Excelling On The MAT

1. Excelling On The MAT Emily Gung Admissions Test Specialist Graduate School Valdosta State University

2. Analogies • Boy : Girl :: Man : _____ • Boy is to Girl AS Man is to ------ (auto, school, jungle, woman)

3. Miller’s Analogy Test • What is it? • Where and when can I take it? • Scores Required for VSU? • What are analogies? • How are they used in the test? • How can I prepare to do my best?

4. What Is The MAT? • Developed at U of Minn-1926 • New forms developed periodically • Developed to “measure scholastic aptitude at the graduate level” • Test items require recognition of relationships • Vocabulary and general information play an important part in determining scores

5. Where & When Can I Take It? • See Handout • Psychological Corporation Website • Toll-Free Number • List of Schools and test dates • Candidate Information Booklet • Special Dates Available through VSU • New Computer-based testing

6. Test Format • Pencil & Paper • 100 questions • 50 minutes • No Breaks • No Calculators or Dictionaries • Ask for scratch paper

7. What Are Analogies? • An analogy states that two things are related to each other in the same way that two other things are related to each other • A:B ::C:D (A is to B as C is to D)or (A is related to B in the same way C is to D) • Questions may ask you to solve for any one of the terms above (A,B,C or D) • 4 choices given for all problems

8. What Content Areas Are Covered?

9. Relationships in MAT Analogies

10. Relationships in MAT Analogies • Similarity -Relationships between synonyms or words that are nearly the same • HAPPY:GLAD :: DULL (razor, blunt, sharp, bright) • Happy & Glad are synonyms • Dull & --------- are synonyms

11. Relationships in MAT Analogies • Contrast -Relationships are between antonyms or words that are nearly opposite in meaning • WET: (dry, moist, towel, water) :: STOP:GO • Stop and Go are opposites • WET and - are opposites

12. Relationships in MAT Analogies • Predication - Terms of the analogy are related by a verb or verb relationship. One term describes something about the other term. • Some of the variations- A is caused by B, A makes B, A rides on B, A eats B, A is a source of B, A induces B, A studies B, A is made of B, A uses B, etc • AUTOMOBILE:ROAD :: TRAIN : (conductor, track, engine, ticket) (implied verb is travels on)

13. Relationships in MAT Analogies • Subordination - Relationships are those in which an object A is a type of B • (lizard, toad, sponge, trout):FISH :: FROG : AMPHIBIAN

14. Relationships in MAT Analogies • Coordination - The first two terms are one type of thing and the last two are another • LETTUCE : CABBAGE :: PEAR : (fruit, peach, radish, carrot) • Requires recognition of members of classes • Lettuce & cabbage are both types of vegetables, pear and peach are both types of fruit

15. Relationships in MAT Analogies • Superordination - Relationships are those in which A is a category into which B falls • BIRD : ROBIN :: MOLLUSK : (fish, water, sponge, snail) • This analogy deals with category membership. Bird is a category that includes the robin; mollusk is a category that includes the snail.

16. Relationships in MAT Analogies • Completion - Each term of this kind of an analogy is part of a complete expression • SAN : FRANCISCO :: (San, Santa, La, Los) : Angeles • San and Los complete the names of two cities- San Francisco and Los Angeles • United : Stand :: Divided : ______

17. Relationships in MAT Analogies • Part - Whole - Relationships are those in which A is part of B • DAY : WEEK :: MONTH : (hour, minute, year, time) • A day is part of a week, and a month is part of a year

18. Relationships in MAT Analogies • Whole - Part - Relationships are those in which B is a part of A • (hour, minute, year, time) : MONTH :: WEEK: DAY • A month is part of a year. A day is part of a week.

19. Relationships in MAT Analogies • Equality - Relationships involve mathematical or logical equivalence 1/2 : 1/4 :: .26 : (.52, .18, .13, .11) • Requires recognition of mathematical equalities. 1/4 is equal to one-half of 1/2, .13 is equal to one-half of .26.

20. Relationships in MAT Analogies • Negation - Relationships involve logical or mathematical negation Pentagon : Decagon:: Rectangle : __ (square, pentagon, heptagon, octagon)

21. Relationships in MAT Analogies • Sound Relationships - Two words are related because they sound similar in some way. The relationship is nonsemantic in that it has nothing to do with the meanings of the words. • TOE : ROW :: LO : (now, crow, boy, you) • Answer is crow - all have a long o vowel sound

22. Relationships in MAT Analogies • Letter Relationships - The order of letters of one term are altered or in some other way transformed to form the letters of another term • PAT : TAP :: RAT : (trap, skunk, tar, eat) • Tap is obtained by spelling Pat backwards. Tar is obtained by spelling Rat backwards. • BRAT : RAT :: -------- : RINK

23. Relationships in MAT Analogies • Word Relationships - These usually express grammatical relationships between words. • EAT : ATE :: MEET : (meat, meet, met, meets) • Ate is the past tense of Eat and Met is the past tense of Meet

24. Tips To Improve Your Score • Don’t Say “IS TO” • AN ANALOGY IS A PAIR OF WORDS THAT CONSTITUTES A SPECIFIC RELATIONSHIP • Make a sentence that expresses that relationship • Apple : Fruit • Sheet : Bed • Hat : Head • Mouse : Whale • Goat : Gloat

25. Finding The Analogy Pair • A:B :: C:D • 1 2 3 4 • Apple : Fruit :: Lollipop : (Candy,Chocolate,Vegetable, Sugar) • A 1-2 analogy • Sheet : Mask :: Bed : (face, ghost, costume, paper) • A 1-3 analogy • Hat: (glove, finger, scarf, winter) :: Head : Hand • NO OTHER RELATIONSHIPS ON THE MAT!

26. After You’ve Made A Sentence With The Analogy Pair- • Try “plugging” in the answer choices to the sentence • Apple: Fruit :: Lollipop (Candy, Chocolate, Vegetable, Sugar) • 1-2 analogy pair • An apple is a type of fruit • A lollipop is a type of candy • A lollipop is a type of chocolate • A lollipop is a type of vegetable • A lollipop is a type of sugar

27. Do the same with the 1-3 analogy • Weight:Length :: Gram: (cup, volume, distance, meter) • 1-3 relationship • A gram is a measure of weight • A cup is a measure of length • A volume is a measure of length • A distance is a measure of length • A meter is a measure of length

28. Summary • Identify whether a 1:2 or 1:3 analogy • Make a clear sentence expressing the relationship of the words in the pair • Go through the answers given by “plugging” each one into the sentence with the other stem word

29. Other Tips • Consider alternative meanings and different parts of speech • Dog:Bay :: (cow, sheep, fish, bark) : Bleat • Practice using a study guide and practice tests • Simulate the real test • 100 questions / 50 minutes

30. Know how the test is constructed • First 33 questions relatively simple • Second 33 or so medium difficulty • Last 33 difficult

31. Beware of Distractors • Wrong answers not random • Meant to entice • Read ALL Answer Choices • Especially in questions 66 - 100

32. Manage Your Time! • Skip Questions • Process of Elimination • What is the capital of Uganda • Paris, London, Kampala, Madrid • No blanks • Don’t fear guessing • Three pass system • Remember- No Unanswered Questions

33. Other Suggestions • Reduce “worries” related to the actual taking of the test! • ARRIVE EARLY (schedule it for everyone’s convenience) • BRING TWO IDENTIFICATIONS (one with a picture) • Eat and sleep adequately several days prior to the exam • Think POSITIVELY. Avoid negative self-talk such as, “I know I am going to fail,” or “I never do well on standardized tests.” • Focus on each question and don’t worry about what you just answered or what may be coming up next.

34. Questions

35. What Scores Does VSU Require?

36. What Scores Does VSU Require?