One of the reasons you may have left yourself with insufficient time
to answer one or more questions is you knew too darned much about
the previous question(s). And you wanted to make sure the teacher
knewyou knew, so you wrote...and wrote...and wrote...until you
ran out of time.
Be careful—some teachers throw in a relatively general question
that, if you wanted to, you could write about until next Wednesday.
In that case, they aren’t testing your knowledge of the whole subject
as much as your ability to edityourself, to organize, and summarize
the importantpoints.
Standardized Tests
The various standardized tests used for college and graduate school
admissions—the PSAT, SAT, ACT, LSAT, GRE—require their own
pointers. These, like my oral exams at the end of four years of
college, are not specific to any course or even one grade. Rather,
they are attempting to assess your ability to apply mathematical
concepts, read and understand various passages, and demonstrate
language skills.
Despite their ephemeral nature, you canstudy for them by prac -
ticing. A solid review of English and math is essential. If you think
geometry is just for squares, you’d better change your tune!
Remember: As far as the PSAT and SAT are concerned, there is no
penalty for guessing, so don’t leave an answer blank!
Changes in the PSAT and SAT
Major changes in the SAT were introduced in 2005. It now consists
of threesections: Writing (multiple-choice questions about grammar
and usage and an essay); Critical Reading (formerly the “Verbal”
section); and Math.
208 How to Study