 |
 |
A Verbal Example
What would you circle in this typical reading question?
"With which of the following would the author disagree?"
"Disagree" or "author disagree" is really the heart of the question. You're looking for an answer that's the opposite of the author's point of view. If you circle "author disagree" you will avoid misreading the question.
Remember This Strategy
Circling your "goal" is a super strategy to make sure you answer what's asked. The worst thing that can happen on your test is knowing how to work a problem, spending time working it, and yet getting it wrong because you answered the wrong thing.
Circling your "goal" helps you get those questions right.
Increasing Difficulty
Most question sets on the test start easy and get harder. Why is this important to know? And how can it help you?
The first few questions in each set are very easy, almost obvious. The rest are of medium difficulty, except for the last two or three which are very difficult, if not downright tricky.
Use Caution Near the End
So what do you do? On the first few questions, you're probably safe choosing the obvious answer.
But on a question near the end, you should be wary of the fast answer because it is probably wrong.
A Late Math Question
Here's how this works. Suppose the last math question in a section goes like this:
On a thermometer, R is 7 degrees away from P, and P is at 5 degrees. What is the reading at R?
(A) 12°
(B) 7°
(C) - 2°
(D) -2° or 12°
(E) None of these
|
|
Think Carefully
Remember, this is a question at the end of the math section. So what is the correct answer? The fast answer here is choice A, 12°. But A is only partially correct. Yes, R could be at 12°, since 12 is 7 degrees higher than 5.
But what if R is 7 degrees lower than P? R could be at either 12° or -2°. So the more thoughtful — and correct — answer is D.
Use this strategy on all math questions and on the sentence completion and analogy questions. The first few of each will be easy, and the last few will be very tricky.
Don't use this strategy for the critical reading questions, as these are scrambled in order of difficulty.
Roman Numeral Questions
A few math questions on your test may use Roman numerals.
Believe it or not, these questions are easier than the ones without Roman numerals.
Let's look at an example on the following page.
A Roman Numeral Example
Sal, Pat, and Chris ran in a race with ten other people. Sal finished somewhere ahead of Chris. Which of the following must be true?
I. Sal did not finish in last place.
II. Chris finished in first place.
III. Pat finished in second place.
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and II only
(E) I, II, and III
|
|
Which Is Correct?
The question asks, "What is true?" We know that Sal finished somewhere ahead of Chris. So let's see which of the Roman numerals are true.
Since Sal finished ahead of Chris, Roman numeral I is true: Sal did not finish in last place. This tells you that the correct answer must include numeral I.
At this point, you can knock out choices B and C because they do not include numeral I. With your pencil strike out B and C.
Looking Further
Now look at numeral II: Chris finished in first place. Since Sal finished ahead of Chris, we know Chris could not have finished first. This Roman numeral is false.
So you should take your pencil and strike out all remaining answer choices that include numeral II.
This means you can knock out choices D and E.
One Choice Left
Immediately you can see that only one choice remains, choice A, so that has to be the right answer. Notice that you didn't even have to try the third Roman numeral.
You will not always be this lucky, but you can see how this strategy helps you beat the test.
Using Time Wisely
Here's a quick tip that will save you time, and because it saves you time it will help you get a few more questions right: Do not waste a lot of time reading directions on your test.
The more time you spend reading the directions, the less time you have to answer questions.
Memorize Directions Now
So what should you do instead of reading directions? Work through this series, familiarizing yourself with the questions and their directions.
By the time you finish, you'll know the directions for every question type inside and out.
You'll also know which strategies and tips to use for which questions.
Efficiency on Test Day
When test day comes and the proctor tells you to open your test booklet and begin section one, you can go directly to the questions because you will already know the directions.
Verbal Questions
Here's a quick list of verbal question types and their directions for your review.
- Critical reading: Read the passage and answer questions based on what's stated or implied in the passage.
- Sentence completions: Select the word or words that best complete the sentence from the list of choices.
- Analogies: Find the relationship between the two words in the question and look for the answer choice that has the same relationship.
Math Questions
Here are the math question types and their directions for your review.
- Problem solving: Solve the problem and find the answer from among the five choices given.
- Quantitative comparison: Compare the two quantities given in Column A and Column B and choose the relationship.
- Grid-ins: Work the problem and supply your own answer.
Prev | Next
|
|
|
|
|
