PSAT Prep during the next two months

ash7321
Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:15:26 +0000

Hey Skorada123,

I’m taking the PSAT this October too. Basically, I’m in the same position as you; I do many practice tests and study but my score doesn’t seem to rise by much, if at all. Your math score is pretty good, and was thinking maybe we could exchange advice? I usually get 76 or above on the writing section and usually over 70 for critical reading; math is where I have seem to have a problem. I can’t seem to break 70. I usually get a 64–I sometimes run out of time. Do you have any math tips?

I think for the critical reading section you should try to figure out why you always choose the wrong answer when you narrow it down to two choices; it seems like you’re losing several points due to this. Basically, you need to ask yourself for each choice, “where is the evidence?” It may sound obvious, but the information is always in the passage. Always. In the explanations for almost all critical reading questions, you’ll find references to the passage(s).

I think the writing section is the easiest to improve on. I would recommend McGraw Hill’s PSAT/NMSQT guide. It’s helped me a lot. It has 13 rules that you need to know and once you’ve learned all of the rules, it should be much easier for you to find the problem with a sentence as soon as you see it.

I hope my advice has helped. If you have a question, don’t hesitate to ask! If you have any math advice, I would really appreciate it!

Ash