1-877-REV-PREPwww.revolutionprep.com

Test-Taking & Study Skills Workshop

(Student Version)

2

Success on the PSAT is as much about HEART and ATTITUDE as INTELLIGENCE

It doesn’t matter how much you know if you are not mentally and physically prepared to take the test. Being prepared is about being in the Test Zone.

The TEST ZONE is a state in which you are in complete control of yourself and the exam, and the challenge of the test works in your favor instead of against you.

Your Surroundings

the location

other test takers

the proctor

Your State of Mind

mental distractions

mental endurance

nervousness

THE TEST ZONE

TEST ZONE PROBLEMS

TEST ZONE PROBLEM CAUSES

FOCUS

Your mind starts wandering

You start thinking about what you’re

going to do after the exam

You can’t get a song lyric out of your head

ENDURANCE

Halfway through the exam, you just stop

caring

You start feeling sleepy or lethargic

toward the end of the exam

INTENSITY

You fall into careless and easy traps

You fill in your first answer because you don’t want to spend the time to check for

a trap

You don’t try questions you don’t immediately know

how to solve

3

MULTIPLE CHOICE – ELIMINATION & PROBLEM SOLVING

If the square above has an area of 16, what is the area of the shaded region?

(A) 16(B) 12(C) 16 – 4π(D) 16 – π(E) 4π

1

A

B C

D

ELIMINATION

Are any of the answer choices above obviously wrong? What information must be in the correct answer? If you focus on eliminating answers that are clearly wrong, you will improve your chances of choosing the right answer and decrease your stress level.

STEP #1: IDENTIFYThe most important step in getting the answer is sizing up your opponent.

ALWAYS begin by determining the type of question you’re dealing with. Look for specific terms/phrases you remember from class. What do you remember about them?

STEP #2: SET UPBased on the question type, determine which information you will need to

use. Write down everything about the problem that you know is true.

STEP #3: MAKE SUREMake sure you’re doing it right. What is the SPECIFIC answer they are

asking for?

STEP #4: EXECUTEGet the answer. Carefully work through all steps required to solve the

problem. After you’ve got an answer, make sure it makes sense.

PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY

4

Approximately how many feet is it from Los Angeles to San Francisco?

(1 mile = 5280 ft)

(A) 400(B) 40,000(C) 2,000,000(D) 35,000,000(E) 52,800,000

2

ESTIMATION, BACKSOLVING, AND INTIMIDATING QUESTIONS

ESTIMATION

The first term of a sequence of numbers is –3. Each term after the first is obtained by multiplying the preceding term by –1 and then subtracting 1. What is the 75th term of the sequence?

(A) –73(B) –3(C) 2(D) 4(E) 73

4

INTIMIDATING QUESTIONS

**GIVE IT A SHOT**

If ever you feel lost, let your pencil show the way:Write Down What You Know Is True

Although there will be a few tough questions on every exam, most of them just seem tough. Stay confident, and give it a shot. You’ll be amazed by how many “hard” questions you can do.

Shane is eight years older than Wayne. In three years, Shane will be twice as old as Wayne. How old is Shane now?

(A) 5 (B) 7 (C) 13 (D) 16 (E) 20

3

BACKSOLVING

Backsolving is the process of starting with the answer choices instead of the question.

5

Which of the following empires DID NOT collapse as a result of World War I?

(A) The Russian(B) The British(C) The German(D) The Austro-Hungarian(E) The Ottoman Turk

5

“NOT” QUESTIONS

“NOT” QUESTIONS

Test writers love to use the words “not” and “except” because it’s a confusing way to phrase a question. Here’s an example from an AP history exam:

One strategy that often works for “not” questions is to attack the answer choices as if the capitalized word were not there. Which empires DID collapse after WWI?

This question is from an AP English exam:

For math “not” questions, a strategy that often works is to figure out the opposite of the situation described in the question:

EIGHT O’CLOCKA. E. Housman (1859-1936)

He stood, and heard the steepleSprinkle the quarters on the morning town.One, two, three, four, to market-place and peopleIt tossed them down.

Strapped, noosed, nighing his hour,He stood and counted them and cursed his luck;And then the clock collected in the towerIts strength, and struck.

This poem is about all of the following EXCEPT?

(A) time.(B) a hanging.(C) mortality.(D) injustice.(E) fate.

6

How many different two-digit numbers DO NOT contain a 9 ?

(A) 70(B) 72(C) 81(D) 89(E) 90

7

6

READING – THE 2-TRACK MIND

THE 2-TRACK MIND

Whenever you read anything, there are 2 parts of your brain at work:

1. The part of your brain that reads the words on the page2. The part of your brain that thinks about stuff

The “stuff” the second part thinks about is NOT automatically what the first part is reading – the 2 “tracks” of your mind do NOT automatically work together.

As you read, you must MAKE the 2 tracks of your mind work together – while the 1st track reads and moves through the passage, you must focus the 2nd track on what the passage is saying – by asking yourself questions about the passage.SAMPLE 2-TRACK MIND QUESTIONS

SENTENCE-LEVEL• “What is the point of this sentence?”• “How does this sentence advance the main idea?”• “Does this sentence introduce a new idea?”

PARAGRAPH-LEVEL• “What is the main idea of this paragraph?”• “How does this paragraph fit into the author’s overall argument?”• “What does this paragraph do differently from the one before it?”

PASSAGE-LEVEL• “What is this passage about?”• “What kind of person is the author?”• “What is the overall tone of the passage?”

THE MAIN IDEA – “WHAT IT’S ABOUT” VS. “WHAT HAPPENS”

Getting the reading – understanding the big picture, how all the facts and ideas fit together – makes everything easier. Spend a little more time getting the reading, save tons of time with assignments and tests.

Asking the questions that help you get the main ideas will also help you get your 2-track mind back on track.

Have you ever read something – like, you know you read all the words on the page – got to the end, and then realized...

“I have absolutely NO CLUE what I just read”?What is that about?

7

SAMPLE READING PASSAGE

The following passage, first published in 1960, isadapted from an essay in which the author, ananthropologist, discusses his recent visit to a lake.

Not long ago I visited a New England lake thathas been preempted and civilized by human beings.All day long in the vacation season high-speedmotorboats, driven with the reckless abandoncommon to the young of our society, speed backand forth. The shores echo to the roar of powerfulmotors and the delighted screams of young peoplewith uncounted horsepower surging under theirhands. If I had had some desire to swim or to canoein the older ways of the great forest that once layabout this region, either notion would have beenfolly. I would have been gaily chopped to ribbonsby young people whose eyes were alwaysimmutably fixed on the far horizons of space, or onthe dials which indicated the speed of their passing.There was another world, I was to discover, alongthe lake shallows and under the boat dock, wherethe motors could not come.

As I sat there one sunny morning when thewater was peculiarly translucent, I saw a dark shapemoving swiftly over the bottom. It was the firstsign of life I had seen in this lake, whose shoresseemed to yield little but washed-in beer cans. Byand by the gliding shadow ceased to scurry fromstone to stone over the bottom. Unexpectedly, itheaded almost directly for me. A furry nose withgray whiskers broke the surface. Below thewhiskers, green water foliage trailed out in aninverted V as long as his body. A muskrat stilllived in the lake. He was bringing in his breakfast.I sat very still in the strips of sunlight under the pier.To my surprise, the muskrat came almost to my feetwith his little breakfast of greens. He was young,and it rapidly became obvious to me that he waslaboring under an illusion of his own, that hethought animals and people were still living in theGarden of Eden. He gave me a friendly glancefrom time to time as he nibbled his greens. Once,even, he went out into the lake again and returnedto my feet with more greens. He had not, it seemed,heard very much about people. I shuddered. Onlythe evening before I had heard my neighbordescribe with triumphant enthusiasm how he hadkilled a muskrat in the garden because the creaturehad dared to nibble his petunias.

Line(5)

(10)

(15)

(20)

(25)

(30)

(35)

(40)

(45)

(50)

(55)

(60)

(65)

(70)

(75)

On this pleasant shore a war existed and wouldgo on until nothing remained but human beings.Yet this creature with the gray, appealing facewanted very little: a strip of shore to coast up anddown, sunlight and moonlight, some weeds fromthe deep water. He was an edge-of-the-worlddweller, caught between a vanishing forest and adeep lake preempted by unpredictable machines fullof chopping blades. He eyed me nearsightedly, agreen leaf poised in his mouth. Plainly he had comewith some poorly instructed memory about the lionand the lamb.*

“You had better run away now,” I said softly,making no movement in the shafts of light. “Youare in the wrong universe and must not make thismistake again. I am really a very terrible andcunning beast. I can throw stones.” With this Idropped a little pebble at his feet.

He looked at me half blindly, with eyes muchbetter adjusted to the wavering shadows of his lakebottom than to sight in the open air. He madealmost as if to take the pebble up into his forepaws.Then a thought seemed to cross his mind: perhapsafter all this was not Eden. His nose twitchedcarefully; he edged toward the water.

As he vanished in an oncoming wave, therewent with him a natural world, distinct from theworld of young people and motorboats. It was aworld of sunlight he had taken down into the waterweeds. It hovered there, waiting for mydisappearance.

* The lion lying down with the lamb is a Biblical image of

ideal peace.

8

The underlying sentiment in the sentence beginning“If I had” (lines 9-12) is the author’s

(A) nostalgia for experiences that are no longer possible

(B) grudging admiration for young people(C) regret for something he had failed to do(D) amusement at his own foolishness(E) feeling of moral paralysis

9

SAMPLE READING QUESTIONS

The phrase “dared to” in line 45 emphasizes the author’s belief that

(A) the muskrat was dangerous(B) the muskrat was insolent(C) humans will eventually destroy all life in the lake(D) the neighbor’s behavior was uncalled for(E) the author felt intimidated by his neighbor

10

The passage as a whole can best be described as an expression of

(A) amusement at the behavior of muskrats(B) regret at the impact of humans on the lake(C) scorn for the people who use the lake(D) optimism about the future of the lake(E) irritation at the modern obsession with speed

8

**KEY POINT**

Eliminate wrong answers by identifyingthe specific words that make them wrong.

9

WRITING SECTION & THE ESSAY OVERVIEW

ESSAY BASICS

An essay is a short written composition that discusses a single subject.

Every essay must clearly contain five elements—three structural elements and two content elements:

STRUCTURAL ELEMENT #1 – INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

● Always the first paragraph of an essay

● Usually about 3-5 sentences long

● Often begins with a “hook” intended to capture the reader’s attention

● Must include a clear statement of the “thesis”—the point of view that will be argued in the rest of the essay

● The thesis is often the last sentence of the intro paragraph

CONTENT ELEMENT #1 – THE THESIS

● A single sentence that clearly states the point of view that will be argued in the body of the essay

● Must directly respond to the essay prompt

STRUCTURAL ELEMENT #2 – BODY PARAGRAPHS

● All the paragraphs between the intro and the conclusion

● Usually more than one paragraph

● Each body paragraph must begin with a “topic sentence”—a clear introduction of the specific point that the rest of the paragraph will discuss

● Each body paragraph should present a different point that clearly supports the essay’s thesis

CONTENT ELEMENT #2 – THE SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

● Facts, illustrations, and observations that support the main idea of each body paragraph

● The more specific the details of your supporting evidence, the better

● Must directly support the essay’s thesis

STRUCTURAL ELEMENT #3 – CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH

● Must restate the thesis

● Must summarize the supporting evidence

10

ESSAY DOS AND DON’TS

**KEY POINT**

The most important things about the essay are CLARITY and SPECIFICITY.

Some basic guidelines to follow for any essay:

DO

DO write neatly

DO use logical structure

DO use specific examples

DO finish strong

DON’T

DON’T use vocabulary you don’t know

DON’T use examples that are controversial or too pop culturey

DON’T begin sentences with “I believe”/“In my opinion”/“I feel”/etc.

DON’T use the passive voice

DON’T jump all over the placeALWAYS

ALWAYS put yourself in the grader’s pants

11

ESSAY STRATEGY

THE ESSAY STRATEGY

Before you write anything, you must spend time preparing.

1) Read the essay prompt – This is the question you must address in your essay. If it is a yes/no question, make sure you clearly take one side or the other that you will defend with specific examples.

2) Write an I-B-C – This is your brief outline. It need only make sense to you.

I: Introduction – Jot down a phrase or two about how you plan to respond to the question. This is your thesis.

B: Body – This is the meat of your essay. Jot down one or two examples that clearly support your thesis, plus a few notes about HOW they support your thesis.

C: Conclusion – A brief wrap-up. Jot down a phrase that ties everything together.

3) Write your essay – Let your I-B-C notes be your guide. Follow traditional essay structure:

BODY• SUPPORTING EVIDENCE• use SEPARATE PARAGRAPHS for different examples• begin paragraphs with TOPIC SENTENCES

INTRO• a HOOK (quote, story, rhetorical question, etc.)• a THESIS

CONCLUSION• a RESTATEMENT of your thesis• a SUMMARY of your supporting evidence

12

WRITING SECTION & THE ESSAY OVERVIEW

STUDY SKILLS

STUDY SKILLS – ASSIGNMENTS & HOMEWORK EFFICIENCY

● Whenever the teacher goes over stuff on the assignment in class, do that part of the assignment during class – then spend less time on it at home.● Don’t do extra work – before starting, figure out exactly what you need to do.● Don’t make work harder – figure out exactly what concepts you need to know and don’t start working until you understand them.● Do “hard” assignments first while you’ve got the energy – let “easy” assignments be your reward.

STUDY SKILLS – READING EFFICIENCY

● Easier to focus = quicker reading – establish a well-lit “reading spot” where you won’t be distracted.● Don’t read tired – it takes way longer than reading while rested.● Read with a dictionary – look up meanings of unfamiliar words the first time so they don’t slow you down every time they show up.● Break reading into chunks – 30 pages in 1 night is much more work than 10 pages per night spread out over 3 nights.

STUDY SKILLS – TEST PREP EFFICIENCY

● Don’t do extra work – figure out exactly what the test will cover.● Don’t waste time – recognize when you are “finished” by treating test preparation as an assignment with a “done” point.● Use tools – flash cards, mnemonic phrases, etc. – to make work easier – same as using a calculator for math homework.● Don’t study everything – something you already know is not something you can “know better” – only review the stuff you need to “know better.”

STUDY SKILLS – IN-CLASS EFFICIENCY

● Confusion from not understanding what the teacher is talking about makes class go SLOWER. Taking notes and participating – because you know what’s up – makes class go FASTER.● A little participation – simply asking before class about something from the reading – goes a long way toward getting teachers on your side.● Only take notes on things that you know aren’t covered in the reading.