Geraldine Woods - SAT For Dummies, with Online Practice

SAT For Dummies, 9th Edition with Online Practice Tests

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Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2015937644

ISBN 978-1-118-91149-5 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-91152-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-91175-4 (ebk)

1. Table of Contents

Change is good, right? So why do so many people hop on the nervous-breakdown train when they hear that the SAT is changing? Perhaps because the SAT is an important step on your journey to college, and anything to do with the admissions process is enough to give applicants an instant panic attack. Nervous or not, you have to take the SAT when you apply to most colleges or universities in the United States and to some English-speaking institutions abroad. The old SAT existed between 2005 and January 2016. That version was actually a redesign of a still older exam. The new SAT appears in March 2016. Because its new, that version of the SAT may seem extra scary.

You have nothing to worry about, though, because youve been preparing for this version of the SAT for many years. What? You say you havent been memorizing vocabulary words and drilling key math concepts since you were in your crib? How neglectful of you! Actually, you have been getting ready for the redesigned SAT, because youve been studying the necessary material during every single minute you devote to schoolwork, not counting lunch and the time you spend texting your friends from the phone hidden behind your science book. But those small lapses dont count for much when you consider the amount of time youve been analyzing and uncovering meaning when you read, organizing your ideas and writing papers, and solving math problems (more than 10,000 hours between kindergarten and tenth grade, according to a recent survey). All those skills come in handy on the new SAT. The final step in preparing for the exam is the one youre taking now. Youre reading this book and therefore becoming acquainted with the format of the test. By the time youre finished with SAT For Dummies, 9th Edition with Online Practice Tests, youll have every possible tool for conquering the new SAT.

Why change at all? The old SAT was loudly criticized for several reasons. It was long, hard, and tricky. Most important, it didnt accurately predict college success, its stated purpose. The College Board, which creates and administers the SAT, heard the complaints and hit the drawing board. What it came up with is still long and relatively hard, but the test more closely resembles the stuff you actually do in school. The reading and writing passages come from history, science, literary, and career-oriented sources. Some math questions draw on real-world situations. The 2016 SAT also tests your ability to understand information presented visually, often in graphs or charts, and to recognize and evaluate evidence. The 2016 SAT eliminates some of its old tricks, such as the penalty for guessing, and lets you decide whether you want to write the essay. Add everything up, and you arrive at a test that concentrates on the skills you need to succeed in college and the workplace. (For details on the changes, check out .)

SAT For Dummies, 9th Edition with Online Practice Tests, is a whirlwind tour of the redesigned SAT. (If you expect to take the old SAT at some point before the spring of 2016, turn to SAT For Dummies, 8th Edition, also published by Wiley.) This book takes you through each section of the redesigned SAT, explaining what the test-makers are looking for and how you can deliver it. For example, this version of the SAT makes a point of testing vocabulary in context, and thats how vocabulary shows up in SAT For Dummies, 9th Edition with Online Practice Tests with Online Practice. As you read, keep an eye out for words and definitions, including in paragraphs that have nothing to do with vocabulary per se. (By the way, per se means as such or for itself.)

To help you step up your game on the SAT, this book includes in-depth analysis and samples of each type of question that the SAT dumps on you reading comprehension, math grid-ins, and so forth. To kill still more of your free time (and help you improve your SAT-tested skills), you get a detailed explanation with each answer so you know what you answered correctly, what you got wrong, and why. To give you a feel for how ready you are to take the new SAT, try your hand at the practice tests. No, theyre not real versions of the SAT because the company that produces the actual test is sitting on those rights. The test you get on test day may not have exactly the same number of questions in exactly the same order as the ones here, because the test-makers continue to tinker with the format. But the tests in this book are as close as anyone can come without invoking lawyerly attention, and theyll prepare you well for the real thing. As a bonus, you may find that preparing for the SAT improves your schoolwork, too, as you sharpen your reading skills, polish your grammar, and solve math problems more efficiently.