PSAT Exam Chillin-Reviewby: Luis I. Ortiz Morales

What is the PSAT?

•The PSAT stands for Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test. Its basically a program created to sponsor the College Board. It provides practice for the SAT and gives you the chance to enter the NMSC scholarship it also lets you gain access to college and career tools to plan your future.

The Structure

•1) Critical Reading: Tests your sentence completion & passage based reading (both test your vocabulary knowledge and word skills).

•2) Math: Tests your multiple choice and grid-ins which test basic knowledge of number and operation (algebra and functions).

•3) Writing Skills: Tests your skills in identifying sentence eroors, improving sentences and improving paragraphs.

10 Tips for the PSAT (Part 1):

•Be sure to take a good amount of academic courses, read material that can help you out in knowing the structure of the PSAT and how it works so you’re prepared.

• If you don’t know the answer try to make an educated guess (you eliminate one or more choices that are definitely wrong).

•Answer the easy/simple questions first, if you come to a hard problem, skip it and get back to it later.

• In critical reading, don’t worry about the details, you can get back to them later when you reach the question, just be sure to read it and when you come to a specific question that needds the details go read the details and answer the question.

10 Tips for the PSAT (Part 2):

• In identifying sentence or paragraph errors find the simplest clearest way to express an idea, that usually is the answer.

•Remember that in math, you’re allowed to use a calculator, but that won’t help if you don’t know how to do the process and basic steps in math (algebra, etc.) so be sure to freshen up on basic math.

• In math (grid-in) you can’t get mixed numbers, so make sure to convert the mixed number to a decimal or improper fraction.

•The night before the test relax, study a bit but make sure to study but also relax, don’t try to cram everything that night, the brain needs some rest so be sure to catch some shut-eye.

10 Tips for the PSAT (Part 3):

•ALWAYS write in pencil, in a pen you can’t scratch out an incorrect answer you might have made. Most PSAT’s demand you utilize a pencil, others don’t, so make sure to have a good sharpened pencil and an eraser to go with it.

•Above all avoid writing answers that are overly complicated in the Writing/Multiple Choice portion of the PSAT; just write a simple correct answer.

5 Sites that Help for the PSAT:

•http://www.educationplanner.com/education_planner/preparing_article.asp?sponsor=2859&articleName=PSAT_Tips

•http://www.ehow.com/how_2107108_utilize-helpful-tips-psat.html

•http://www.gocollege.com/admissions/preparing/tests/sat/psat.html

•http://testprep.about.com/od/psat/a/PSAT.htm

•http://www.mo-media.com/psat/