Mr. G’s SAT OVERVIEW

1. Mr. G’s SAT OVERVIEW Success on the SAT relies on a few things: Read to find what THEY are asking for Prepare, practice for next test Time management-KEEP MOVING!

3. Can you eliminate answer choices based on language in the answer?

4. YES! Read ALL ANSWER CHOICES! LOOK FOR ANSWERS WITH EXTREME LANGUAGE AND RULE THEM OUT- all, total, only, solely, exclusively, completely, entirely, thoroughly • mainly, chiefly, primarily, largely, mostly • invariably, certainly, absolutely, unquestionably • always, never, not KEY, IS TO READ EVERY ANSWER CHOICE, AS THEY TRAP YOU WITH TEMPTING CHOICES EITHER A OR B, SO YOU DON’T KEEP READING!

5. What is a good pace for the reading passages?

6. When you’re through the third passage, you should be around 25 minutes left for the section. IF NOT=SPEED UP! The SAT Reading Test is 65 minutes long and typically has 5 passages and associated questions. This means you need to spend 13 minutes per passage on average. KEEP MOVING, CIRCLING UNSURE ANSWERS-AT LEAST YOU HAVE AN ANSWER AND ONE YOU’RE 50/50 ON. Do a time check after the third reading passage

7. How do you “ATTACK” the Reading Test?

9. What are INFOGRAPHICS and where will they be on the SAT?

10. RELAX, THEY JUST MADE A FANCY TITLE FOR WHAT THEY used TO CALL Data analysis-data represented in a neat visual form, such as a table or graph and are found in BOTH the READING & MATH sections. 1- Circle parts of infographic that relate DIRECTLY to the question.2-Identify units of measurement, labels and titles! Th CAUTION>>The SAT likes to confuse you-”The rope is 39 inches, how many feet?”

11. What is the strategy when reading Paired Passages?

12. Start at passage one and read that one only, then go to questions ONLY about Passage 1, then read Passage 2 and complete the rest of the questions

13. What is a good formula to know prior to taking the SAT Math section?

14. 24 20% __ ___ X 100 2400=20X 2400/20=120 $80-10%=80-8=72 72 X .08=5.76 72 + 5.76=$77.76

15. What is a Grid-In and what do I need to know?

16. TIPS Start with the leftmost column every time unless answer is zero Write answers in boxes on top-helps you not to mis-grid Change mixed numbers to improper fractions or decimals- 3 1/2= 31/2 if grid in. So, 7/2 improper No need to round up-carry out the four spaces

17. What is Mean, Median and Mode again?

18. Answers from previous page after each definition MEAN-is the "average" you're used to, where you add up all the numbers and then divide by the number of numbers. 88.2 MEDIAN- is the "middle" value in the list of numbers. To find the median, your numbers have to be listed in numerical order, so you may have to rewrite your list first. 87 MODE-is the value that occurs most often. If no number is repeated, then there is no mode for the list. 87

19. Hey wait, there are no numbers only percentages (%)-WHAT DO I DO?

20. Dean buys a car in 2013, and sells it back to the dealer for 30% less than he paid for it. The dealer adds 20% and resells the car. What is the % of the ORIGINAL did the car now sell for? NOTICE NO NUMBERS, ONLY PERCENTS. ALWAYS START WITH 100 STEP 1, 30% LESS MEANS SUBTRACT 30 % FROM 100. MULTIPLY 100 BY .3 30 IS 30% OF 100, SO SUBTRACT IT 100 - 30 ______ 70<<<<<<NEW NUMBER TO WORK WITH STEP 2, ADD 20 % TO 70!!! 70X.2= 14 + 14 _____ 84%

21. What do I do when I am dealing with EQUATIONS WITH 2 VARIABLES?

22. 1- If 6x+2y=24, what is the value of 3x+y? We are looking for 3x+y, NOT x or y alone. 6x+2y divided by 2 gives us 3x+y, so divide both sides by 2 6x 2y 24 __ + __ = __ 3x+2y=12, 3 +y is equal to 12 2 2 2

23. What are the most common traps in the writing section?

24. KNOW THE DIFFERENCES-see Mr. G in T-115 for answer sheet

25. You need to know punctuation-do you?

26. Almost 2 questions per writing section focus on punctuation. • Commas (,) are used to:separate three or more items in a list (apples, bananas, and oranges) • separate two or more independent clauses with a FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So) conjunction (My mom was going to pick me up from school, but my dad came instead.) • set off introductory information from the rest of the sentence (In 2008, the Phillies won the World Series.) • set off non-essential descriptive information within or at the end of a sentence (I ran across the floor, which was painted with school colors, to meet Steve. OR I ran across the floor to meet Steve, who greeted me with a high five. • Semicolons (;) are used to join two independent clauses WITHOUT the use of a FANBOYS conjunction. The sentences on both sides of a semicolon MUST be complete, stand-alone sentences. (I entered the competition early; however, I decided to withdraw a week later.) • Colons (:) are used to introduce and/or emphasize a short phrase, quotation, explanation, example, or list. (The greatest obstacle to completing my homework was imminent: the finale of Grey’s Anatomy.) • Dashes (—) are used to: • indicate a hesitation/break in thought (I saw John the other day and he looked great—no, it was actually Greg.) • set off an explanatory example or list from the rest of the sentence. (Many facets of Jill’s personality—among them empathy, respect, and kindness—make her a great friend and human being.) • Apostrophes (‘) are used to: • indicate possession (Bob’s book, my friends’ phones) • create contractions (there’s the rabbit, it’s important, who’s in charge)

27. What does relationship between ideas mean?

28. In general, there are four relationships ideas can have, and you should select the right type of transition word to establish these relationships. Reinforcement means one idea supports or builds off another, so transitions to use include in addition, furthermore, for example, and also, among others. Contrast means one idea opposes another. Here, the right transitions might be however, on the other hand, despite, and unlike. Cause-and-effectmeans one idea directly leads to another. To indicate this relationship, use transitions like consequently, therefore, since, andbecause. Sequence transitions are used for items part of a series. Words like first, then, afterwards, and finally would establish this relationship.

29. Where should I look to provide extra help?

30. sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-question-of-the-day www.khanacademy.org www.usnews.com/topics/subjects/sat www.ivyglobal.com

31. What is the rule of 4?

32. If given a line(s) to refer to-ALWAYS read at least 2 before and after. Below, you would read lines 45-51 to get the gist and answer the question.

33. What do you do if you need to keep moving-question too long to answer?

34. If you’re going to skip a question to try later, put a guess down anyway & circle on answer sheet!

35. What should I do the night before the SAT?

36. DO not study! Get your pencils, calculator, and registration laid out the night before. Remember, dress in layers and bring a snack.

37. What should I look for in answer choices to help me eliminate them?

38. Extreme language clues- -all -always -completely -entirely -every -everyday -everyone -everything -never -none -only -throughout history -throughout the ages -totally -unique Answer choices that include the words and phrases above are generally incorrect on the SAT.

39. In a group of 24 people who are either homeowners or renters, the ratio of homeowners to renters is 5:3. How many homeowners are in the group?

40. Note the ratio 5:3-you are always going to total them on the SAT (8). So, 5 of 8 are homeowners and 3 of 8 are renters. Question asks you for homeowners, so recall your formula- X _ __ 8 24 5 times 24 is 120. 120 divided by 8 is 15, so 15 homeowners

41. After reading each passage, choose the answer to each question that most effectively improves the quality of writing in the passage These Harvey Houses, which constituted the first restaurant chain in the United States, (15) was unique for its high standards of service and quality. 15 A) NO CHANGE B) were unique for their C) was unique for their D) were unique for its

42. Choice B is the best answer. It provides the plural verb and plural possessive pronoun that grammatically correspond to the plural referent “Harvey Houses.” Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because each either fails to provide a verb that corresponds with the plural referent “Harvey Houses” or fails to provide the appropriate possessive pronoun.

43. How are we graded on the Essay?

44. You’re graded on 3 sections: Reading-Understand the source; comprehend main ideas; utilize text evidence to demonstrate understanding in correctly interpreting text. Analysis- analyze & understand prompt; evaluate authors use of evidence, reasoning and style. Support YOUR claims or points. Writing-construct solid thesis, effectively organize and transition throughout the essay. Step 1- Read source completely, then the assignment. Begin notes-look for call-to-action, plea’s, etc. Why is this written? How did they persuade/dissuade me? What did they use to sell it? Step 2- Begin thesis. Constantly review source! 50 minutes is a lot-keep reading and referring

45. Do I have to take the Essay?

46. In NH, yes if you’re a junior. As a senior, good idea if you are under 16 as a score.

47. What does a sample prompt look like on the essay?

49. Any good tips for making my essay better?

50. What the SAT Essay Measures The SAT Essay shows how well you understand the passage and use it as the basis for a well-written thought-out discussion. The two people who score your essay will each award between 1 and 4 points in each of these three categories: Reading: A successful essay shows that you understood the passage, including the interplay of central ideas and important details. It also shows an effective use of textual evidence. Analysis: A successful essay shows your understanding of how the author builds an argument by: • Examining the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and other stylistic and persuasive techniques • Supporting and developing claims with well-chosen evidence from the passage Writing: A successful essay is focused, organized, and precise, with an appropriate style and tone that varies sentence structure and follows the conventions of standard written English. You'll also still have to write well and in an organized fashion. Using varied sentence structures and correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation is a must for a high essay score, as is making sure that your thesis is clear and your ideas are presented in an orderly way. Just as on the old SAT essay, keeping to one example or piece of supporting evidence per paragraph will make it easier for your essay's graders to follow your lines of reasoning. Finally, in order to get a 2+ score (out of 4) in each of the three essay scoring categories (Reading, Analysis, and Writing), you should plan to write more than one page. You'll need at least that much space to write even a middle-scoring essay that articulates your central claim about how the author supports her argument, analyzes the text using specific examples, and shows your comprehension of the material.