Strategies for Test Taking

How do the writers of the SAT determine the level of difficulty of each question Before the question is included in the actual test, it s put into an experimental or equating section. If you haven t heard about this section before, here s the scoop Every test contains one of these sections, and it doesn t count toward your score. However, since there s no way to know which section it is, apply yourself equally to all of the material on the test don t waste time trying to identify the experimental one. 

Once an experimental test section has been given, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) looks at the results. If most test takers get a question right, it s determined to be easy, and if most get it wrong, it s hard. The questions in each section, then, are organized from easiest to hardest. If there are fifteen sentence errors questions, five will be easy, five will be average, and five will be hard. 

More specific strategies for each section will be given in Chapters 2 and 3, but here are a few more general pointers  

Following the directions exactly is critical. Why spend valuable time during the test poring over them The College Board, which administers the SAT, reveals the directions word-for-word on their website (www.collegeboard.com). Study and understand them ahead of time, and you ll have more time to spend answering questions and scoring points. 

You can leave questions blank and still get a good score. It doesn t make sense to spend a lot of time on a really difficult question if you can skip to others that could be easier for you. If you have extra time, you can go back to the tough ones and try again. 

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