Silverturtle's Guide to SAT and Admissions Success

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
961

<p>Today’s QOTD: </p>

<p>Today, (A)-(also) representing nations (B)-(and other) political entities, (C)-(flags are used) (D)-(to represent) youth groups, athletic competitions, and international bodies. (E)-(No Error).</p>

<hr>

<p>The answer is A because supposedly “also” is an improper idiom and should be replaced with “in addition to”</p>

<p>My Questions:</p>

<p>Why does “also” not work? (“Improper idiom” doesn’t satisfy me)
How does one know when to use “also” and when to use “in addition to”?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

962

<p>Has anyone experienced regressions after taking a few practice tests? After taking a couple practice tests, I finally got my CR misses down to about 6-8 on average and my writing down to about 5-7 on average. </p>

<p>I just took BB #6 test and I missed 14 on CR and 10 on writing. </p>

<p>What the ****.</p>

963

<p>^It can happen. Part of it could have to do w/ the number of hard questions on the test. Have you checked the curve on the test? It could be more lenient and you may not have regressed as much as you thought.</p>

964

<p>i’m a rising senior. my subject test scores are:
biology: 690
spanish: 670 *spanish is not my native language; i picked it up in high school
u.s. history: 790</p>

<p>well obviously i should send u.s. history but what about the other 2?</p>

<p>and which AP scores should I NOT report
World History -5
U.S. History -5
Bio - 3
Spanish Lang - 4</p>

965

<p>I’m not sure if this question had been answered or not, but if a compound subject has three singular nouns in it, such as:
There was a dog, a cat, and a house.
Should it be singular (was) or plural (were)?</p>

966

<p>

</p>

<p>This is difficult to explain. Here is the definition of “also”:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Here is the definition of “in addition to”:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>The distinguishing characteristic is illustrated through “as well” (for “also”) and “as well as” (for “in addition to”); “besides” can work in both cases. One wouldn’t say “As well representing nations, flags are used…” “As well as” would be used.</p>

967

<p>

</p>

<p>Where are you applying?</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I would send all of them.</p>

968

<p>

</p>

<p>Either way.</p>

969

<p>Which is better?</p>

<p>My guess is that the fruit snacks are bad for your health.</p>

<p>or</p>

<p>My guess is the fruit snacks are bad for your health.</p>

<p>Thanks again.</p>

970

<p>^ Either way is fine; in the second sentence, the relative pronoun is implicit. For example, you can say that “I know you are lying” or that “I know that you are lying.”</p>

971

<p>Duke ED. So I should send all my AP scores? And given where I’m applying which subject tests should I/should I not send?</p>

972

<p>

</p>

<p>Yes, anything 3+ is probably worth reporting.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Send all three. If the 670 Spanish score would hurt you, Duke should refrain from considering it because they require only two. (You’re not applying for engineering, though, right? If so, you need to take a math exam.)</p>

973

<p>Hey Silver, great guide. I was just wondering what you thought about personifications in SAT. I mean, it seems like almost every use of personification is a grammatical error. Do you agree or do I just have the definition of personification skewed up?</p>

974

<p>

</p>

<p>Good question. In general, personification seems to be considered incorrect on the SAT Writing section; but I can’t remember any specific questions on which this issue showed up, though I know that there have been some. Did you have any specific questions in mind that you were wondering about?</p>

975

<p>Silverturtle-</p>

<p>I got a 2180 on the SAT I (800W, 690CR, 690M) at the end of my 10th grade year. I’m now a junior. Do you think that it’s feasible to assume that, when I retake at the end of this year, my CR and M scores will be at least 710 or higher? I’m taking 3 AP’s this year, including English Language, and I’m also taking Precalculus.</p>

976

<p>I would appreciate it if silverturtle could write more on tougher math questions. I’m still having trouble with them.</p>

977

<p>Silverturtle- what percentage of someone’s acceptance chance do you think is derived from standardized tests vs. GPA or EC’s, etc…?</p>

978

<p>

</p>

<p>Yup.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Well, I gave all the general advice that I could think of. As unhelpful as this sounds, the best way to get better at the tough questions is just to spend lots of time trying to solve them and then working through the solutions. If you have done extensive preparation and have taken the time to understand all the challenging questions that you have encountered so far, very rarely will you find a question that requires a method that is not similar to one that you have seen already. With time, the appropriate method should be clearer faster.</p>

979

<p>

</p>

<p>The process cannot be quantified in that way because the relative impact of a factor is dependent upon how good that factor is. For example, if a student has 2200 on the SAT and is aiming for top schools, the SAT would probably have about 0% impact because the score won’t help or hurt the applicant. If, however, the student has 1800 on the SAT but the other factors are strong, the SAT may suddenly have an 80%+ impact because the score is so low. The situation is similar for interviews: most of the time the interview will have almost no impact, but if the interview is exceptionally good or bad, it may become one of the most important things.</p>

980

<p>Silverturtle, how important is EC consistency on an application? I’ve been playing varsity field hockey all throughout high school and I would probably make captain if I play this season but I REALLY don’t want to and I’d rather focus on my APs. If I continue with all of my other ECs, will this drop of an EC hurt my application?</p>