by Erica L. Meltzer | Mar 17, 2011 | Blog, Reading (SAT & ACT)
Here’s a good rule of thumb: If the wording in an answer choice is too close to the wording in the passage, the answer is probably wrong. This is a bit more true on the SAT than the ACT, but in general, it applies to both tests. It’s so easy to fall for these answers choices… After all, they’re actually right there in the passage.
But wait… are they?
Normally, these are the answers that fall into the category of “half-right, half-wrong.”
Knowing that many readers will be unsure of the meaning of a particular phrase, the test-writers will often quote it directly in the answer choice; relieved, the unsuspecting test-taker will simply pick it without thinking twice. But usually there’s a word in the answer that makes it incorrect.
For example, if the passage uses the phrase enigmatic figure to describe an author, the answer might indicate that the phrase actually refers to a character in one of his novels. Don’t fall for the trick. Your job is to identify the answer that expresses the same general idea discussed in the passage, but one that does so in different words.
So when you go to the answer choices, look for ones that contain synonyms for words in the passage. And the fact that those words are ones that you would might not come up with on your own is entirely irrelevant. So repeat after me: Same idea, different words!
by Erica L. Meltzer | Mar 17, 2011 | Blog, Reading (SAT & ACT)
While it’s ok to skim through a passage just to get the gist, at least during an initial read-through, you need to read the questions very, very carefully. If even one word of an answer choice is incorrect, the whole answer is automatically incorrect. It doesn’t matter how much the rest of the answer works; it’s just wrong.
A huge mistake that test-takers make is to read both questions and answer choices too quickly. This essentially creates two problems for them:
1) They don’t really understand what questions are asking
2) They don’t think carefully about what the answer choices are actually saying
Then they get the question wrong and blame the test for being “tricky.”
One of the things that initially surprises and then rapidly bores my students is the sheer amount of time I spend re-defining questions for myself. (And by “sheer amount of time,” I mean 10 or 15 seconds). I’ll often rephrase questions two or three times, “stripping them down” progressively into simpler and simpler wording to make sure that I’m totally, 100% clear about what they’re actually asking.
My students almost never do this. They just want to plow through the question and the answer choices, leaping at the first thing that seems like it could work. And when I try to make them slow down and actually think about what they’re doing, I can practically see the impatience steaming out of their ears.
Sometimes they even beg me to just let them have one more go at it. At which point they proceed to reject any semblance of methodical thinking, simply stare at the answer choices without working anything out, and then ask me hesitantly, is it (C)?
Usually I just shrug and tell them I haven’t finished working out the answer yet. As I remind them, no one gets bonus points for speed. I’m doing what I do to make sure I get the question right, speed be damned. It’s not that I can’t answer the question quickly – it’s that I’m deliberately choosing not to because I know that I would leave myself open to making careless errors that way, or to overlooking crucial pieces of information staring me right in the face.
Unfortunately, that’s a lesson that comes with experience; sometimes it takes a while to sink in.
by Erica L. Meltzer | Mar 17, 2011 | Blog, General Tips
One of the biggest mistakes juniors make is to take the SAT or ACT in the winter or the early spring –when they’re not truly prepared — just because they (or their parents) have decided they should be done by a certain time. While this certainly does work for some people, the reality is that many others will need to complete most of their junior year in order to really be ready. The skills that the SAT tests cannot be acquired overnight, or even in a month or two for most people, and if you need some extra time to really feel like you know what you’re doing, take it and don’t look back.
My general rule is that you shouldn’t take the test for real until you have already scored in your target range on a full-length, timed practice test. Your score will probably not just magically shoot up on the actual test, and even with score choice, you may still be required to submit it to certain schools. Every one of my students that decided to take the test earlier than planned “just to get a score” was unhappy with the results. The ones that waited, on the other hand, never regretted doing so.
Furthermore, taking the test before you’re ready and ending up with a score you don’t want can create a dangerous cycle of anxiety. I’ve had a number of students who took either the ACT or the SAT repeatedly before coming to me, and they spent so much time psyching themselves out that my biggest challenge was simply to persuade them that they could actually do well!
So if you originally intended to take the test and January or March but don’t end up feeling that you’re ready by then, do not take the test “just to get it over with.” If you are signed up for the May test but feel like you need an extra month to study, wait and take the test in June. I know you have finals and AP/IB exams and it sucks to still be studying that late when all of your friends have their scores already, but trust me, it pays to take the time, work on the areas you need to work on, and then take the test when you feel you’re finally in control.
by Erica L. Meltzer | Mar 10, 2011 | Blog, Reading (SAT & ACT)
SAT and ACT Reading Tip: Whenever a question gives you a set of line numbers to refer to, always start a few lines above and read to a few lines below to establish context.
One of the most common errors that test-takers make on both the SAT and ACT Reading is to read only the lines referred to in the questions. After all, if the question refers you to line 15, then shouldn’t the answer be in line 15?
Here’s the problem, though: it might not be.
A line reference only tells you that a particular word or phrase appears in a given place. It does not indicate that the answer is necessarily in that place.
Remember: a lot of the time you’re being asked to identify the role a particular set of lines plays within a larger argument, and frequently that role isn’t apparent from reading the lines themselves. It’s apparent from what comes before…occasionally after.
In general, if the lines in question are relatively close to the beginning of a paragraph, you want to start from the beginning of paragraph. Think of it this way: the role of most information in a paragraph is to support the point made in the topic sentence, so if you go straight to the topic sentence, you’ll automatically get the point of the rest of the information. And chances are you’ll save a whole lot of time.
by Erica L. Meltzer | Mar 8, 2011 | Blog, General Tips
This is one of those tiny tips that can make a big difference. Whenever you eliminate an answer, draw a line through the whole thing — don’t just cross out the letter, and don’t just put an “x” next to it. Otherwise, it’s very easy for your eye to get distracted. You end up going back and looking at answers that you’ve already gotten rid of. You think you’ve eliminated them, but subconsciously you haven’t done so completely, and consequently there’s a much higher likelihood that sooner or later you’ll accidentally fill in a wrong answer.
There’s also a psychological aspect. While working through a question, I find it a relief to be able to eliminate an answer thoroughly. Out of sight, of mind — it’s just one less thing to deal with. It shows you in a very concrete way that you’re making progress, and that tends to boost your motivation.
Besides, it can be very satisfying psychologically to cross something out so completely — it’s like saying, “Take that, you stupid test!”
by Erica L. Meltzer | Mar 6, 2011 | Blog, Grammar (SAT & ACT)
This one of the key rules to know for both the ACT English Test and the SAT Writing and Language Test. Both of these tests place a strong emphasis on conciseness — namely, that short, clear constructions are preferable to long, wordy ones. When you are given a phrase rewritten several ways, all of which are grammatically correct, the shortest one will virtually always be right.
As a result, you should always start by checking the shortest answer and consider the longer ones only if it clearly does not fit.
Note that this rule applies only to general non-grammar question, NOT ones that require you to give a sentence a particular focus (e.g.” Which of the following most effectively emphasizes the author’s surprise at discovering a frog in her living room?”)
While some incorrect answers will simply include extra, unnecessary words, many others are incorrect because they are redundant.
Example #1
Incorrect: I decided to ask my mother a question, which required an answer.
Correct: I decided to ask my mother.
The only thing that one can ask is a question; and a question, by definition, requires an answer, so the inclusion of this information is unnecessary.
Example #2
Incorrect: In 2016, a bright purple ribbon glowed over Alberta, Canada, and the scientists who study aurora borealis—the northern lights—were unaware and did not know that it was even there.
Incorrect: In 2016, a bright purple ribbon glowed over Alberta, Canada, and the scientists who study aurora borealis—the northern lights—were unaware that it was even there.
By definition, people who are “unaware” do not know something, so it is unnecessary to include both.
