Kaplan Test Prep - PSAT/NMSQT Prep 2021: 2 Practice Tests + Proven Strategies + Online

Editors-in-Chief

M. Dominic Eggert; Alexandra Strelka, MA

Contributing Editors

Dr. Brandon Deason, MD; Kathryn Sollenberger, MEd; Glen Stohr, JD

Special thanks to our faculty authors and reviewers

Michael Cook; Christopher Cosci; Boris Dvorkin; John Evans; Chason Goldschmitz; Emily Graves; Jonathan Habermacher; Jack Hayes; Jo LAbbate; Bird Marathe; Karen McCulloch; Melissa McLaughlin; Gail Rivers; Anne Marie Salloum; Jason Selzer; Gordon Spector; Caroline Sykes; Bob Verini, MFA; Bonnie Wang; and Ethan Weber

Additional special thanks to

Laura Aitcheson; Matthew Callan; Mark Feery; Paula L. Fleming, MA, MBA; Joanna Graham; Adam Grey; Rebekah Hawthorne; Rebecca Knauer; Abnia Loriston, MEd; Mandy Luk; Kristen Murner, PhD; Aishwarya Pillai; and the countless others who made this project possible

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This publication is designed to provide accurate information in regard to the subject matter covered as of its publication date, with the understanding that knowledge and best practice constantly evolve. The publisher is not engaged in rendering medical, legal, accounting, or other professional service. If medical or legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. This publication is not intended for use in clinical practice or the delivery of medical care. To the fullest extent of the law, neither the publisher nor the editors assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property arising out of or related to any use of the material contained in this book.

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ISBN-13: 978-1-5062-6252-9

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Congratulations on taking this important step in your college admissions process! By studying with Kaplan, youll maximize your score on the PSAT/NMSQT, a major factor in your overall college application.

Our experience shows that the greatest PSAT score increases result from active engagement in the preparation process. Kaplan will give you direction, focus your preparation, and teach you the specific skills and effective test-taking strategies you need to know for the PSAT. We will help you achieve your top performance on test day, but your effort is crucial. The more you invest in preparing for the PSAT, the greater your chances of achieving your target score and getting into your top-choice college.

Are you registered for the PSAT? Kaplan cannot register you for the official PSAT. If you have not already registered for the upcoming PSAT, talk to your high school guidance counselor or visit the College Boards website at www.collegeboard.org to register online and for information on registration deadlines, test sites, accommodations for students with disabilities, and fees.

The PSAT/NMSQT is administered on only two days in mid-October. Therefore, students should be registered well in advance of the test dates. Your high school guidance counselor may also have more information about registering for the PSAT. Homeschooled students can contact the guidance office of a local high school to make arrangements to take the exam at that school.

Kaplans Practice Tests are just like the actual PSAT. By taking a practice exam, you will prepare yourself for the actual test day experience. One of your Practice Tests is included in this book and the other one can be accessed online. See the Digital Resources section below to learn how to access your online Practice Test.

The chapters in this book follow a standard format to make this book as easy to use as possible. Most chapters in this book start with a section called How Much Do You Know? that allows you to get a sense of how comfortable you already are with the material in the chapter. Answers and explanations follow immediately in the Check Your Work section. Each lesson in a chapter starts with a question typical of the way the PSAT tests a given topic and ends with a set of practice questions called Try on Your Own. There is yet another practice set at the end of each chapter called How Much Have You Learned? to reinforce the concepts explained in the chapter. Answers and Explanations for the Try on Your Own and How Much Have You Learned? sections are provided at the end of each chapter for easy reference.

Different topics are worth different numbers of points on the PSAT because they show up more or less frequently in questions. By studying the information released by the College Board, Kaplan has been able to determine how often certain topics are likely to show up on the PSAT, and therefore how many points these topics are worth on test day. If you master a given topic, you can expect to earn the corresponding number of SmartPoints on test day.

We have used a 600-point scale for SmartPoints because thats the number of points you can earn within the Math and Verbal subscores: the PSAT scoring scale is 160760, so there are 760 160 = 600 points to be earned within each major section of the test. The breakdown of SmartPoints for Math, Reading, and Writing and Language are summarized in the following tables. Keep in mind that these values are approximate because testing administrations differ.