Ron Woldoff - SAT For Dummies

To earn a top score on the SAT, you have three goals:

1 Know what’s on the exam.That’s in this book, so read the whole thing. No matter how well you know a topic, you can discover strategies and avoid common traps, and the SAT has a way of asking a question that’s different from what you’re used to — or what you learned in the classroom. This book has dozens of tried-and-true strategies so you can cut through the muck and get the most points on the SAT.

2 Strengthen your weak subject areas.Turn to specific sections for targeted information. This book is organized to make it easy for you to find strategies and practice for specific question types that you have trouble with.If you need more help with practice questions, check out 1,001 SAT Practice Questions For Dummies (also published by Wiley).

3 Prepare for the test-taking experience.You’ll need practice exams to get ready for the experience. Packaged with this book are four online practice exams: two in this book, and all four online. When your exam is around the corner, take one or two practice exams in real-life, dress-rehearsal settings. Flip to Part 6for ten ways to build your skills from the practice exams.

Basically, this book does it all: It prepares you for the exam by bringing your skills from the basic level to the SAT level. What else is there?

There’s vocab.

To help you with vocab, as you read through this book, you’ll notice that some words have a style all their own. Each SAT vocabulary word in this text appears in this font, followed directly by its meaning. Fortunately, the SAT doesn’t hammer vocab like it used to, and most of the vocab on the exam is in context, so it’s easier to work with. That said, a good way to learn SAT vocab is to encounter it in a question and see what it means along with how it’s used. When you get stuck on a vocab word, write it down. This is an effective complement to studying from a list or flash cards.

Icons are those cute little pictures that appear in the margins of this book. They indicate why you should pay special attention to the accompanying text. Here’s how to decode them:

This icon points out helpful hints about strategy — what the all-star test-takers know and the rookies want to find out.

This icon identifies the sand traps that the SAT-writers are hoping you’ll fall into as you take the test. Take note of these warnings so you know what to do (and what not to do) as you move from question to question on the real SAT.

When you see this icon, be sure to file away the information that accompanies it. The material will come in handy as you prepare for (and take) the SAT.

This icon indicates an example practice question within the regular chapter text.

Besides all the ways this book can help you perform well on the SAT, there are even more online, including these:

Cheat Sheet: At www.dummies.com , type “SAT For Dummies cheat sheet” in the search box and you’ll find the book’s cheat sheet, which gives you last-minute details that you’ll want to have at your fingertips, including a rundown of how to get the most points on each SAT Test.

Nearly 600 practice questions: You’ll find hundreds of SAT-type questions online to help you build your competence and confidence. Focus on areas where you need practice and verify that you’re up to speed in other areas. You can select the level of difficulty and answer the questions through untimed and timed quizzes, so you can work at your own speed and gain experience working under pressure.

To gain access to additional tests and practice online, all you have to do is register. Just follow these simple steps:

1 Register your book or e-book at Dummies.com to get your PIN. Go to www.dummies.com/go/getaccess .

2 Select your product from the drop-down list on that page.

3 Follow the prompts to validate your product, and then check your email for a confirmation message that includes your PIN and instructions for logging in.

If you do not receive this email within two hours, please check your spam folder before contacting us through our Technical Support website at http://support.wiley.com or by phone at 877-762-2974.

Now you’re ready to go! You can come back to the practice material as often as you want — simply log on with the username and password you created during your initial login. No need to enter the access code a second time.

Get started! No matter what you do next, start simple. You have exactly what you need right here in your hands, so breathe deep and turn the page.

Part 1

IN THIS PART …

Get the details about what’s on the SAT and how your performance is measured.

Figure out how to plan and manage your study time ahead of test day, along with some pointers if you’re retaking the exam.

Know what you need to do to prepare for the exam (beyond studying) along with what to expect on test day.

Chapter 1

IN THIS CHAPTER

Thinking about the ACT

Seeing what the SAT covers

Scheduling the SAT

Accommodating special needs

Doing amazing even if English isn’t your first language

Understanding what the SAT looks for

Getting the SAT scoring

The best and easiest way to reduce your anxiety and own the SAT is to become familiar with it. Knowing what to expect means you can plan for it, so nothing on exam day is a surprise.

In this chapter, you find the basics of the SAT, including when, where, and how often you should take the test. This chapter also tells you what sort of scores you receive, explains how to deal with special needs, and gives you a peek into the structure of the exam itself. If English isn’t your first language, there are some tips on how to get the edge over your primarily-English-speaking competition.