Review - High School Algebra I Unlocked

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the family and friends who have supported me throughout the creation of this book. Particularly, I would like to thank my mother and father, whose love and support has been steadfast throughout all my endeavors.

Eliz Markowitz

The Princeton Review would like to give a very special thank you to Eliz Markowitz, for her tireless effort in developing and writing this book, as well as to all those who contributed to its creation: Debbie Silvestrini, John Stecyk, Maurice Kessler, Gabriel Berlin, Sandra Schmeil, Scott Harris, Craig Patches, Chris Chimera, Chris Knuth, Liz Rutzel, Harmony Quiroz, Chad Chasteen, and Jonathan Chiu. Thank you all for your tremendous dedication to this project.

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Online Practice

It might not always seem that way, especially after a night of endless homework assignments, but high school can fly by. Classes are generally a little larger, subjects are more complex, and not every student has had the same background for each subject. Teachers dont always have the time to re-explain a topic, and worse, sometimes students dont realize that theres a subject they dont fully understand. This feeling of frustration is a bit like getting to your locker and realizing that youve forgotten a part of the combination to open it, only theres no math superintendent you can call to clip the lock open.

Thats why we at The Princeton Review, the leaders in test prep, have built the High School Unlocked series. We cant guarantee that you wont forget something along the waynobody canbut we can set the tools for unlocking problems at your fingertips. Thats because this book not only covers all the basics of Algebra I, but it also focuses on alternative approaches and emphasizes how all of these techniques connect with one another.

The speed at which you go through this material depends on your personal needs. If youre using this book to supplement your daily high-school classes, we recommend that you stay at the pace of your class, and make a point out of solving problems in both this book and your homework in as many ways as you can. This is the most direct way to identify effective (and practical) tools.

If, on the other hand, youre using this book to review topics, then you should begin by carefully reviewing the Goals listed at the start of each chapter, and taking note of anything that seems unfamiliar or difficult. Try answering some of the example problems on your own, as you might just be a little rusty. Applying math skills is a lot like riding a bike, in that it comes back quicklybut thats only true if you learned how in the first place. Take as much time as you need, then, to connect with this material. As a real test of your understanding, try teaching one of these troublesome topics to someone else.

Ultimately, theres no wrong way to use this book. You wouldnt have picked this up if you werent genuinely interested, so the real key is that you remain patient and give yourself as much time as you need before moving on. To aid in this, weve carefully designed each chapter to break down each concept in a series of consistent and helpful ways.

Each chapter begins with a clear and specific list of objectives that you should feel comfortable with by the end of the chapter. This allows you not only to assess which sections of the book you need to focus on, but also to clarify the underlying skills that each example is helping to demonstrate. Think of this sort of goal-based structure as a scavenger hunt: Its generally more efficient to find something if you know what youre looking for.