesmayhavebeeninstitutedbythetestingbodyinthetestafterthisbookwaspublished.Ifthereareanyimportantlate-breakingdevelopments,changes,orcorrectionstothematerialsinthisbook,wewillpostthatinformationonlineintheStudentTools.RegisteryourbookandcheckyourStudentToolstoseeifthereareanyupdatespostedthereEditor:OrionMcBeanProductionEditor:KathyCarterandNinaMozesProductionArtist:DeborahWeberCoverartbyJordiEliasGrassot/AlamyStockPhotoCoverdesignbySuzanneLeePhotoselectionandlayoutbyCarlingDesign,Inc.|vv1StudyXY

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AcknowledgmentsVeryspecialthankstotheauthorsofthistitle,KennethBrenner,SaraKuperstein,andScottO'Neal.Specialthankstothefollowingcontributorswhoassistedwithmorethanonepartofthisbook:HarrisonFoster,BethHollingsworth,RobertOtey,GabbyPeterson,KathyRuppert,andSuzanneWint.Thanksaswelltothefollowingcontributors:AlekseiAlferiev,TaniaCapone,PaulChristiansen,StaceyCowap,WazhmaDaftanai,AdamKeller,KevinKeogh,AliLandreau,AaronLindh,JomilLondon,SweenaMangal,SionainnMarcoux,ValerieMeyers,JasonMorgan,AcaciaNawrocik-Madrid,ElizabethOwens,DenisePollard,andJessThomas.ContentDirectorofHighSchoolProgramsAmyMinster+StudyXY

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ContentsGetMore(Free)ContentPartI:Orientation1IntroductiontotheDigitalSAT2DigitalSATOverallStrategiesandPacing3CommonMistakesandHowtoFixThem4MasteringtheReadingandWritingSectionPartIll:SATAdvancedReadingStrategies5ReadingIntroduction6ExploringAdvancedVocabulary7IdentifyingStructuralWords8UnderstandingSentenceFunction9MasteringProcessofElimination10WorkingwithPoetry11OvercomingChallengingScenarios12ReadingDrills:AnswersandExplanationsPartlll:SATAdvancedWritingStrategies13WritingIntroduction14RulesTopicsandHowtoSpotThem15TrickyPunctuation16TrickyGrammar17RulesConclusion:IdentifyingQuestionTypes,SavingTime,andSmartGuessing18TrickyTransitions19TrickyRhetoricalSynthesis20WritingDrills:AnswersandExplanationsPartIV:SATAdvancedMathStrategies21MathSectionIntroduction22UseYourPacingStrategiesandPOOD23UseYourTPRMathTactics24UsetheBuilt-InCalculator25UseYourMathKnowledge

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26UseEverything27MathDrills:AnswersandExplanationsPartV:OnlineHarderSATModules

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1GotoPrincetonReview.com/prepandenterthefollowingISBNforyourbook:97805935174822AnswerafewsimplequestionstosetupanexclusivePrincetonReviewaccount.(Ifyoualreadyhaveone,youcanjustlogin.)3EnjoyaccesstoyourFREEcontent!Needtoreportapotentialcontentissue?ContactEditorialSupport@review.comandinclude:«fulltitleofthebook«ISBN*pagenumberNeedtoreportatechnicalissue?ContactTPRStudentTech@review.comandprovide:«yourfullname«emailaddressusedtoregisterthebook«fullbooktitleandISBN«Operatingsystem(Mac/PC)andbrowser(Chrome,Firefox,Safari,etc.)Onceyou’veregistered,youcan...«Accessavarietyofresourcessuchassummarypages,achapterguide,andadditionalDigitalSATModuleswiththehardestdrillquestionsandexplanations«Takeafull-lengthDigitalSAT«Getvaluableadviceaboutthecollegeapplicationprocess,includingtipsforwritingagreatessayandwheretoapplyforfinancialaid«UseoursearchablerankingsofTheBest389Collegestofindoutmoreinformationaboutyourdreamschool«Checktoseeiftherehavebeenanycorrectionsorupdatestothisedition+StudyXy

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PartIOrientation1IntroductiontotheDigitalSAT2DigitalSATOverallStrategiesandPacing3CommonMistakesandHowtoFixThem4MasteringtheReadingandWritingSectionStudy

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Chapter1IntroductiontotheDigitalSATThepursuitofaperfectornear-perfectSATscoreisanimpressivegoal.AchievingthatgoalrequiresathoroughcommandofthematerialandstrategiesspecifictotheSAT.Tobeginyourquest,learneverythingyoucanaboutthetest.ThischapterpresentsanoverviewoftheDigitalSAT,adviceaboutwhentotakeit,informationabouthowSATscoresareused,andasummaryofwhatthisbookoffers.+StudyXy

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WELCOMESo,youthinkyoucanscorea1450orbetter?We'reallforit.ThePrincetonReviewsupportsallstudentswhowanttodotheirbest.We’vewrittenthisbookspecificallyforstudentswhoareinapositiontoscoreattheveryhighestlevels.Thismeansyouarealreadyscoringata1350oraboveandarelookingtofine-tuneyourapproachtogetafewmorecorrectanswers.Webelievethattoachieveaperfectornear-perfectscore,youhavetoknowasmuchaspossibleaboutthetestitselfand,moreimportant,aboutyourself.YoumayknowallofthebasicfactsabouttheDigitalSATalready,butevenifyouthinkyoudo,weencourageyoutoreadthroughthischaptertobesureyouknoweverysinglethingyoucanaboutthetestyou'regoingtoconquer.FUNFACTSABOUTTHEDIGITALSATAllofthecontentreviewandstrategiesweteachinthefollowinglessonsarebasedonthespecificstructureandformatoftheDigitalSAT.Beforeyoucanbeatthetest,youhavetoknowhowit’sbuilt.StructureTheDigitalSATconsistsoftwomainsections:ReadingandWriting(RW)andMath.Eachsectionisbrokenintotwomodules,soyou’lldotwoRWmodules,takeabreak,andthendotwoMathmodules.Reading/Writing:32minutes,27questions*Reading/Writing:32minutes,27questions*Break:10minutesMath:35minutes,22questions*Math:35minutes,22questions**Twoquestionsfromeachmodulewon’tbescored.CollegeBoardcallsthese“pre-testquestions,”butyouwon’tknowwhichtwoquestionsareunscored.WhydoesCollegeBoardbreakthesectionsintotwomoduleseach?Becausethedifficultyofthesecondmoduleactuallydependsonhowyoudoonthefirstone.Sinceyoutakethistestonacomputer,thesoftwarecangoaheadandscoreyourfirstmoduleofeachsectioninstantaneously.Then,itwillautomaticallygiveyouasecondmoduleofthatsectionbasedontheresults.Here’showthatworks:Asyoucansee,ifyoudoprettywellonthefirstmoduleofeitherRWorMath,yoursecondmodulewillbeabit(orpossiblyalot)harderthanthefirstone.Ontheotherhand,ifyoudon’tdoaswell,you'llgetaneasiersecondmodule.Theideabehindthisisthatyoudon’twastetimewithquestionsthataren’tappropriateforyourskilllevel.Ifsomeoneisveryweakonmath,thatpersonshouldbegivenagreaternumberofeasierquestionstodo,asthere’snopointingivingthatpersonabunchofhardquestionsthatthestudentisjustgoingtohavetoguesson.Ontheotherhand,students

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whoareverystrongonRWshouldgettoprovetheirabilitiesbybeinggivenmorechallengingquestions.Ofcourse,yourscoreisgoingtobeadjustedaccordingly.Yoursecondmoduleisgoingtobeweightedmoreifitistheharderone.Thatbeingsaid,you'rereadingthisbookbecauseyouarehopingtoscoreatleast1450.Inthatcase,youwillneedtogetthehardersecondmoduleonbothRWandMath,sowewon’twastetimediscussingtheeasiersecondmoduleinanygreaterdetail.Youmaybewonderingwhatthecutoffisforthehardersecondmodule.Howmanycorrectanswersdoyouneedonthefirstmoduletogetthehardersecondmodule?Theanswerisabitcomplicated.We’vefoundthatitdiffersfromtesttotest,anditmayevendifferdependingonwhichquestionsyouanswercorrectly—notjusthowmany.However,wecanconfidentlysaythatyouneedtoanswermorethanhalfofthequestionscorrectlyonthefirstmoduletobegiventhehardersecondmodule.Ifyou'rereadingthisbook,youshouldalreadybeansweringmorethanhalfofthequestionsrightoneachfirstmodule.ScoringTheReadingandWritingsectionandtheMathsectionareeachscoredonascalefrom200to800andthenaddedtogetherforanoverallscorebetween400and1600.Howdothetwomodulestogethermakeupthat800-pointscore?It’shardtosay.Asyoucanimagine,therearemanycombinationsofrightanswersthatstudentscanget.CollegeBoardhasn’tpublicizedmuchaboutthescoringontheDigitalSAT.‘WeknowthatthequestionsareweightedmoreonthehardersecondmoduleandthatindividualquestionsareweightedslightlydifferentlydependingonfactorsthatCollegeBoardhasn’tdisclosed.BecausethescoringontheDigitalSATissodifficulttofigureout,it’snotworthwastingtimetryingtodeterminehowmanycorrectanswersyouneedorwhatyourscoreisgoingtobewithdifferentcombinationsofrightandwronganswers.Ouronlinetestswillgiveyouscores,buttheyshouldbeconsideredapproximate.You'reheretoscoreashighaspossible,sofocusonusingthestrategiesinthisbooktodojustthat.‘Whenyoureceiveyourscorereportabouttwoweeksaftertakingthetest,itwillshowyourRWandMathscoresoutof800.Itwillalsoshowyouavisualdepictionofhowwellyoudidinafewbroadcategories,suchasExpressionofIdeasandAdvancedMath.Youwon’tknowexactlyhowmanyquestionsyoumissed,overallorbycategory.Youwillbegivenapercentilethatshowshowyoudidincomparisontoothertest-takers.CONTENTInPartsII-IVofthisbook,we’llprovidemorespecificsaboutthecontentareaswithinReading,Writing,andMath.Here'sabriefoverviewofeachsection.

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ReadingandWritingThisisonesectionofthetestandonescoringarea,butitreallyconsistsoftwoseparatesubjects(ReadingandWriting).Thus,thisbookcoversthemseparately.EachquestiononReadingandWritinghasashortpassage(25-150words)oroccasionallytwosmallpassages.Readingquestionsincludevocabularyandreadingcomprehension,thelatterofwhichwillaskyoutounderstandthemeaningand/orstructureofatext,whichcouldincludeliterature.Writingquestionsrelatetopunctuationandgrammarrulesaswellasthecompositionofsentences.BothReadingandWritingquestionshavepassagesontopicssuchasscience,history/culture,andthearts.TheReadingandWritingmodulesareorganizedinaveryspecificway,bybothtopicanddifficultylevel,whichyou’lllearnmoreaboutlater.MathMostMathquestionsaremultiple-choice,butabout25%arefill-insinwhichyoutypetheansweryourself.TheMathquestionsareroughlyorganizedfromeasiesttohardest,sothemostchallengingquestionswillcometowardtheendofeachmodule.Mathsubjectsincludelotsofalgebra,arithmetic,dataandstatistics,coordinategeometry,planegeometry,andtrigonometry.TOOLSANDRESOURCESAsthenamesuggests,theDigitalSATistakenonacomputer—butthatdoesn’tmeanyoucanjustkickbackandclickonanswersfromthecomfortofyourbed.You'llstillneedtogoinpersontotakeitwithagroupofstudentsandaproctor,anadultwhogivesinstructionsandmonitorsthetest-takingconditions.Althoughthetestisgivenonthecomputer(you'lleithertakeyourowndeviceoruseoneatthetestingcenter),youwillbegivenscratchpaperandcantakeyourownpensorpencils.IntheMathsectionofthisbook,you’llgetsomeadviceonhowtoeffectivelyusethescratchpaper.YoucanalsousescratchpaperontheRWsectionifyoufindithelpful.Inaddition,you'reallowedtotakeyourownbasicorgraphingcalculator.Thecomputersoftwarethatdeliversthetestdoesprovideyouwithsomeextremelyhelpfultools,though.Let’stakealookatwhattheyare:Tool:AnswereliminatorFunction:Crossoffmultiple-choiceanswersonthescreenTips:UsethisonbothRWandMathanytimeyouseeananswerthatdefinitelyisn’tright.Tool:Highlight/annotate(RWonly)Function:Highlightanypartofthequestionand/orpassageandtypeanassociatednoteintoabox

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Tips:Youcanhighlightwhatthequestionisaskingforandanykeyinformationinthetext.Iftheanswerisn’tstatedinthetext(suchasforPurposequestions),annotatewhattheanswershouldbeinyourownwords.Tool:Built-inDesmoscalculator(Mathonly)Function:PerformbasiccalculationsandgraphnearlyanyequationinanyformatTips:Thiscalculatorismuchmorepowerfulandmorehelpfulthanahandheldgraphingcalculatorandcanhelpyouanswerhardquestionsinseconds.Tool:Referencesheet(Mathonly)Function:Providemathformulas(mostlygeometry)thatmaybeneededforquestionsTips:Makesureyouknowwhatformulasareprovidedsothatyou’llknowtofindthemonthereferencesheetifneeded.Tool:ReviewpageFunction:Seewhatquestionshavebeenanswered,leftunanswered,andmarkedTips:Insteadofclickingtheforwardandbackbuttonsrepeatedly,usethereviewpagetogodirectlytothequestionyouwanttolookat.Tool:MarkforreviewbuttonFunction:Showthequestionas“marked”onthereviewpageTips:Werecommendusingthistoindicatequestionsyoustartedbutgotstuckonandwanttoreturntolater.Practicewiththeon-screentoolsonyourDigitalSATpracticetestsbeforetestday.You’lllearnmuchmoreabouthowtousethesetoolseffectivelylaterinthisbook.Fornow,keepinmindthatyouwanttobecomefullycomfortablewithusingtheon-screentoolsbeforetestday.Ifyoudon’ttakeadvantageofthem,you'llreallyhurtyourchancesofscoringashighasyou’dlike.THESATSCHEDULETheSATiscurrentlyofferedintheU.S.andinternationallyseventimesayear:August,October,November,December,March,May,andJune.Inaddition,yourschoolmayofferaSchoolDaySATatothertimesoftheyear.TaketheSATwhenyourschedulebestallows.Yougenerallydon’tneedtotaketheSATforthefirsttimeuntilatleastthefallofyourjunioryear.It’sbestnottostarttooearlybecauseyouwanttotakeadvantageofthelearningandgrowthyou’llexperienceleadinguptoapplyingforcollege.MoststudentsenduptakingtheSATtwoorthreetimes.Werecommendthatyoufinda3-4-monthwindowinyourschedulethatcoversatleasttwoSATtests.Prepfirst,thentakeatest,andthen+StudyXY

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continuepreppingasneededforasecondorthirdtest.Thisway,youcanbefinishedwiththeSATinarelativelyshortperiodoftime.You’lldobetterifyouconcentrateonSATprepforthatshorterwindowoftimeratherthandraggingoutyourprepoveranextendedperiod.WealsoencourageyoutobefinishedtakingtheSATbytheendofyourjunioryear.Inyoursenioryear,you’llbebusywithcollegeapplicationsaswellasallthefunthingsthatcomealongwithyourfinalyearofhighschool.You'llbegladifyou'realreadyfinishedwiththeSATatthatpoint!Herearesomeexampleschedulesthatwerecommend:Startprepping:Summerbefore11thgradeFirsttest:AugustSecondtest:OctoberFinaltestifneeded:November/DecemberConsiderthis:TheAugust,October,November,andDecembertestsareclosetogether.Youmightneedtogoaheadandregisterforthenextonebeforeyougetyourscoresfromthepreviousone.Ifyouwaittogetyourscores,youmightmisstheregistrationdeadline.Startprepping:Fallof11thgradeFirsttest:OctoberSecondtest:NovemberFinaltestifneeded:DecemberConsiderthis:TheOctober,November,andDecembertestsareclosetogether.Youmightneedtogoaheadandregisterforthenextonebeforeyougetyourscoresfromthepreviousone.Ifyouwaittogetyourscores,youmightmisstheregistrationdeadline.Startprepping:Winterof11thgradeFirsttest:MarchSecondtest:MayFinaltestifneeded:JuneConsiderthis:TherearetwomonthsbetweenMarchandMay,soyoucanwaittogetyourMarchscorestoseewhetheryouneedtotakethetestagain.However,ifyouaretakingAPexams,youmaynotbeasfocusedtotaketheSATinMay.Gotocollegeboard.organdcreateastudentaccount.Atcollegeboard.org,youcanviewtestdates,fees,andregistrationdeadlines.Youcanresearchtherequirementsandprocessestoapplyforextendedtimeorotheraccommodations,registerforthetest,viewyourscores,andorderscorereports.+StudyXy

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YoucancontactCollegeBoardcustomerservicebyphoneat866-756-7346(orat+1212-713-7789forinternationalcallers),butyoucannotsignupforthetestbyphoneifyouaretakingitforthefirsttime.TestSecurityAspartoftheregistrationprocess,youhavetouploadormailaphotographthatwillbeprintedonyouradmissionticket.Ontestday,youhavetotaketheticketandacceptablephotoidentificationwithyou.ScoresWhenyouregisterfortheSAT,you’llbegiventheoptiontoautomaticallysendthescoresfromthatdatetofourcollegesofyourchoice.IfthisisyouroneandonlytimetakingtheSATandyouarealreadyintheprocessofapplyingtocollege,goaheadanddothis!Mostlikely,though,thatisn’tgoingtobeyoursituation.IfyouaretakingtheSATbeforeyoursenioryear,aswerecommend,it'llbetooearlytosendSATscorestocollegesevenifyouhavealreadysolidifiedyourlistofschools.Furthermore,youmaybeconsideringtakingthetestagain,oryoumayhavealreadytakenitonceortwice.Inthatcase,youdon’twanttoautomaticallysendthescores.Youmighthavedonebetteronanearliertest,oryoumightdobetteronafuturetest.So,inmostcasesyou'llwanttoskipsendingscorestocollegesuntillateronwhenyoualreadyhaveallofyourSATscoresacrossmultipledatesandareinthecollegeapplicationprocess.(Thereisafeeassociatedwiththis.)So,let’ssayyouenduptakingtheSATtwice.Thesecondtime,youscorehigheronbothRWandMath.Inthatcase,whenyouapplytocollege,you’lljustgoaheadandsendthescoresfromtheseconddate.There’snoreasontosendthefirstsetofscoressincebothofthemwerelower.Theonlyexceptiontothisisifacollegesaysyoumustsendallofyourscores,inwhichcaseyoushouldbesuretodothat.Ontheotherhand,maybeyoutakeittwiceandonthesecondtryyouimproveyourMathbutdecreaseyourRW,soyourbestRWscoreisfromthefirstdateandyourbestMathscoreisfromtheseconddate.Inthatcase,you’llwanttosendbothsetsofscores.Mostcollegessuperscore,whichmeansthey’lltakeyourhighestRWscoreandyourhighestMathscoreevenifyoudidn’tgetthemonthesametest.Asafinalpossibility,someschoolsaskyoutosendyoursinglebestdate.Inthatcase,justsendtheonewiththehighestoverallscore.It’salsoworthnotingthatit’spossibletocancelyourSATscores,butonlybeforeyouactuallygetthescores.Youcancancelyourscoresatthetestingcenterorwithinaweekoftakingthetest,butthisshouldbedoneonlyinthemostextremecircumstances,likeifyoubecameviolentlyillanddidn’tansweranyquestionson

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thetest.Inanyothercase,youshouldn’tcancel,evenifyoufeelyoudidn’tperformyourbest,because—remember—youcangenerallychoosewhichscoresyousendtocolleges.Youmaynothavedoneasbadlyasyouthink,andevenifyoudid,youcansimplychoosenottosendthosescores(unlessacollegeaskstoseeallofyourscores,butinthatcasetheyaremostlikelygoingtotakeasuperscore).TestingPoliciesAsyoujustsaw,collegeadmissionspoliciesontestscorescanvaryintermsofhowmanyscoresyouneedtosubmitandhowtheytreatthosescores.That’swhyit’scrucialthatyoudosomeresearchoncollegesyouthinkyoumightbeinterestedin.Doitnow,becauseyoumayfindthattheschoolsyoulikedon’trequireyoutosubmitSATscores—ormaynotevenacceptthematall.YoudefinitelywanttofindoutwhetheryouevenneedtotaketheSATbeforeyouinvestalotoftimeintopreparingforit.Let’stakealookatthedifferentwayscollegescantreatSATscores.CollegeswillgenerallyaccepteithertheACTortheSAT,butwe'regoingtofocusontheSATsincethat'swhatyou'vechosentoprepareforPolicy|Desoripton|TestYoumustsubmitSATscoresinorderforyourapplicationtoberequired|considered.TestYoumaysubmitSATscores,andtheycanhelpyourchancesofoptional|gettingin,butscoresaren’trequired.TestInsteadofsubmittingSATscores,youcanmeetrequirementsbyflexible|submittingAPexams,IBexams,orothertypesoftestsorbyhavingacertainGPAorclassrank.TestEvenifyousubmittestscores,theywon'tbeconsideredaspartofyourblindapplication,sodon’twasteyourtimeandmoneysubmittingthem.It’simportanttokeepinmindthatthesepoliciescanchangefromyeartoyear.Manycollegesputinplacetest-optionalpoliciesduringtheCOVID-19pandemic,butsomehavegonebacktorequiringtestscoresandothersstillmayinthefuture.Makesuretochecktheadmissionswebsitetoseewhateachschool’spolicyis,andcalloremailtheadmissionsofficeifyouhaveanyquestionsaboutthepolicy.TherearealsootherreasonstotaketheSATbesidescollegeadmissions.Someschoolsmaynotrequirethetestforadmissions,buttheymaystilluseSATscoresforplacementintoclasses,scholarships,orotheruses.Andifaschoolistest-optional,the1450+you'reaimingforcanhelpyoustandoutifthat’sabovetheaverageSATscoreforthatschool.Itcanalsohelpbalanceoutweakeraspectsofyourapplication.We'lltakeacloserlookatthatinamoment.+StudyXY

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THEBIGPICTUREUltimately,you’retakingtheSATbecauseofcollege,whetherit’sforadmissions,ascholarship,orsomethingelse.So,let’sexaminewhatthatbigpictureofapplyingtocollegelookslike.First,youneedtodosomeresearchandfindschoolsthatareagoodfitforyourpersonalityandinterestsandhavewhatyouarelookingforinacollege.Forinstance,ifyouwanttostudyRussianliterature,youshouldapplytocollegesthatoffersuchaprogram.Weknowthathigh-scorerstendtofocusonasmallhandfulofelite,highlyselectiveinstitutions.There’snoharminconsideringtheseschools,butmakesuretofindoutwhethertheyreagoodfitforyou.Yourdreamschoolshouldn’tbebasedsolelyorevenprimarilyonthenameorreputationoftheschool.TherearehundredsofgreatcollegesanduniversitiesintheU.S.,andjustbecauseyoumaynothaveheardofonealreadydoesn’tmeanitcouldn’tbeagoodfitforyou.Asidefromconsideringhowgoodofafiteachcollegeisforyou,it’salsoworthlookingathowmuchyou’regoingtohavetopay.Collegeisexpensive,andit’schallengingtohavetopayoffcollegeloanswhenyou'rejuststartingoutinyourpost-collegecareer.Sinceyou'retryingtomaximizeyourSATscore,whynotconsideracollegethatwillpayyoufordoingso?TherearesomecollegesthatwillactuallygrantyouanautomaticscholarshipjustforhavingahighSATscoreandasolidGPA.Forexample,asof2024,TexasTechandtheUniversityofOklahomaeachofferedupto$9,000peryearforatopSATscoreandGPA.TherearealsomanycollegesthatwillautomaticallyconsideryouforascholarshipbasedonyourSATscoreandGPA.Therealityisthatneitheryournear-perfecttestscorenoryournear-perfectGPAisgoingtomakeyoustandoutatanelitecollegethatacceptslessthan10%ofapplicants.Almosteveryoneapplyingtothoseschoolshasequallygoodcredentials.However,ifyou’rewillingtoconsiderschoolsbeyondtheoneswiththemostnamerecognition,youmayfindsomethingthatisnotonlyagreatfitforyoubutisalsosignificantlymoreaffordable.Let’salsokeepinmindthattestscoresareonlyonepartoftheapplication.Whenyouapplytocollege,inadditiontotestscores,you'llsubmityourhighschooltranscriptthatincludesyourcourses,finalgrades,GPA,andclassrank;theapplicationwithallofyourinformationonit,suchasdemographics,familydata,andextracurriculars;andoneormoreessays.Inaddition,youmaybesubmittingaportfolio,othertypesoftestscores(suchasthosefromAPexams),and/orarésumé.Collegesmayalsoconsideranauditionorinterview.AllthatgoestoshowthatyourchancesofadmissiongofarbeyondthestrengthofyourSATscores.Infact,formanyschools,thetestscoresarelessimportantthanmostoftheseotherfactors.That’swhyit’scriticalnottolettestprepconsumeyourlife.It’sokaytobepersistentaboutimprovingyourscore,butit’salsoimportanttohaveotherinterestsandpursuethingsyou’repassionateabout.Collegeswanttoacceptstudentswhoarewell-roundedandhaveactivitiesbeyondpreparingtoapplytocollege.AndasobsessiveasThe

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PrincetonReviewmaybeaboutthistest,we’dlikeforyoutofindsomemoreusefulhobbies.SETTINGREASONABLEGOALSIfyourlastSATscorewasa1400andyourtestisinthreedays,it’snotrealistictothinkthatyoucanimprovetoa1550inthatshortamountoftime(nomatterhowgoodtheadviceinthisbookis!).Unfortunately,there’snosinglewaytopredicthowmuchastudent’sscorecanimprove.Italldependsonhowmuchtimeyouputintoit,yourwillingnesstotryoutandworkonnewmethods,andhowquicklyyoulearn.Ifyoutakethetimetocarefullyreadthroughthisbookandworkthroughtheexercisesitcontains,usingthenewtechniquesyou’velearned,wethinkyou'llseearealimprovement.Butit’simportanttokeepinmindwhatimprovementslooklikewhenyou’rescoringabovea700inagivensection.Aswementionedearlier,theDigitalSAT’sscoringlooksdifferentfromtesttotest.OnpreviousversionsoftheSAT,we’veseentestsonwhichyoucouldmissacoupleofquestionsandstillgetaperfect800aswellastestsonwhichmissingtwoquestionscouldbringyourscoredowntoa760.Thesefluctuationsareimpossibletopredictandrelatetohoweasyorhardthetesthappenedtobeonaparticularday.AccordingtoCollegeBoard,ascoreof1400putsyouatthe93rdpercentile,meaningyou'reinthetop7%ofstudentswhotaketheSAT.There’snothingwrongwithwantingtoscoreevenhigher,especiallyifyoufinditfuntotrytomaximizeyourSATscore(yes,weknowtherearesomeofyououtthere!).Thebetterpreparedyouare,thebetteryouroddsofhittingyourgoal,butit’snotabadideatocomeupwithagoalyoucanlivewithaswellasadreamgoal.Ifyouhappentohaveagreattestdayandgetaversionofthetestthatplaysperfectlytoyourstrengths,thenyoumayhityourultimategoal,butotherwiseyoucanatleastgettoascoreyou'resatisfiedwith.Inthisbook,we’llgiveyouallthetipsandstrategieswecancomeupwithtogetyouashighascoreaspossible.Butadmissionsofficersknowjustaswellasyoudothatthedifferencebetweena700andan800isamatterofahandfulofquestions.Doyourbesttoprepare,butdon’tputtoomuchpressureonyourself.There’smoretolife(andcollegeadmissions)thantheSAT!THISBOOKANDYOUAswementionedatthebeginningofthechapter,thisbookisdesignedforstudentswhoarealreadyconsistentlyscoringata1350orabove.Ifyouhaven’tyetreachedthisthreshold,wewouldencourageyoutopickupacopyofDigitalSATPremiumPrepfirst.ThatbookcoversvirtuallyeverysingletopicontheSATandwillprovideyouwithgreatstrategiesthatshouldhelpyoutocorrectlyanswerthemajorityofthequestionsonthetest.Italsoincludesseveralpracticeteststhatyoucanusetoworkonyouroveralltechniqueusingthestrategiesfromthebook.Evenifyouareaverysmartpersonanddowellinadvancedclassesinschool,ifyou'renotalreadyscoring

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atahighlevel,you'rebetteroffstartingwithSATPremiumPrepbecauseitwillhelpyouimproveintheareasthataffectyourscorethemost.Thisbookdoesnotcovereverytopiconthetest.Infact,itdoesn’tevencoverallofthemostcommontopics.WevechosentopicsforthisbookbasedonwhatCollegeBoardconsidershardquestions,thecommonmistakeshigher-scorersmake,andsmallerstrategiesthatcanhelpwiththoselastfewpoints.Beforelearningthesetopics,youneedtohavemasteredthemostcommonlytestedareasandneedtohaveasolidpacingstrategy.Ifyoutendtodowellonstandardizedtestsbuthaven’tbecomefamiliarwiththeSATyet,trytakingafreepracticetesteitherfromCollegeBoardviaitsBluebookapporonourwebsite,princetonreview.com.TheresultingscorewillhelpyoudecidewhetherthisbookwillmeetyourneedsorwhetheryoushouldstartwithDigitalSATPremiumPrep.willhavedonesomeself-analysisandwillhaveabetterideaofwheretostart.You'llalsogetinformationonhowtofindachapterguideinyouronlinestudenttoolsIfyou'rereadytoproceed,welcome!Thisbookbeginswithsomeinformationonoverallstrategiesandhowtofindwhatyouneedtoworkon,whichwethinkwillbeanextremelyhelpfulplacetostart.Afterthat,you’llfindchaptersonReading,‘Writing,andMathinthatorder.Chancesare,youwon’tneedeverychapterinthisbook.Forinstance,ifyouhaveastrongvocabularyandnevermissavocabquestion,youmaybeabletoskipthechapterdealingwithvocabulary.Youhaveourpermissiontochoosethechaptersthataregoingtobemosthelpfulforyou,butbesuretoreadtheintroductionforeachsectionbeforedivingintoanychaptersfromthatsection.Onceyoufeelthatyou’vemasteredthecontentandstrategiesforeachsectionofthetest,youcanputallyournewskillsintopracticeonthetestmodulesinPartV.ThereisoneforReadingandWritingandoneforMath.Theserepresentthemixoftopicsanddifficultylevelsyouarelikelytoseeonthehardersecondmoduleineachsection.Youcangothrougheachoneselectivelytofindmorequestionsonagiventopicthatyou'dliketopractice,oryoucantakethefullmodule,timed,topracticeyourpacingwhileapplyingyournewSATmastery.Thechoiceisyours.So,whatareyouwaitingfor?Let’sgetstarted!

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Chapter2DigitalSATOverallStrategiesandPacingToearnaperfectornear-perfectSATscore,youneedstrategiesspecifictotheSAT.Inthischapter,we’llprovideanoverviewoftheuniversalstrategies.EachsectionoftheSATdemandsaspecificapproach,andeventhemostuniversalstrategiesvaryintheirapplications.InPartsI-IV,we’lldiscussthesestrategiesingreaterdetailcustomizedtotheReading,Writing,andMathportionsofthetest.+StudyXy

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Ifyouarecurrentlyscoringata1350orhigher,youalreadyhaveadecentoverallstrategy.It’sprobablynotagoodideatocompletelyabandonyourcurrenttechniques,especiallyifyoudon’thavemuchtimebeforeyouplantotaketheDigitalSAT.Inthischapter,we’llgooverwhatwethinkarethebestwaystoapproachthetestasawhole.Chancesare,you'vealreadybeenusingsomeofthesemethodsonyourown.Ifnot,andifyouhavesometime,trythemoutonapracticetestorapracticesectiontoseehowtheyworkforyou.SLOWDOWN,SCOREMOREOneofthebiggestchallengesontheSATisthatyouhavealimitedamountoftimetoanswerthequestionsineachmodule.Theobvioussolutionistosimplygofaster.Ofcourse,thisisn’tassimpleasitsounds.Movingthroughthemodulemorequicklycomeswithmajortrade-offs,namelythatyou'regoingtomissalotofquestionsthatyouwouldhavegottenrightotherwise.Don’tgetuswrong:therearewaystosavetime(andwe’lltellyouallabouttheminthisbook).Butrushing,skimming,skippingsteps,andalloftheotherwaysto“gofaster”areonlygoingtohurtyourscore.So,we'reactuallygoingtotellyoutheoppositeofthe“obvious”solutiontothetimelimit:youmayactuallyneedtoslowdowninordertoscorehigher.Thisisn’ttrueforeveryone.Ifyoufindthatyoudon’ttendtorunoutoftimeandyouknowthatyouwouldn’thavegottenmorerightanswersevenwithunlimitedtime,thenfeelfreetomoveontothenextpointinthischapter.However,ifyouaremakinganycarelesserrorsorifyoufindyourselfpanickingabouttimeandrushing,thenslowingdowncanactuallyhelp.Thegoalistogeteverysinglequestionrightthatyouareabletogetright.Ifyouunderstandaquestionandknowhowtodoit,youshouldbegettingitright.Takethetimethatyouneedinordertodoso.Insteadofspendingoneminuteonaquestionandgettingitwrong,spendaminuteandfifteensecondsandgetitright.Otherwise,you’veliterallywastedthatminutebecauseyougotthequestionwrong.Youmightaswellhaveskippeditandnotspentanytime.Goingalongwiththis,youdon’twanttohurrytoanswerthequestionsandthenenduphavingfiveminutesormoreleftattheend.Youmightthinkitwouldbebeneficialtohaveextratimetocheckyourwork,butinourexperience,thisisn’tthebestmethod.Usually,studentsdon’tspotandcorrecttheirerrorswhentheygobackandchecktheirwork,sothatextratimedoesn’treallyhelp.Instead,keepaneyeontheclockandtrytopaceyourselfsothatyoucanfinishclosetowhentimerunsout,notearly.Theadditionaltimeyouspendonthequestionswillmakemuchmoreofadifferencethanany“gobackandcheck”timeattheend.Plus,ifyou'veappliedthestrategiesinthisbook,youcanbeconfidentthatyoudidthequestionrightthefirsttime.Themoreyoupracticefullsectionsandtests,thebetteryou’llgetatknowingwhatthe32minutesonanRWmoduleorthe35minutesonaMathmodulefeelslikeandhowquicklyorslowlyyoushouldbemovingthroughthemodule.

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PERSONALORDEROFDIFFICULTYHand-in-handwithslowingdownonquestionsistheorderinwhichyouattemptthequestions,whichwecallyourPersonalOrderofDifficulty(POOD).AswetouchedonintheIntroductionchapter,boththeRWandtheMathmodulesareorganizedtosomeextentinanorderofdifficulty.However,that’sbasedonCollegeBoard’sopinionofdifficultylevel.Justbecausethetest-writersthinkaquestionisharddoesn’tmeanitwillbehardforyou,andjustbecausetheythinkit’seasydoesn’tmeanitwillbeeasyforyou.Takealookatthefollowingexample:MarkforReview20.Acircleinthexy-planehastheequationx>+4x+y*+12y=24.Whatistheradiusofthecircle?solveitnow!CollegeBoardhasputquestionslikethisneartheveryendofahardersecondmodule.AccordingtoCollegeBoard(andyourmathteacher),inordertosolvethisproblem,youneedtobefamiliarwiththestandardformequationofacircle,completethesquaretogetthisequationintostandardform,andthenfindtheradiususingstandardform.It’snotdifficulttoseewhythatwouldbeconsideredhard.There’salotyouwouldneedtoknowandbeabletodoinordertosolvethisproblemCollegeBoard’sway.Plus,it’sgoingtobefairlytime-consuming,especiallyifcompletingthesquareisn’tsomethingyoudoregularly,andthereareafewtrickyaspectstothisproblemthatcouldcauseyoutomakeamistakeevenifyouknowwhattodo.However,asyouwillfindoutmuchmoreaboutlaterinthisbook,youcanactuallyjusttypethisequationexactlyasitisintothebuilt-incalculator,seethecirclewithtwoendpointsforthediameter,andusethattoeasilyfindtheradius.Foryou,thisactuallybecomesaneasyquestionthatshouldtakelessthanaminutetosolve,andit’snotoneyouwouldwanttosavefortheveryendeventhoughthat’swhereitappears.That’sexactlywhywewouldalwaysadviseyoutofollowyourPersonalOrderofDifficulty.Thatmeansyoushoulddowhateverquestionsareeasiestforyoufirst,regardlessofwheretheyappearinthemodule.(We'lltalkmoreaboutwhatthatmeansforRWlateron,sincetheRWhasspecificgroupingsofquestions.)ThereareseveralbenefitstothePOODstrategy.Firstoff,yougettheeasystuffoutoftheway.Ifaquestiondoesn’ttakemuchtimeandyouknowyoucangetitright,youmightaswellgoaheadanddoit.AlthoughweknowCollegeBoarddoesweighindividualquestionsslightlydifferently,overall,yourscoreisbasedonhowmanycorrectanswersyouget.Intheinterestofgettingasmanycorrectanswersaspossible,youwanttomakesureyougetallofthoseeasyquestionsanddon’trunoutoftimebeforeyougettothem.Bydoingtheeasierquestionsfirst,you'llalsostartthemodule

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moreconfidentlyandyouwon’thavetostressabouthowmuchtimeyou’respendingonharderquestionsearlyon.Theotherpartofthisstrategyentailsskippingharderquestionsuntilyou’vegottenalloftheeasyonesoutoftheway.Ifaquestionlookslikeitmighttakeawhileorit’sonatopicyoufeellessconfidentwith,justsaveitforlater.Trytothinkofeveryquestionasapoint.Yourgoalistocollectasmanypointsasyoucanthroughoutthemodule.Gettheeasypointsfirst,andsavetheharderpointsforlater.You’llfinditmucheasiertopaceyourselftowardtheendofthetimelimitifyouknowthatyouhaveonlytheharderquestionsleft.Lastly,don’tbestubborn.Yourgoalistocollectasmanypointsaspossible.Bewillingtotakeabreakfromaquestionandcomebacktoitifyou'renotclosetogettingananswer.Remember,ifyoustartaquestionandgetstuck,usetheMarkforReviewbuttonandcomebacklater.SKIPPING,GUESSING,ANDPOEItmighthappenthatyouhaveafewminutesremainingonthetimerandafewhardquestionslefttodo.Insomecases,itmayactuallybestrategictojusttakearandomguessonaquestionifthatallowsyoutouseyourlimitedremainingtimefortheotherquestionsthatyou'remorelikelytogetright.Ofcourse,ifyou'reaimingforatopscore,youcan’tguessonmanyquestions.Butinmanycases,it’sworthsacrificingthatonereallyhardquestionthatyou’renotlikelytogetrightsothatyoucangettheotherones.Don’tleaveanyquestionsblank.Evenonthefill-insonMath,youcanstilltakeaguess.You'renotlikelytoguesscorrectly,butwewouldrecommendpickinganintegerfrom0to5,asthesearethemostcommoncorrectanswers.Ifyouhavetoguessonamultiple-choicequestionanddon’twanttospendanytimeonthequestion,justguessarandomletter—thereisn’taletterthat’s“better”thantheothers.There'snopenaltyforguessingontheDigitalSAT,sodon'tleaveanyquestionsblank.Ontheotherhand,ifyouwanttospendalittletimeonthequestion,youmaybeabletoimproveyouroddswhenguessing.Perhapsyoureallydon’tunderstandareadingpassage,butyouseeananswerthatjustdoesn’tseemlikely.Youdon’tknowforsurethatit’swrong,butyouwanttotakeagoodguess,insteadofarandomguess.Here’sanexample:MarkforReview15.Whichchoicemostlogicallycompletesthetext?+StudyXY

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Arizona’sallocatedshareofwaterfromtheColoradoRiveristoolowincomparisonwithColorado’sshare.duringnormalorlowrainfallyears,therivermayhavelesswaterthanisrequiredformunicipaluse.thestateofColoradoisabletoexercisedictatorialcontroloverthecurrentwaterallocationsystem.D]Arizonawillbesubjecttocatastrophicfloodrisksduetotheexistingimbalanceofwaterresources.OnceyouhavereadtheReadingchaptersinthisbook,you’llknowthatanswerswithstrong—or,aswewouldsay,extreme—Ilanguageareoftentrapanswers.Thus,ifwehadtoguessonthisquestionanddidn’thavetime(orchosenottospendthetime)tochecktheanswersagainstthepassage,weprobablywouldn’tguess(C)becauseitusesthestrongphrasedictatorialcontrol.Thatdoesn’tmeanthat(C)couldn’tbecorrect,butifwehavetoguess,wewon’tpickit.Again,guessingisn’tgoingtobeakeystrategyforanyoneaimingtoscoreabovea1400.Whatwillbeanextremelyhelpfulstrategy,though,isProcessofElimination.Inschool,youusuallyhavetoknowtheanswerstothequestionsyou'reaskedinordertogetthemcorrect.Seemsprettyobvious,right?Butthat’snotthecaseforthevastmajorityofquestionsontheDigitalSAT.Youdon’tnecessarilyneedtoknowwhattheansweris,aslongasyouknowwhatitisn’t.Inotherwords,ifyoucaneliminatethreewronganswers,you'llbeleftwiththeonerightanswer.What'smore,it’softeneasiertospotthewronganswersthantherightones,especiallyonRW.We'lltalkmuchmoreaboutProcessofElimination,orPOE,asitrelatestospecifictopicslaterinthisbook.Butlet’sgoaheadandseeanexampleofhowhelpfulthisstrategycanbe:MarkforReview18.Infunctionf,thevalueoff{x)decreasesbyafactorof5foreveryincreaseof1inthevalueofx.Iff{0)=100,whichofthefollowingequationsdefinesfunctionf?[Alfx)=(00y[Bf=x[Cx=100[D]ix)=100+StudyXy

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ThisisanotherMathquestionthatCollegeBoardconsidershard.Andwe’resureyoucanseewhy.Thefouranswerslookverysimilar—theyallhavethesamenumbersandvariablesbutindifferentspots.It’sveryeasytoconvinceyourselfthatoneoftheanswers“makessense,”butthat’sanextremelyriskystrategy.Youmightalsobetemptedtoconstructtheequationyourselfthewayyouwouldinschool,butthere’saneasierway.Instead,takeadvantageofthefactthatthisisamultiple-choicequestion.Thequestiongivesyouvaluesforxandf(x),sowhynotplugthosenumbersintotheequationsintheanswerchoicesandeliminatetheonesthatdon’twork?Thisway,youavoidwastingtimewritingyourownequationandthere’sverylittleriskofmakingamistake.That’sonlyonewaythatPOEcanbeusefulonMath.You’llalsobeabletoeliminatepartialanswers,onesthataretoobigortoosmall,onesthatdon’tmatchtheinformationintheproblem,andsoon.AndonRW,POEwillbeevenmorefundamentaltoyourstrategysinceyouusuallywon’tknowexactlyhowthecorrectanswerwilllook.So,trytoletgoofdoingalloftheworkyourselfinordertogettheanswer.Ifyoucanfindtheanswerinsteadofsolvingforit,allthebetter!You’llsaveyourselfagooddealoftimeandeffortindoingso.WHATTOWORKONThere’sagoodchancethatyoupickedupthisbookhopingtoimproveinsomespecificareas.Beforeyougoaheadandfocusonthoseareas,though,wewanttoofferyousomeadviceonwhatyoushouldbeworkingonbecauseitmaynotbewhatyouthink.Let’ssayyouarescoring750onMathand680onRW.Inthatcase,moststudentsaregoingtosaythattheywanttoworkonRW(perhapsexclusively).Ofcourse,youshouldworkonRW,andyoudohavemorepointstogainthere.Butyoustillhave50morepointsavailableinMath,andit’syourstrongerarea.Notonlythat,butyoudoextremelywellonMath.Chancesareitwon’tbethathardforyoutoimproveonafewsmallareaswhereyoumightbemissingquestions.Themoralofthestory?Don’tneglectyourstrongerareainfavorofyourweakerarea.Ifthere’sstillroomforimprovementinyourstrongerarea,especiallyifyouhave50pointsormoretogain,keepworkingatit.Youmaybeabletogetclosertoperfectwithouttoomucheffort.It’salsookaytofocusontheareathatyouenjoymore.Perhapsyouhaveabouta700inbothRWandMath,butyoureallyenjoytheRWsectionmore.Anypointsaregoodpoints,soit’sfinetofocusyourtimeonRW.Youalsowanttoconsiderwhatareasareeasiesttoimproveon.Ifyoucanidentifyanyspecifictopicsyoutendtomiss,itmaybeeasiertoworkonthosetopicsthantoworkonasectionofthetestwhereyourmissedquestionsseemmorerandom.Ofcourse,ifyouareapplyingtoaprograminwhicheitheryourmathoryourverbalskillsareemphasized,thatmayalsoguidewhichareaofthetestyoufocusonimproving.We’lltalkmuchmoreaboutspecifictopicstoworkoninthenextchapter.

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Thisbookcontainslessonsthatgooverspecifictopicsandstrategies,exercisesanddrillsonthosetopics,andtwofullhardmodules.Youalsohaveafullonlinepracticetest,andyoucanfindadditionalpracticeteststhroughtheBluebookapp.Whenshouldyouuseeachofthesematerials?Seethechartbelow.MaterialWhentouseitLesson‘WhenyouarelookingtolearnbetterstrategiesormasterthecontentrulesforatopicTopic-specific|WhenyouhavelearnedmoreaboutatopicorhavelearnednewdrillsstrategiesandarereadytopracticethemTimed‘Whenyouwanttotryoutorpracticeanewpacingstrategyorpracticetests|whenyouhaveworkedonabunchoftopicsUntimed‘Whenyouwanttodomixedpractice,workontheorderyoupracticetests|attemptquestionsinwithouttimepressure,oridentifyquestionsorindividual|thatyouwouldn’tbeabletogetrightevenwithunlimitedtimemodulesJustascompletingthetesttooquicklycanharmyourperformance,sotoocanrushingthroughthisbook.Ittakestimetolearn,practice,andmasternewtechniques.Ifyourscheduleallows,trytodonomorethanonechapterperday.It’sagoodideatocompletetheexercisesanddrillsassociatedwiththelessonsasyoudoeachlessonsothatyoucantestwhatyou'velearnedandpracticeanynewtechniques.Onceyou’veworkedonagooddealofthecontent,takeapracticetesttocontinuetofine-tuneyourpacingandassesshowyou’redoingonthetopicsyou'vebeenworkingon.Inthenextchapter,you'lllearnhowtousetheresultsofyourdrillsandpracticeteststoimprovefurther.+StudyXy

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Chapter3CommonMistakesandHowtoFixThemYouprobablyhavesomeideaaboutwhattypesofquestionstendtogiveyoutrouble.Butwhataboutthemistakesthatseemabitmorerandomandunpredictable?Inthischapter,we’lltakealookatthemostcommonreasonsstudentsmissquestionsontheSAT,howyoucanidentifywhenyou’remakingthosemistakes,andwhatyoucandotoavoidthoseerrorsinthefuture.+StudyXy

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Ifyouarealreadyscoringata1350orabove,youaren’tmissingthatmanyquestionsineachsection,whichcanbefrustratingbecauseitmaybehardtoidentifythesourceofyourerrors.Thereareactuallymanyreasonsyoumightmissaquestion,solet’stakealookatwhattheyare.Ifanyofthesemistakessoundfamiliar,youmaywanttocircleorstarthemsoyou’llknowwhattolookforinthenextpartofthischapter,whenwegooverhowtofixthesemistakes.Mistake:LackofcontentknowledgeDescription:Thisisprobablythemostobviousmistake.Youdidn’tknoworhadamisconceptionaboutsomeaspectoftheconcept.Examples:Reading—Youdidn’tknowenoughofthevocabularywordsandhadtoguess.‘Writing—Youforgotthedifferencebetweenasemicolonandacolon.Math—Youthought(x2)(x?)equaledx°.Mistake:NotreadingthequestionDescription:Youansweredforsomethingotherthanwhatthequestionwasasking.Examples:Reading—Youpickedananswerthatwasstatedbythetext,butthequestionwasaskingwhytheauthorsaidsomething.‘Writing—YouchoseaRhetoricalSynthesisanswerthatyoupersonallylikedbutthatdidn’tfulfillthegoalinthequestion.Math—Youpickedthevalueofx,butthequestionaskedforx+5.Mistake:GoingtooquicklyDescription:Youwererushingduetothetimelimitorwereoverlyconfidentanddidn’ttakethetimetocheckwhatyouweredoing.Examples:Reading—Youskimmedthepassageandmisunderstoodwhatitsaidorskippedoveracriticalwordorphrasewithintheargument.Writing—Youreadthesentencetooquicklyanddidn’trealizethatitcontainedtwoindependentclauses.Math—Youmissedastepormisunderstoodthemeaningofpartofawordproblem.Mistake:PoorpacingDescription:Ifyou'renotcomfortablewithwhatthetimelimitfeelslikeoryoupanic,youmayspendtoomuchtimeonsomequestionsandnotenoughonothers.Examples:Youspenttoomuchtimeononehardquestionandthendidn’thaveenoughtimeforotherquestionsthatwouldhavebeenfasterandeasier.Mistake:Lookingattheanswerstoosoon

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Description:Sometimesananswercancatchyoureyeandmakeyouwanttopickit,andinsteadoffiguringouttheansweryourself,youtrytointerpretthepassageinawaythatwillmatchtheansweryoulatchedonto.Examples:Reading—Youlookedattheanswersbeforeunderstandingthepassageandpickedananswerthatyoureallywantedtopickeventhoughitwasn’tfullysupportedbythetext.Mistake:UsingyourearinsteadoftherulesDescription:Youpickedananswerbasedonhowasentencesoundedorlookedinsteadoffollowingtherules.Examples:‘Writing—Youpickedananswerwithacommabecauseitfeltrighteventhoughtherewasn’tareasonforthecommabasedonthepunctuationrules.Mistake:NotwritingdownstepsDescription:Youdidtheworkinyourheadordidaseriesofstepsonthecalculatorwithoutwritinganythingdownonscratchpaper.Examples:Math—Youdidabunchofworkonthecalculatororinyourheadwithoutwritingdownyourstepsandaccidentallydidanoperationtwice.Yousolvedforthewrongthingbecauseyoudidn’twritedownandlabelwhatyouwerefinding.Mistake:StubbornlyusingaharderstrategyDescription:Thestrategiesyou'velearnedandperfectedinschoolmaybeyourdefaultmethods,buttheymaynotbethemostefficientontheSAT.Ifyou'restubbornaboutsolvingproblemsthe“rightway,”youmaywastetimeandenergyorriskmakingmistakesunnecessarily.Examples:Math—Eventhoughyoulearnedhowtoplugintheanswersanditwouldhavebeeneasyandlow-risk,youchosetosolveusingalgebra,whichledtomakingamistake.Beforewetalkaboutfixingthesemistakes,it’sworthconsideringhoweasyorhardtheyaretofix.Generally,contenterrorscanbeeasytofixifyoucanestablishwhatcontentareayou'restrugglingwith.It’sfairlystraightforwardtolearnmorevocabulary(ormathvocabulary)words,practiceworkingwithexponents,ormemorizetheacceptableusesofdifferentpunctuationmarks.Ontheotherhand,ifyounevertookGeometry,learningalloftheterms,rules,andformulasmightbeamuchlargerundertaking.You’llneedtoweighyourcontentgapsagainsthowmuchtimeyouhaveandhowlikelyitisthatthosecontentareaswillappearonthetest.Nomatterhowgoodyourtest-takingstrategiesare,though,yousimplywon’tbeabletoscore1450orhigherwithoutanear-perfectunderstandingofthecontentonthetest.

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