Post on 16-Dec-2015
PSAT and SATEverything you wanted to know about the exams but were afraid to ask, didn’t know who to ask,
didn’t get a satisfactory answer or didn’t believe the answer you
got…
OSSE Professional Development SeminarSeptember 24, 2013 – Washington, DC
Math: 428
CR: 428W: 417
Math: 448
CR: 465W: 443
Math: 535
CR: 527W: 517
Average SAT scoresBy ethnicity
PSAT SATTiming 2.5 hours 3.75 hours
Scoring 20 – 80 per section 200 – 800 per section
ContentSame but not quite as
advanced as SAT
Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading
Comprehension
Essay None 1 hand-written
The PSAT and SAT mostly differ in length.
www.bellcurves.com© Bell Curves 2013
Lack of content knowledge
Lack of test savvy (practice, comfort, strategy, stamina)
Inability to adapt habits
Over-reliance on external support
Challenges to testing success
www.bellcurves.com© Bell Curves 2013
Specific instructions
Familiar wording
1. Expand the following polynomial and then simplify the equation:
3(10x + 5y) + 5 = 65
2. What is the value of 10x + 5y, if 3(10x + 5y) + 5= 172 ?
(A) 167(B) 122(C) 55.66(D) 11.13(E) 0.37
Lack of instruction
Reasoning and calculation
Unfamiliar structure
Inaccurate expections and lack of familiarity
Challenges to testing success
www.bellcurves.com© Bell Curves 2013
1. What aspect of Manchu Picchu contributed to the romanticizing of exploration?
Direct questions on known content
Familiar wording and structure
Habits that are counter to test philosophy
Challenges to testing successIn the summer of 1911, the explorer Hiram Bingham bushwhacked his way to a high ridge in the Andes of Peru and beheld a dreamscape out of the past. There, set against looming peaks cloaked in snow and wreathed in clouds, was Machu Picchu, the famous “lost city” of the Incas. This expression, popularized by Bingham, served as a magical elixir for rundown imaginations. The words evoked the romanticism of exploration and archaeology at the time. But finding Machu Picchu was easier than solving the mystery of its place in the rich and powerful Inca empire. The imposing architecture attested to the skill and audacity of the Incas. But who had lived at this isolated site and for what purpose?
www.bellcurves.com© Bell Curves 2013
1. The words “magical elixir” (line 7) primarily emphasize the
(A) motivation for an expedition(B) captivating power of a phrase(C) inspiration behind a discovery(D) creative dimension of archaeology(E) complexity of an expression
Answers contingent on vocabulary
Wrong (trap?) answers anticipate mistakes
Lack of content knowledge
Challenges to testing success
www.bellcurves.com© Bell Curves 2013Lack of Test Savvy
Challenges to testing success
A
B
1. In the figure above, what is the length of hypotenuse BC?
A
B
CC
3
4
2. In the figure above, what is the length of side AC, if AB is 3 and BC is 5?
(A) 4(B) 5(C) 7(D) 12 (E) 25
Know HOW to take the test!
John Q. Student Jennifer Jones
Attempted 60 (of 67) 36 (of 67)
Right 36 30
Wrong 24 6
Blank 7 37
Raw score
Reading Scaled Score
SAT pacing advice: Speed Kills!
John Q. Student Jennifer Jones
Attempted 60 (of 67) 36 (of 67)
Right 36 30
Wrong 24 6
Blank 7 37
Raw score 30 29
Reading Scaled Score 490 490
www.bellcurves.com© Bell Curves 2013
Ways to support effective prep
Build confidence Understand scoring & pacing Know the differences Be the planner Know the resources Engage underlying skills
www.bellcurves.com© Bell Curves 2013
www.sat.collegeboard.org – QOTD
www.collegeboard.org – online course (free)
www.freerice.com
www.dictionary.com/worddynamo
www.vocabulary.com – headlines
www.pwnthesat.com – blog, Q&A
www.sat.bellcurves.com - blog
Online resources
www.bellcurves.com© Bell Curves 2013
Bell Curves Blogs
ACT vs SAT
http://sat.bellcurves.com/blog/2013/05/10/act-vs-sat-the-only-difference-that-matters/
http://sat.bellcurves.com/blog/2013/04/17/act-vs-sat-myths-and-legends/
SAT Reading Passages
http://sat.bellcurves.com/blog/2011/10/05/october-2011-sat-reading-comprehension-aka-those-crazy-stories/
http://sat.bellcurves.com/blog/2011/08/15/sat-prep-tip-critical-reading/
Vocabulary
http://sat.bellcurves.com/blog/2012/07/25/may-2012-sat-vocabulary-beleaguered-batman-batters-bungler-bane/
Online resources