category: sat
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sat reading comprehension – the dual passage
so here’s the skinny: there will always be two sets of dual passages, one short (35-30 lines total) and one medium to very long (60-90 lines). what exactly is a dual passage? well, just as its name implies it is a set of two passages written on a similar topic. the passages usually do not…
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sat writing – idioms
just as idioms lack any justification for the way they are constructed so too do idiomatic phrases. for instance, i just used a common idiomatic phrase (just as…so too; see below). in other words, certain phrases contain certain words and prepositions. to give you example, let’s take the most common sat idiomatic phrase (not only…but…
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sat critical reading – vocabulary in context
a very common question on the reading passages is the vocabulary-in-context question. students also tend to make a very common error on these question types: matching up the answer choice with the words in quotation marks. let me show you how this works. as it appears in the passage, the word “heralded” most nearly means…
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sat essay – common questions
can i “lie” on the sat essay? this is pretty controversial question. after all, how could a test—let alone one of the most well-known tests in the world—possibly advocate such a practice? so let’s back up a second and talk about what i mean by “lie”. a lie can be as small as a slight…
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preparing for the sat as a non-native english speaker
preparing for the sat as a non-native speaker if english isn’t your first language, then you have an extra challenge when taking the sat. the test is hard enough for native speakers. coming from a different language, it might seem impossible. applying to u.s. colleges and aiming to study in america is ambitious in the…
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important sat math formulas and facts
below is a list of formulas and math facts you’ll need if you’re looking to ace sat math. a lot of it should be old hat for you at this point—after all, you study this stuff in school, right?—but it’s definitely handy to have it all in one place for reference, and there are some…
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why is the sat so long?
the sat is the longest test i’ve ever taken. not a single midterm or final in either high school or college took so much time. well, to be fair, i’ve had tests that took multiple sittings. but that’s different. the only time in my life that i’ve sat down for four hours to take a…
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common sat critical reading traps
the traps 1. extreme language often the sat will make an answer that could debatably be correct by adding a word such as “never”, “always”, or simply, “no”. remember, the correct answer has to be back up by the text in the answer. but an extreme answer is one that usually doesn’t have text to…
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when should you take the sat?
the college board administers the sat most months of the school year. there’s a test every month from october to june except for in february and april. so you have some choices. what’s the difference? what years should you take the sat? with the “score choice” option, you might choose to take the test…
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six month sat study schedule
hoping to get a head start on your sat prep? you’re in luck! prepare with our six month sat study schedule and avoid cramming at the last minute.