Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Use mouse in left hand so you can write with the right hand
Practice with scratch paper
Get new piece of scratch paper for each section of the exam
Look away at times to give eyes a break
Practice on the computer
Clearly make the incomplete questions on paper to go back to later
Do not memorize the details in passages
Try to understand passage as a whole
Write down main idea of each paragraph
Physics 01/17/2011
Reading Passage
Pay attention to definitions of new terms
When multiple experiments performed look for similarities and
differences b/t experiments
Map the passage and identify topics
Persuasive arguments look for topic and arguments cited
For introduction of new equation pay attention to what the term
means or does, not the actual term or equation
“What is the author trying to accomplish in this passage?”
Informational passage: simply topic sentences
Experimental passages: goal, what is tested, variables, how its
tested, experimental design
Persuasive: the topic and arguments cited
Look for unit problems . Units must always match
Free fall velocity is independent of mass
45 degrees best angle for projectiles
Biology Tips 01/17/2011
Do not memorize or try to digest the whole passage
Don’t read to understand all
Informational passages: note main ideas, answer questions and spend less
time on reading the passage
Experimental passage: describe the experimental design and results, pay
attention to figures, graphs and tables, know what and why of experiment,
and general conclusions from results
Persuasive passages: read the explanations of hypothesis & arguments,
grasp main points of each presented
Chemistry Tips 01/17/2011
Make not of main ideas and concepts
Summarize each paragraph
Pay more attention to new terms and equations
Informational passages: read quickly, pay attention to graphs, targets
for informational questions
Experimental passages: follow progression of the experiment, read
with critical mind, ask for interpretation of data
Less emphasis on passage and look back to passage for specific
information
Organic Chemistry 01/17/2011
Pay attention to extraction or purification procedures
Don’t get bogged down with details (to just look at the categories of a
chart will suffice)
Important to have a lot of outside knowledge
Verbal Passages 01/17/2011
Step 1: Critically Read passage
Pay attention to sentences with author’s voice
What is the author’s purpose in writing passage
Find opinions and read carefully
Pay less attention to supporting details
Paraphrase opinions when you are done
Step 2: Interpreting Question stems
Pay attention to LEAST, EXCEPT, NOT, strengthen/weaken
What is the question asking?
Step 3: Review map and relevant text
Task I:
Explain what the statement means to you
Describe an example
Use effective hook to bring the reader in
Task II
Describe a specific counter-example
Explain the relevance of your counter-example
Use regular transition to keep the essay unified
Task III
Discuss the criteria for Task I and Task II
Resolve the apparent contradiction
End with a bang to make your essay memorable
Explore and define the terms in the statement in the first paragraph
If unusual then it will contribute to the depth
Clarify main idea and plan
Do you want to agree/disagree with statement or remain neutral
Cross out ideas that are superfluous
Start to select keywords for transitions
# the points you want to make
Very sentence length and structure
DON’T USE
o I
o Clichés, slang, redundancy
Brainstorm
Make a column of true and false with examples of each
Help articulate when the prompt is true and false
Then look for similarities and differences between the two sides
Antithesis
Provide a transition sentence
Present a counterexample
o Must be specific and concrete, NOT HYPOTHETICAL
Synthesis
Provide a conclusion sentence
o The prompt is neither right nor wrong
o The prompt is sometimes right and sometimes wrong
Present the conditions
o Conditions under which the prompt is right and wrong
o Conclude succinctly and clearly in a sentence
Support with examples
o Not new ones but restated to be applicable to both conditions
Get out gracefully
o Return to first sentence in essay
o End on a feel good note