Douglas C. French - Accuplacer: Doug Frenchs Verbal Prep

By Doug French

Research & Education Association
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Research & Education Association

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DOUG FRENCHs
Verbal Prep for the Accuplacer*

Copyright 2012 by Research & Education Association, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced

in any form without permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number 2011922083

ISBN-13: 978-0-7386-0965-2
ISBN-10: 0-7386-0965-X

*Accuplacer and WritePlacer are registered trademarks of the College Board,
which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.

REA is a registered trademark of
Research & Education Association, Inc.

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To my sons, for whom I hope the SAT will be abolished by the time theyre 16.

D oug French has worked in test-preparation since he first signed on with The Princeton Review in 1992. He has worked as an author, instructor, and course developer for the SAT, SAT Subject Tests, LSAT, GMAT, GRE, and way too many other standardized oppressions, until he became a full-time teacher, with summers off and everything, in 2004. He now works as a freelance writer in New York City.

I n addition to our author, we would like to thank Larry B. Kling, Vice President, Editorial, for his overall direction; Pam Weston, Publisher, for setting the quality standards for production integrity and managing the publication to completion; Alice Leonard, Senior Editor, for project management; Diane Goldschmidt, Managing Editor, for editorial contributions; Rachel DiMatteo, Graphic Designer, for designing this book; and Kathy Caratozzolo of Caragraphics, for typesetting the book. Back-cover photo of author by Karen Walrond.

A special thank-you to Dr. Rena Grasso, for her contribution to our appendix on Writing Skills and Knowledge.

F ounded in 1959, Research & Education Association (REA) is dedicated to publishing the finest and most effective educational materialsincluding software, study guides, and test prepsfor students in middle school, high school, college, graduate school, and beyond.

REAs test preparation series includes books and software for all academic levels in almost all disciplines. REA publishes test preps for students who have not yet entered high school, as well as high school students preparing to enter college. Students from countries around the world seeking to attend college in the United States will find the assistance they need in REAs publications. For college students seeking advanced degrees, REA publishes test preps for many major graduate school admission examinations in a wide variety of disciplines, including engineering, law, and medicine. Students at every level, in every field, with every ambition can find what they are looking for among REAs publications.

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We invite you to visit us at www.rea.com to find out how REA is making the world smarter.

Welcome to Doug Frenchs Verbal Prep for the Accuplacer, the definitive prep book for All Things Verbal on the Accuplacer. This book is set up to guide you through the tests format, increase your appreciation of English grammar, help you improve your reading comprehension skills, and review the best techniques for writing a good essay. It will also teach you a few tried-and-true techniques that are always helpful on any test that includes answer choices, as this one does.

First, lets start with the basics. Like what the Accuplacer actually is.

WHAT IS THE ACCUPLACER?

The Accuplacer is a test developed by the College Board that is designed to help you assess your ability to work math problems, understand English grammar, and comprehend short reading passages. Its meant to help your academic advisors analyze your academic strengths and weaknesses and place you accurately in the courses that will be the best fit for you.

Unlike most of the other standardized tests you might encounter, there are two very important aspects of the Accuplacer that youll probably really like.

You dont have to worry about getting a certain score, because the Accuplacer doesnt give you one. Its only meant as an assessment, which means you cannot pass or fail it. You merely want to represent your academic skills as accurately as possible.

You dont have to worry about time pressure, because the Accuplacer doesnt have a time limit. This test is more concerned with determining what you know, not how fast you can tell people about it. But, doing well on the Accuplacer will help you financially. You will move more quickly through the regular college courses instead of taking non-credit review classes.

Basically, this test is a lot less stressful than most other standardized tests. And thats a good thing, because when you take it you can concentrate on the one question sitting on your computer screen without having to worry about how much time you have left to finish all of them.

And yes, we did say computer screen, because the Accuplacer is a computer-adaptive test, sometimes referred to as a CAT.

What is a computer-adaptive test?

The Accuplacer is a computer-based exam, so you wont have to bother with paper test booklets and bubble sheets. Instead, the test adapts to the level of ability it perceives, based on the questions youve already answered.

When a section begins, the first question youll see will be of medium difficulty. If you get it right, the next question youll see will be a little harder; if you get it wrong, the next question will be a little easier. And please note that those words are in quotes for a reason: The Accuplacer might have an idea of what makes a question easy or difficult, but that doesnt mean that its perception of difficulty is the same as yours. Everyone is different, and what you think is easy might strike someone else as really hard. Or vice versa.

The bottom line? Its doesnt make a whole lot of sense to worry about whether a question is easy, or difficult, or anywhere in between. Just concentrate on the question you see on the screen, do your best with it, and move on.