Every year students pay $600 and more to test prep companies to prepare for the new SAT. Now you can get the same SAT preparation in a book. SAT Prep Course provides the equivalent of a two month, 50 hour course. The new SAT is challenging but it can be mastered through hard work, analytical thought, and by training yourself to think like an SAT test writer. Many of the exercises in this book are designed to prompt you to think like an SAT test writer. For example, in the SAT math section, you will find Duals. These are pairs of similar SAT problems in which only one property is different. They illustrate the process of creating SAT questions.
Features:
Math: Twenty-two chapters provide comprehensive review of SAT math, including the new concepts from Algebra II.
Reading: Develop the ability to spot places from which questions are likely to be drawn as you read a passage (pivotal words, counter-premises, etc.).
Writing: Comprehensive analysis of the new essay, including writing techniques, punctuation, grammar, rhetoric, and style.
Vocabulary: Learn the essential 4000 SAT words and the 400 high-frequency words.
Mentor Exercises: These exercises provide hints, insight, and partial solutions to ease your transition from seeing SAT problems solved to solving them on your own.
If you don't have a pencil in your hand, get one now! Don't just read this book -- study it, scrutinize it! In short, for the next six weeks, this book should be a part of your life.
Although the SAT is a difficult test, it is a very learnable test. This is not to say that the SAT is "beatable." There is no bag of tricks that will show you how to master it overnight. You probably have already realized this. Some books, nevertheless, offer "inside stuff" or "tricks" which they claim will enable you to beat the test. These include declaring that answer-choices B, C, or D are more likely to be correct than choices A or E. This tactic, like most of its type, does not work. It is offered to give the student the feeling that he or she is getting the scoop on the test.
The SAT cannot be "beaten." But it can be mastered -- through hard work, analytical thought, and by training yourself to think like a test writer. Many of the exercises in this book are designed to prompt you to think like a test writer. For example, in the math section, you will find "Duals." These are pairs of similar problems in which only one property is different. They illustrate the process of creating SAT questions.
The SAT is not easy -- nor is this book. To improve your SAT score, you must be willing to work; if you study hard and master the techniques in this book, your score will improve -- significantly.
This book will introduce you to numerous analytic techniques that will help you immensely, not only on the SAT but in college as well. For this reason, studying for the SAT can be a rewarding and satisfying experience.
Although the quick-fix method is not offered in this book, about 15% of the material is dedicated to studying how the questions are constructed. Knowing how the problems are written and how the test writers think will give you useful insight into the problems and make them less mysterious. Moreover, familiarity with the SAT's structure will help reduce your anxiety. The more you know about this test, the less anxious you will be the day you take it.
ORIENTATION 9
Part One: Reading
Reading Comprehension 19
Critical Reasoning 81
Sentence Completions 99
Vocabulary 4000 108
Etymology 190
Vocabulary Drills 213
Part Two: Writing
Grammar 235
The Essay 285
Punctuation 286
General Tips On Writing Your Essays 310
Present Your Perspective On An Issue 319
Part Three: MATH
Substitution 347
Defined Functions 351
Functions 356
Math Notes 368
Number Theory 373
Geometry 381
Coordinate Geometry 408
Elimination Strategies 417
Inequalities 420
Fractions & Decimals 427
Equations 434
Averages 440
Ratio & Proportion 443
Exponents & Roots 447
Factoring 453
Algebraic Expressions 458
Percents 463
Graphs 467
Word Problems 474
Sequences & Series 483
Counting 487
Probability & Statistics 490
Miscellaneous Problems 494
Grid-ins 496
Summary of Math Properties 499
Diagnostic/Review Math Test 509
