Back To School and SATs
Sun Aug 29, 2004 9:14 pm
Yep. Two days from now (when I'm posting this) I'll be in school again. I'm not worried too much about it, except I never got any word on whether or not I have any summer assignments. Oh well, too late now. Aside from the possible reading and such that i never heard about, I've been ready for awhile and I'm going to get off my lazy rear and do my homework this year! (Woah...that rhymed.)
Anyway, the one thing I'm concerned about are the SATs. They shouldn't be too much of a touble (as long as the math is multiple choice), but my mom says that I should also take the PSATs so I have a chance at a scholarship. Considering that my getting into college weighs quite heavily on those two tests, I would like to be sure I'm completely ready so I'm not taken by surprise. So, I turn to you guys.
What is the best sort of method to study for the (P)SATs? I know reading will help a bit, but I do that already. I've also heard that there are courses you can take and training (computer) programs that you can buy, but I want an opinion of which the best route is, or if there's one I don't know about.
Anyway, the one thing I'm concerned about are the SATs. They shouldn't be too much of a touble (as long as the math is multiple choice), but my mom says that I should also take the PSATs so I have a chance at a scholarship. Considering that my getting into college weighs quite heavily on those two tests, I would like to be sure I'm completely ready so I'm not taken by surprise. So, I turn to you guys.
What is the best sort of method to study for the (P)SATs? I know reading will help a bit, but I do that already. I've also heard that there are courses you can take and training (computer) programs that you can buy, but I want an opinion of which the best route is, or if there's one I don't know about.
Re: Back To School and SATs
Sun Aug 29, 2004 9:49 pm
DiscordantNote wrote:Yep. Two days from now (when I'm posting this) I'll be in school again. I'm not worried too much about it, except I never got any word on whether or not I have any summer assignments. Oh well, too late now. Aside from the possible reading and such that i never heard about, I've been ready for awhile and I'm going to get off my lazy rear and do my homework this year! (Woah...that rhymed.)
Anyway, the one thing I'm concerned about are the SATs. They shouldn't be too much of a touble (as long as the math is multiple choice), but my mom says that I should also take the PSATs so I have a chance at a scholarship. Considering that my getting into college weighs quite heavily on those two tests, I would like to be sure I'm completely ready so I'm not taken by surprise. So, I turn to you guys.
What is the best sort of method to study for the (P)SATs? I know reading will help a bit, but I do that already. I've also heard that there are courses you can take and training (computer) programs that you can buy, but I want an opinion of which the best route is, or if there's one I don't know about.
Don't worry, the SATs aren't that bad at all. Only one part of the math is open-ended, and even those aren't hard. It's Algebra I, if I remember correctly.
I didn't study for the SATs, but then again I didn't need them (the good part about taking them for a talent program at age 12). Brush up on your language skills, as they'll still have analogies when you take the test. And, the reading selections are horrible. Most boring things I've ever seen. So don't lose your concentration.
About the math, go over that too. If you're a fairly proficient math student, it shouldn't be too bad.
Mon Aug 30, 2004 7:39 am
Repetition is the mother of all learning. If you want to do well, do heaps of maths examples.
Mon Aug 30, 2004 7:27 pm
There isn't much you can do to study for them. There are courses on how to do better, though. Just make sure you get enough rest and have enough energy on the day of the SATs so that you don't make stupid mistakes.
Mon Aug 30, 2004 7:32 pm
study for them.
think about it this way: 100 kids take the SATs. 50 of them prepped, 50 didn't. the 50 who studied have a better chance at a better score than those who didnt.
im taking an SAT course this year, and it's for the PSAT and the SAT (theyre a lot alike). the writing section (with the essay dealio) is messed up, and the math got harder. there's no analogies, but you still have to know words cause they slip them into sentence completions and the such.
think about it this way: 100 kids take the SATs. 50 of them prepped, 50 didn't. the 50 who studied have a better chance at a better score than those who didnt.
im taking an SAT course this year, and it's for the PSAT and the SAT (theyre a lot alike). the writing section (with the essay dealio) is messed up, and the math got harder. there's no analogies, but you still have to know words cause they slip them into sentence completions and the such.
Mon Aug 30, 2004 7:55 pm
One more day of freedom until school...woohoo...
Anyway, getting me to study shouldn't be a problem, and neither should most of the non-math portions of the two tests. I found a nifty thing that tells me what certain roots, prefixes, and suffixes mean, and therefore I'll be able to figure out the definiton of each word without having to learn them. it should come in handy.
What's in the math portions anyway? I know algebra, geomentry, and trig is in there, but is there anything else (like calculus)?
Anyway, getting me to study shouldn't be a problem, and neither should most of the non-math portions of the two tests. I found a nifty thing that tells me what certain roots, prefixes, and suffixes mean, and therefore I'll be able to figure out the definiton of each word without having to learn them. it should come in handy.
What's in the math portions anyway? I know algebra, geomentry, and trig is in there, but is there anything else (like calculus)?
Mon Aug 30, 2004 8:01 pm
Mine start in a week and a day...-shudder- Waiting is truely painful.
Mon Aug 30, 2004 8:15 pm
DiscordantNote wrote:One more day of freedom until school...woohoo...
Anyway, getting me to study shouldn't be a problem, and neither should most of the non-math portions of the two tests. I found a nifty thing that tells me what certain roots, prefixes, and suffixes mean, and therefore I'll be able to figure out the definiton of each word without having to learn them. it should come in handy.
What's in the math portions anyway? I know algebra, geomentry, and trig is in there, but is there anything else (like calculus)?
I don't think there was calculus. But if there was, there wasn't much of it. I think there are word problems in the SAT's now too. And not all answers are multiple choice. Some are fill in the blank. (but not many.)
*tries to think back to 7th grade* I can't remember anymore at the moment. It's been a while since I took the SAT's...
Mon Aug 30, 2004 8:24 pm
DiscordantNote wrote:One more day of freedom until school...woohoo...
Anyway, getting me to study shouldn't be a problem, and neither should most of the non-math portions of the two tests. I found a nifty thing that tells me what certain roots, prefixes, and suffixes mean, and therefore I'll be able to figure out the definiton of each word without having to learn them. it should come in handy.
What's in the math portions anyway? I know algebra, geomentry, and trig is in there, but is there anything else (like calculus)?
i took a diagnostic test with princeton review. here are the math sections listed on the score report:
Algebra:
plugging in
algebraic manipulation
functions
Artihmetic:
properties of numbers
computation
percents
Geometry:
lines and angles
circles
triangles
coordinate geometry
graphing functions & equations
polygons/solids
Data:
charts
statistics
Mon Aug 30, 2004 9:25 pm
What Soda said sounds about right, I don't remember seeing any trig stuff in there, and if there was, it wasn't hard trig.
Mon Aug 30, 2004 9:31 pm
No trig, eh? That's good. I haven't done much with data yet, so that'll probably be where I set my focus to.
Mon Aug 30, 2004 10:12 pm
I wouldn't worry too much about either. From my researching, colleges are beginning to weigh SAT/PSAT scores less and weighing extracurriculars more. Since you seem to be very good at the instruments you play, you should be fine.
But about SAT's..
They're not hard. Seriously-the Math is only Algebra I and Geometry (no trig or calculus, since the "average" high schooler doesn't even take those courses), and the Verbal isn't too bad-just sentence completions, analogies, and critical reading.
What I did to prepare for math is to (like many said) practice a lot. Try to increase your speed as much as you can, since you'll want time at the end to screen for mistakes. What I did to increase speed was to do practice sets without looking at any line twice, but still maintain good accuracy. I thought it helped quite a bit..
Cramming vocabulary is probably very tedious and boring. The list of roots, prefixes, and suffixes will definitely be of help, particularly for those tough analogies with obscure words. Also, start reading tough books, and all sorts of books, even non-fiction and boring short stories about prim and proper people in Victorian settings. The four types of Critical Reading Passes are about Humanities, Social Science, Science, and Narrative.
The book that helped me the most was "SAT 1600" by Kaplan. It glances over the things that most people already know, and focus in on the little things that some may not realize, but do make a difference.
But about SAT's..
They're not hard. Seriously-the Math is only Algebra I and Geometry (no trig or calculus, since the "average" high schooler doesn't even take those courses), and the Verbal isn't too bad-just sentence completions, analogies, and critical reading.
What I did to prepare for math is to (like many said) practice a lot. Try to increase your speed as much as you can, since you'll want time at the end to screen for mistakes. What I did to increase speed was to do practice sets without looking at any line twice, but still maintain good accuracy. I thought it helped quite a bit..
Cramming vocabulary is probably very tedious and boring. The list of roots, prefixes, and suffixes will definitely be of help, particularly for those tough analogies with obscure words. Also, start reading tough books, and all sorts of books, even non-fiction and boring short stories about prim and proper people in Victorian settings. The four types of Critical Reading Passes are about Humanities, Social Science, Science, and Narrative.
The book that helped me the most was "SAT 1600" by Kaplan. It glances over the things that most people already know, and focus in on the little things that some may not realize, but do make a difference.
Mon Aug 30, 2004 10:15 pm
DiscordantNote wrote:No trig, eh? That's good. I haven't done much with data yet, so that'll probably be where I set my focus to.
from what i remember on my diag. test (and from this reprot), there were about 3 data questions. study it, but dont freak out over it.
Mon Aug 30, 2004 10:18 pm
Keep in the mind the SAT I is changing in March, so the following will no longer be true.
The SAT does not test high-level mathematical concepts. It's pretty much limited to Algebra I, Geometry, and rudimentary Algebra II. No trigonometry. No calculus. Those who find it difficult usually struggle because of the type of questions. SAT math questions are designed to be unusual and tricky; the best way to improve your math score is to accustom yourself to them. Practice!
Now, all of that was the SAT I "Reasoning Test." Many of the more selective colleges now require SAT II Subject Tests. Usually, if a school bothers to require these at all, they will require an SAT II Math Subject Test. This test comes in two levels: IC and IIC (Level 1 w/ Calculator and Level 2 w/ Calculator, respectively).
The IC tests Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and Trigonometry.
The IIC tests Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Trigonometry, and Precalculus (limits, infinite series, polar coordinates, vectors, imaginary numbers in polar form, etc---no Calculus). Also, the Trigonometry questions tend to be harder than those in the IC test.
Unlike the SAT I Math section though, the IC and IIC tests are a lot more straightforward, you don't encounter many "tricky" questions, either you know the math or you don't.
The SAT does not test high-level mathematical concepts. It's pretty much limited to Algebra I, Geometry, and rudimentary Algebra II. No trigonometry. No calculus. Those who find it difficult usually struggle because of the type of questions. SAT math questions are designed to be unusual and tricky; the best way to improve your math score is to accustom yourself to them. Practice!
Now, all of that was the SAT I "Reasoning Test." Many of the more selective colleges now require SAT II Subject Tests. Usually, if a school bothers to require these at all, they will require an SAT II Math Subject Test. This test comes in two levels: IC and IIC (Level 1 w/ Calculator and Level 2 w/ Calculator, respectively).
The IC tests Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and Trigonometry.
The IIC tests Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Trigonometry, and Precalculus (limits, infinite series, polar coordinates, vectors, imaginary numbers in polar form, etc---no Calculus). Also, the Trigonometry questions tend to be harder than those in the IC test.
Unlike the SAT I Math section though, the IC and IIC tests are a lot more straightforward, you don't encounter many "tricky" questions, either you know the math or you don't.
Mon Aug 30, 2004 10:26 pm
Soda wrote:DiscordantNote wrote:No trig, eh? That's good. I haven't done much with data yet, so that'll probably be where I set my focus to.
from what i remember on my diag. test (and from this reprot), there were about 3 data questions. study it, but dont freak out over it.
Yep, I don't even remember any data questions on it.
