Petersons - Master the SAT 2012

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Previous editions 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.

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Bernadette Webster, Director of Publishing; Mark D. Snider, Editor; Ray Golaszewski, Publishing Operations Manager; Linda M. Williams, Composition Manager; Carol Aickley, CD producer

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e-ISBN: 978-0-7689-3377-2

Petersons Master Critical Reading for the SAT
Petersons Master Math for the SAT
Petersons Master Writing for the SAT

Before You Begin

Whether you have three long months or just four short weeks to prepare for the exam, PetersonsMaster the SAT will help you develop a study plan that caters to your individual needs and personal timetable. These step-by-step plans are easy to follow and remarkably effective. No matter which plan you select, begin by taking a diagnostic practice test.

The diagnostic practice test does more than give you testing experience. Easy-to-use diagnostic tables help you track your performance, identify your strengths, and pinpoint areas for improvement. At the end of the diagnostic testing process, you will know what question formats are giving you the most difficulty: multiple-choice math or grid-ins, sentence completions, identifying sentence errors, or improving paragraphs. You will also know which topics to review in depth and which you can spend less time on, whether they are algebra or geometry, essay writing, or subject-verb agreement. By understanding your testing profile, you can immediately address your weak areas by working through the relevant review chapters, learning the important test-taking tips, and completing the additional practice exercises.

When you have completed your formal review, take the practice tests to sharpen your skills further. Even if you understand the SAT perfectly, you still need to practice applying the methods you have learned in Petersons Master the SAT. Take the practice tests under simulated test conditions. Find a quiet place where you wont be interrupted, set a timer for the required time for each section, and work through each test as though it were test day. This will help you to get used to the time limits and to learn to pace yourself. If you dont have time to take full-length practice tests, PetersonsMaster the SAT explains how to use timing drills to take shorter sections of the exams to combat your weaknesses, work on your pacing, and increase your level of confidence.

At the end of each practice session, read all the answers and explanations, even for the questions that you answered correctly. There are comprehensive explanations for every one of the books 1,000+ questions! By reading the answer explanations, you can learn from your mistakes.

Youll also find that Petersons Master the SAT discusses all of the big picture issues other books ignore. For example, it addresses questions such as:

• How is the SAT really used for college admission?
• When should you take the test?
• How many times should you plan to take the SAT?
• Do all SAT scores count in the college admissions game?

By addressing these questions, Petersons Master the SAT debunks prevailing myths and helps you put the SAT into its proper perspective. It also serves as your college guidance counselor, giving you the expert advice you need to apply to college. And when you think about it, thats our number-one goal here. Our objective is to help you dramatically raise your scores so that you can maximize the likelihood of getting into the college of your choice.

Petersons Master the SAT was designed to be as user friendly as it is complete. It includes several features to make your preparation easier. By taking full advantage of all features presented in Petersons Masterthe SAT, you will become much more comfortable with the SAT and considerably more confident about getting a good score.

Each chapter begins with a bulleted overview listing the topics that will be covered in the chapter. You know immediately where to look for a topic that you need to work on.

Each strategy chapter ends with a point-by-point summary that captures the most important points. The summaries are a convenient way to review the content of these strategy chapters.

In addition, be sure to look in the page margins of your book for the following test-prep tools:

Notes highlight critical information about the SAT formatfor example, that the answers in the multiplechoice math section always go from smaller to larger.

Tips draw your attention to valuable concepts, advice, and shortcuts for tackling the SAT. By reading the tips, you will learn how to approach different question types, use process-of-elimination techniques, pace yourself, and guess most effectively.