 • Program Objectives The key to succeeding on standardized tests is preparation. Despite the fact that most standardized tests examine aptitude, there are ways you can get yourself in shape to take the test and alleviate your anxieties. These include time-budgeting: brain exercises; familiarization with all parts of the test; and practice. • Summary of Content Part One Bill, Holly, Jack and Sam are facing their upcoming SAT’s. Holly and Jack are apprehensive, but Bill and Sam have taken the PSAT last year and assure Holly and Jack that it is possible to prepare for the SAT, both by practicing the examples in the available books on the SAT, and by exercising their minds to get in shape to take the test. Standardized tests are important for getting into college, getting a job, gaining rank in the armed forces or in the Civil Service. The SAT’s are the most important exams facing college-bound seniors, but preparing for the SAT will be useful when taking other tests such as Civil Service Exams, National Merit Scholarship Tests, Regents’ Exams, and many others. These tests have many elements in common such as strictly controlled time periods. Also, your test score is important in two ways: first, what is your raw score, and second, how does your raw score compare with others taking the tests the same year? The SAT is an aptitude test. It tests some learned knowledge, but basically it measures a student’s ability to think and reason and draw conclusions. It is a three-hour test divided into a section on verbal skills, and a section on math skills. You can prepare for the SAT by studying the available guides, and by stretching your brain with word games and mental exercises. When taking the tests, you are penalized for guessing, so only guess when you can narrow down the choices. It is important to budget your time, to read the instructions carefully, and fill in the right spaces. Clear your mind during breaks, and try to leave time to check your answers. • Part Two In the mathematics sections of the SAT, a good understanding of arithmetic, simple algebra and basic geometry will help to improve your score. However, many questions can be answered without complicated computations. In some questions, a quick approximation will show you which answer is closest and therefore likely to be correct. In other questions, you can save yourself a lengthy algebraic computation by trying all the answers arithmetically. In still others, your basic knowledge of mathematics will provide a principle that makes the correct answer obvious. Math questions on the SAT sometimes include more information than necessary. Don’t be thrown off by false leads. Not only is your knowledge of basic math being tested, but so is your ability to take tests. • Part Three Bill, Jack and Sam reassure Holly that there is no reason to fear the verbal parts of the SAT. The verbal sections measure how well you use the English language. One section is reading comprehension—the ability to read carefully, and to remember and comprehend what you have read. First, you read a paragraph, then answer several multiple choice questions about the paragraph. The way to practice reading comprehension is by reading. And, a practice book can be useful. Another kind of verbal SAT question deals with antonyms—opposites. Here, too, if you are unfamiliar with a word, you can often deduce its meaning from other words you know that sound similar. Often, you can easily eliminate some of the choices, thus limiting your selection to one of two words. • Part Four Sentence Completion questions comprise another section of the test. The proper word to fill in the blank can often be deduced by reasoning out what the rest of the sentence implies. Analogy questions make you analyze parallel relationships, either concrete or abstract. Certain answers are obviously wrong and can be quickly eliminated, but the right answer can depend on a fine shade of meaning. Analogy tests become easier with practice. The verbal SAT contains a new section on Standard Written English, which is actually very much like a grammar exam. The best way to prepare for this part of the exam is to review the rules of standard English usage. Learn to spot such errors as double negatives, dangling constructions, and dangling participles. If you want to succeed on standardized tests, you must prepare by organizing your time, exercising your mind, familiarizing yourself with all sections of the test, and practicing. • Warm-Up Activities 1. Introduce the terms aptitude test and achievement test. Ask students to discuss both types of tests, focusing on their differences. Ask students which kind of test they prefer, and why. 2. Ask students if it is possible to prepare for an aptitude test. Discuss the difference between studying for an achievement test and exercising the brain for an aptitude test. 3. Survey the class and determine ways students exercise their brains. Help students determine if any of their regular activities have “brain-exercise” value. 4. Discuss the difference between the raw score students earn on an aptitude test, and the percentile ranking that compares their scores with other students across the country. • Related Programs --Test-Taking Skills: Effective Study Techniques (#0317). Reviews skills that help students prepare for objective test questions, including true/false, multiple choice and fill-in. Discuss techniques for taking three types of essay tests—discussion, tracing and comparison/contrast. Examples and exercises from test situations in several disciplines provide reinforcement for skills taught in the program. --School Survival Skills: How to Study Effectively (#0322). Demonstrates the importance of such basic skills as time management, pre-reading, note taking and summarizing. An extensive series of in-class exercises is based on readings in English, science, social studies, sociology and art. --Improving Your Study Skills: How to Be A Better Student (#6680). Covers the basic study skills of note taking, outlining, previewing, skimming and scanning. Also explains and illustrates time organization and techniques for starting and completing research assignments. • Discussion Questions 1. Should you guess on SAT’s? Are you penalized for wrong answers? 2. What are some ways to prepare for SAT’s? 3. Besides getting into college, what are some other uses of aptitude tests? 4. What two ways are SAT’s scored? 5. Why is it important to budget your time? 6. What elements are tested by the mathematics section of the SAT? 7. What kinds of shortcuts should you look for in the math section? 8. Can you use your everyday reading to prepare for the verbal SAT? 9. What part does deduction play in figuring out the meaning of words from their context? Do you ever try to figure out new words this way? Does it always work? 10. Are there words that you tried to figure out—and got completely wrong? 11. Do you try to learn new words every week? Do you use them in conversation? |
|
|