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APR 2015
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Conquering the SAT
SUMMER 2015
by Dressler Parsons and Todd VanDuzer
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high-school math. And there absolutely are strategies to help make it even easier. You don’t even have to finish this portion of the test! Hang on. Rewind. What was that? Yep. You read it correctly. Unless you’re looking to get a 700 or above on the math section, you can leave part of it unfinished. (Note: A score of 700 is incredibly high, and unnecessary unless you’re applying to the super-elite schools.) In fact, you might not want to finish the math section, because for every question you guess wrong, you lose a quarter of a point. Hmm. Sounds intriguing. But how do you choose which part to leave unfinished? Well, how about…the difficult part? The SAT math section is actually organized neatly into three parts, and the problems gracefully transition
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LET’S TAKE THIS SAT MONSTER APART So things aren’t ever as scary once you know what to expect. (Think: job interviews, first dates, jellyfish.) And the SAT isn’t any different. It has three parts: Each section is worth 800 points. That might seem like a lot—but you’ll soon discover that it’s more than possible to gather enough points to achieve your goal score. Again, the patterns and the language used on the test might seem mysterious, but it’s really not; it’s actually set up to help you.
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he SAT monster is poised to attack! With three sections of sharp teeth, your only defense is a number two pencil, and that might not seem like enough. The commonly-used Standardized Aptitude Test definitely looks daunting. And with thousands in scholarship money and even college admission on the line, that number two pencil starts to look like less and less of a useful weapon. But here’s the deal. Believe it or not, anybody can ace the SAT with the right amount of preparation resulting in full tuition scholarships and entrance to your dream schools. The questions aren’t trying to trick you. Each section has its own patterns and rules and clues, and this article will teach you the SAT tips and tricks for how to start looking for them. Ready? Grab your pencil.
R E A DIN G
from an easy beginning to a medium middle to a decidedly difficult end. So if you can ace the easy and medium sections, you don’t have to worry about finishing the hard part, and you can still walk away with a score you can frame on your wall and brag about to your neighbors. And acing the easy and medium
sections should be no problem, because there are strategies to make any problem a piece of cake. Take the Estimating Strategy, for example… By using w hat we ca l l t he “Estimation Strategy” when you see a diagram (above), you can tell the shaded region is about ⅔ of the circle! Find the area of the whole circle and multiple that by ⅔… voila! You get C. And you are correct! SAT PREP CRITICAL READING TIPS AND TRICKS If you’ve never liked reading, you might look at this test section and think you’d be better off smashing your thumb with a hammer or calling your grandmother who really loves to talk about her fish’s daily adventures. But no. Put down the phone. Really. (Really.)
SAT PREP MATH TIPS & TRICKS Ah, math. Everybody loves to complain about math. (But not to the SAT’s face, for fear they’ll get bitten.) Now before your pencil starts shaking, remember that the SAT isn’t asking you to invent a new form of calculus or derive an equation for a plane engine. Nobody’s life is on the line. It’s just trying to test your knowledge of Check us out on-line at www.oregonfamily.com
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