Gruber's SAT 2400: Inside Strategies to Outsmart the Toughest Questions and Achieve the Top Score

Front Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 2
Copyright Page......Page 3
Recent and Forthcoming Study......Page 4
Dedication......Page 6
Table of Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 10
Important Note About This Book and Its Author......Page 12
A Personal Note from the Author......Page 14
Format of the SAT......Page 16
How Long Will the Test Be?......Page 18
Should I Take an Administered Actual SAT for Practice?......Page 19
A Table of What’s on the SAT......Page 20
A Table of What’s on the PSAT......Page 21
What Should a Student Bring to the Exam on the Test Date?......Page 22
How Is the Exam Scored? Are Some Questions Worth More Points?......Page 23
The Test Is Given in One Booklet. Can a Student Skip between Sections?......Page 24
What Are the Most Crucial Strategies for \nStudents?......Page 25
How Do Other Exams Compare with the SAT? Can I Use the Strategies and Examples in This Book for Them?......Page 26
How Does the Gruber Preparation Method \nDiffer from Other Programs and SAT Books?......Page 27
The Inside Track on How SAT Questions Are Developed and How They Vary from Test to Test......Page 28
What Are Critical Thinking Skills?......Page 30
Multi-Level Approaches to the Solution of Problems......Page 32
Strategy 1: Know the Directions to the Question Types \nBefore You Take the Actual Test......Page 36
Strategy 2: Don’t Rush into Getting an Answer without Thinking......Page 37
Strategy 4: If Two Choices Look Equally Good, Guess and \nGo On......Page 38
Strategy 6: It May Be Wiser Not to Leave an Answer Blank......Page 39
Strategy 7: If You Have to Try All the Choices, Start with Choice E......Page 40
Strategy 9: Use a Coding System to Tell You Which \nQuestions to Return To......Page 41
Vocabulary Building......Page 42
The 291 Most Important SAT Words and Their Opposites......Page 44
Strategy 2: Use Prefixes and Word Roots to Figure out Word \nMeanings......Page 47
Strategy 3: Look for Related Words or Words with a Similar Feel......Page 50
Hot Prefixes and Roots......Page 51
Sentence Completion Strategies......Page 56
Strategy 2: Try to Complete the Sentence Before You \nLook at the Choices......Page 57
Strategy 3: \nLook for Negative-Positive Contrasts......Page 59
Strategy 4: Work “Backward” from the Part of the Sentence \nwithout the Blank......Page 60
Strategy: 5 Don’t Panic If You See Difficult Words in the Choices—Sometimes the Easier Words Have the Answer......Page 61
Strategy 1: Become Familiar with the Main Categories of \nReading Questions......Page 62
Strategy 2: Read the Passage and Anticipate the Questions \nThat Might Be Asked About It......Page 65
Strategy 3: \nHighlight Important Details as you Read......Page 67
Strategy 4: \nPractice Your Reading Skills on Everyday Reading Material......Page 75
Practice Exercises......Page 76
Sentence Completion......Page 77
Reading Comprehension......Page 79
Answers to Sentence Completion Questions......Page 93
Answers to Reading Comprehension Questions......Page 94
Math Prep......Page 95
Explanatory Answers with Shortcuts, Strategies, and General Math Review......Page 99
Strategy 1: To Find Which of Two Fractions Is Larger, Use \nthe Criss-cross Multiplication Method......Page 112
Strategy 2: To Add or Subtract Fractions Rapidly, Use the \nCriss-cross Multiplication Method......Page 113
Strategy 3: To Find the Sale Price in Discount Problems, \nStart by Subtracting the Discount % from 100%......Page 114
Strategy 4: To Turn a Fraction into a Percent, Try \nMultiplying Instead of Dividing......Page 115
Strategy 5: Read Math Questions Very Carefully, So That \nYou Solve What Is Asked For......Page 116
Strategy 6: If You Must Test All Choices, Work from \nChoice E Backward......Page 117
Strategy 7: Use the “Translation Technique” on Verbal \nProblems to Turn Words into Math Symbols......Page 119
Strategy 8: In Problems with More Than One Unknown, \nTake Special Care with Substitutions......Page 122
Strategy 9: In Solving a Problem with Several Parts, \nStart with the Part That Gives You the MostInformation......Page 124
Strategy 10: To Find Irregular or Unusual Lengths, Areas, or Volumes, Try Subtracting from a Quantity You \nKnow or Can Calculate......Page 126
Strategy 11: Beware of “Average Rate” Problems! Don’t Average Rates. Divide Total Distance by Total \nTime.......Page 128
Strategy 12: In Averaging Scores, Make Sure That You Separate Terms in Order to Use Information on \nAverages......Page 130
Strategy 13: Be Constantly on the Lookout for Standard, “Classic” \nFactors or Similar Equivalencies......Page 133
Strategy 14: When a Question Asks You to Find a Compound Expression, Look for a Way to Find This Compound Expression from What Is Given\n......Page 135
Strategy 15: Simplify Expressions by Factoring out Common \nQuantities Before You Multiply......Page 138
Strategy 16: In Problems Containing Unfamiliar Symbols, Use \nSimple Substitution......Page 139
Strategy 17: \nTry to Get Rid of Fractions......Page 141
Strategy 18: When a Question Asks You to Find an Exception, Look for Some Element Common to Four of the \nFive Choices. The Choice Without That Element Is Your Answer.......Page 142
Strategy 19: \nLook out for Unnecessary Information!......Page 143
Strategy 20: Draw Connecting Lines in Order to Find the Solution More Quickly. Also Label Quantities \nLike Sides and Angles.......Page 145
The Grid-Type Math Questions......Page 149
Using a Calculator in the Grid-type Question......Page 153
About Calculators......Page 154
Regular Math......Page 155
Grid Questions......Page 163
Answers to Regular Math Questions......Page 166
Answers to Grid Questions......Page 174
The SAT Writing Section......Page 178
Content of the Writing Test......Page 180
The Essay on the Sat Writing Test......Page 181
The SAT Scoring Guide......Page 184
How to Write Effective Sentences......Page 189
Frequent Grammatical Problems......Page 201
Common Errors in Grammar......Page 203
Some Basic Grammatical Terms......Page 205
Other Grammatical Terms......Page 206
Common Grammar Errors Classified by Part of Speech......Page 207
Identifying Errors......Page 212
Improving Sentences......Page 215
Improving Paragraphs:Revision-in-Context and Passagewith Questions......Page 221
Explanatory Answers......Page 223
Math......Page 226
Sentence Completions......Page 231
Writing......Page 232
Verbal (Critical Reading)......Page 234
Reading Comprehension......Page 235
Math......Page 237
Writing......Page 238
Answers......Page 239
What You Did Wrong, Explanatory Answers and Scoring, \nStrategies, and Basic Skills Needed to Improve......Page 240
SAT Practice Test......Page 241
Answer Sheet for Practice Test......Page 242
SECTION 1......Page 248
SECTION 2......Page 249
SECTION 3......Page 255
SECTION 4......Page 261
SECTION 5......Page 267
SECTION 6......Page 272
SECTION 7......Page 277
SECTION 8......Page 283
SECTION 9......Page 288
SECTION 10......Page 292
How Did You Do on This Test?......Page 294
Math......Page 295
Critical Reading and Writing......Page 296
Scoring the SAT Practice Test......Page 298
SAT Score Conversion Table......Page 300
SAT Score Conversion Table for Writing Composite......Page 301
Chart for Self-Appraisal \nBased on the Practice Test You Have Just Taken......Page 303
Section 2: Math......Page 306
Section 1: Essay......Page 304
The SAT Scoring Guide......Page 305
Section 3: Math......Page 313
Section 4: Critical Reading......Page 317
Section 5: Writing......Page 319
Section 6: Math......Page 321
Section 7: Critical Reading......Page 325
Section 8: Math......Page 327
Section 9: Critical Reading......Page 331
Section 10: Writing......Page 333
Writing Part......Page 335