PSAT/NMSQT Prep 2019 - Princeton Review 2019

Putting it all together
Review

KAPLAN METHOD FOR MATH

· Step 1: Read the question, identifying and organizing important information as you go

· Step 2: Choose the best strategy to answer the question

· Step 3: Check that you answered the right question

Step 1: Read the question, identifying and organizing important information as you go

· What information am I given? Take a few seconds to jot down the information you are given and try to group similar items together.

· Separate the question from the context. Word problems may include information that is unnecessary to solve the question. Feel free to discard any unnecessary information.

· How are the answer choices different? Reading answer choices carefully can help you spot the most efficient way to solve a multiple-choice math question. For example, if the answer choices in a question on the calculator section are decimals, then painstakingly rewriting your final answer as a simplified fraction is a waste of time; you can just use your calculator instead.

· Should I label or draw a diagram? If the question describes a shape or figure but doesn’t provide one, sketch a diagram so you can see the shape or figure and add notes to it. If a figure is provided, take a few seconds to label it with information from the question.

Step 2: Choose the best strategy to answer the question

· Look for patterns. Every PSAT math question can be solved in a variety of ways, but not all strategies are created equally. To finish all of the questions, you’ll need to solve questions as efficiently as possible. If you find yourself about to do time-consuming math, take a moment to look for time-saving shortcuts.

· Pick numbers or use straightforward math. While you can always solve a PSAT math question with what you’ve learned in school, doing so won’t always be the fastest way. On questions that describe relationships between numbers (such as percentages) but don’t actually use numbers, you can often save time on Test Day by using a technique such as Picking Numbers instead of straightforward math.

Step 3: Check that you answered the right question

· When you get the final answer, resist the urge to immediately bubble in the answer. Take a moment to:

o Review the question stem

o Check units of measurement

o Double-check your work

· The PSAT will often ask you for quantities such as x + 1 or the product of x and y. Be careful on these questions! They often include tempting answer choices that correspond to the values of x or y individually. There’s no partial credit on the PSAT, so take a moment at the end of every question to make sure you’re answering the right question.

KAPLAN METHOD FOR MULTI-PART MATH QUESTIONS

1. Step 1: Read the first question in the set, looking for clues

2. Step 2: Identify and organize the information you need

3. Step 3: Based on what you know, plan your steps to navigate the first question

4. Step 4: Solve, step-by-step, checking units as you go

5. Step 5: Did I answer the right question?

6. Step 6: Repeat for remaining questions, incorporating results from the previous question if possible

Step 1: Read the first question in the set, looking for clues

· Focus all your energy here instead of diluting it over the whole set of questions; solving a multi-part question in pieces is far simpler than trying to solve all the questions in the set at once. Furthermore, you may be able to use the results from earlier parts to solve subsequent ones. Don’t even consider the later parts of the question set until you’ve solved the first part.

· Watch for hints about what information you’ll actually need to use to answer the questions. Underlining key quantities is often helpful to separate what’s important from extraneous information.

Step 2: Identify and organize the information you need

· What information am I given? Jot down key notes, and group related quantities to develop your strategy.

· What am I solving for? This is your target. As you work your way through subsequent steps, keep your target at the front of your mind. This will help you avoid unnecessary work (and subsequent time loss). You’ll sometimes need to tackle these questions from both ends, so always keep your goal in mind.

Step 3: Based on what you know, plan your steps to navigate the first question

· What pieces am I missing? Many students become frustrated when faced with a roadblock such as missing information, but it’s an easy fix. Sometimes you’ll need to do an intermediate calculation to reveal the missing piece or pieces of the puzzle.

Step 4: Solve, step-by-step, checking units as you go

· Work quickly but carefully, just as you’ve done on other PSAT math questions.

Step 5: Did I answer the right question?

· As is the case with the Kaplan Method for Math, make sure your final answer is the requested answer.

· Review the first question in the set.

· Double-check your units and your work.

Step 6: Repeat for remaining questions, incorporating results from the previous question if possible

Now take your results from the first question and think critically about whether they fit into the subsequent questions in the set. Previous results won’t always be applicable, but when they are, they often lead to huge time savings. But be careful—don’t round results from the first question in your calculations for the second question—only the final answer should be rounded.

KAPLAN METHOD FOR READING COMPREHENSION

· Step 1: Read actively

· Step 2: Examine the question stem

· Step 3: Predict and answer

Step 1: Read actively

Active reading means:

· Ask questions and take notes as you read the passage. Asking questions about the passage and taking notes are integral parts of your approach to acing the PSAT Reading Test.

Some of the questions you might want to ask include:

· Why did the author write this word/detail/sentence/paragraph?

· Is the author taking a side? If so, what side is he or she taking?

· What are the tone and purpose of the passage?

Make sure you remember to:

· Identify the passage type

· Take notes, circle key words, and underline key phrases

Step 2: Examine the question stem

This means you should:

· Identify key words and line references in the question stem

· Apply question-type strategies as necessary

Step 3: Predict and answer

This means you should:

· Predict an answer before looking at the answer choices, also known as “predict before you peek”

· Select the best match

Predicting before you peek helps you:

· Eliminate the possibility of falling into incorrect answer traps

KAPLAN METHOD FOR INFOGRAPHICS

· Step 1: Read the question

· Step 2: Examine the infographic

· Step 3: Predict and answer

Step 1: Read the question

· Analyze the question stem for information that will help you zero in on the specific parts of the infographic that apply to the question.

Step 2: Examine the infographic

· Circle parts of the infographic that relate directly to the question.

· Identify units of measurement, labels, and titles.

Step 3: Predict and answer

· Do not look at the answer choices until you’ve used the infographic to make a prediction.

KAPLAN METHOD FOR WRITING & LANGUAGE

· Step 1: Read the passage and identify the issue

o If there’s an infographic, apply the Kaplan Method for Infographics.

· Step 2: Eliminate answer choices that do not address the issue

· Step 3: Plug in the remaining answer choices, and select the most correct, concise, and relevant one

Step 1: Read the passage and identify the issue

This means:

· Rather than reading the whole passage and then answering all of the questions, you can answer questions as you read because they are mostly embedded in the text itself.

· When you see a number, stop reading and look at the question. If you can answer it with what you’ve read so far, do so. If you need more information, keep reading for context until you can answer the question.

Step 2: Eliminate answer choices that do not address the issue

Eliminating answer choices that do not address the issue:

· Increases your odds of getting the correct answer by removing obviously incorrect answer choices

Step 3: Plug in the remaining answer choices and select the most correct, concise, and relevant one

Correct, concise, and relevant means that the answer choice you select:

· Makes sense when read with the correction

· Is as short as possible while retaining the information in the text

· Relates well to the passage overall

Answer choices should not:

· Change the intended meaning of the original sentence, paragraph, or passage

· Introduce new grammatical errors

KAPLAN STRATEGY FOR TRANSLATING ENGLISH INTO MATH

· Define any variables, choosing letters that make sense.

· Break sentences into short phrases.

· Translate each phrase into a mathematical expression.

· Put the expressions together to form an equation.

KAPLAN STRATEGY FOR COMMAND OF EVIDENCE QUESTIONS

· When you see a question asking you to choose the best evidence to support your answer to the previous question, review how you selected that answer.

· Avoid answers that provide evidence for incorrect answers to the previous question.

· The correct answer will support why the previous question’s answer is correct.

KAPLAN STRATEGY FOR VOCAB-IN -CONTEXT QUESTIONS

· Pretend the word is a blank in the sentence.

· Predict what word could be substituted for the blank.

· Select the answer choice that best matches your prediction.

KAPLAN STRATEGY FOR PAIRED PASSAGES

· Read Passage 1, then answer its questions.

· Read Passage 2, then answer its questions.

· Answer questions about both passages.

Countdown to test day

The Week Before the Test

· Finish up any required homework assignments, including online quizzes.

· Focus your additional practice on the question types and/or subject areas in which you usually score highest. Now is the time to sharpen your best skills, not cram new information.

· Make sure you are registered for the test. Remember, Kaplan cannot register you. If you missed the registration deadlines, you can request Waitlist Status on the test maker’s website, collegeboard.org.

· Confirm the location of your test site. Never been there before? Make a practice run to make sure you know exactly how long it will take to get from your home to your test site. Build in extra time in case you hit traffic on the morning of the test.

· Get a great night’s sleep the two days before the test.

The Day Before the Test

· Review the Kaplan Methods and Strategies, as well as the ReKap pages.

· Put new batteries in your calculator.

· Pack your backpack or bag for Test Day with the following items:

o Photo ID

o Registration slip or printout

o Directions to your test site location

o Five or more sharpened no. 2 pencils (no mechanical pencils)

o Pencil sharpener

o Eraser

o Calculator

o Extra batteries

o Non prohibited timepiece

o Tissues

o Prepackaged snacks, like granola bars

o Bottled water, juice, or sports drink

o Sweatshirt, sweater, or jacket

The Night Before the Test

· No studying!

· Do something relaxing that will take your mind off the test, such as watching a movie or playing video games with friends.

· Set your alarm to wake up early enough so that you won’t feel rushed.

· Go to bed early, but not too much earlier than you usually do. You want to fall asleep quickly, not spend hours tossing and turning.

The Morning of the Test

· Dress comfortably and in layers. You need to be prepared for any temperature.

· Eat a filling breakfast, but don’t stray too far from your usual routine. If you normally aren’t a breakfast eater, don’t eat a huge meal, but make sure you have something substantial.

· Read something over breakfast. You need to warm up your brain so you don’t go into the test cold. Read a few pages of a newspaper, magazine, or novel.

· Get to your test site early. There is likely to be some confusion about where to go and how to sign in, so allow yourself plenty of time, even if you are taking the test at your own school.

· Leave your cell phone at home or in your car’s glove box. Many test sites do not allow them in the building.

· While you’re waiting to sign in or be seated, read more of what you read over breakfast to stay in reading mode.

During the Test

· Be calm and confident. You’re ready for this!

· Remember that while the PSAT is an almost three-hour marathon, it is also a series of shorter sections. Focus on the section you’re working on at that moment; don’t think about previous or upcoming sections.

· Use the Kaplan Methods and Strategies as often as you can.

· Don’t linger too long on any one question. Mark it and come back to it later.

· Can’t figure out an answer? Try to eliminate some choices and guess strategically. Remember, there is no penalty for an incorrect answer, so even if you can’t eliminate any choices, you should take a guess.

· There will be plenty of questions you CAN answer, so spend your time on those first!

· Maintain good posture throughout the test. It will help you stay alert.

· If you find yourself losing concentration, getting frustrated, or stressing about the time, stop for 30 seconds. Close your eyes, put your pencil down, take a few deep breaths, and relax your shoulders. You’ll be much more productive after taking a few moments to relax.

· Use your breaks effectively. During the five-minute breaks, go to the restroom, eat your snacks, and get your energy up for the next section.

After the Test

· Congratulate yourself! Also, reward yourself by doing something fun. You’ve earned it.

· Be aware that you can cancel your score if you got sick during the test or if something else happened that might have negatively affected your score. You have until the Wednesday following your test date. Request a score cancellation form from your test proctor or visit the test maker’s website for more information. If you have questions about whether you should cancel your scores, call 1-800-KAP-TEST.

· Note that your scores will be available online approximately three to four weeks after your test and will be mailed to you with in approximately six weeks.