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MCHS SUMMER PSAT WORKSHOP

MCHS SUMMER PSAT WORKSHOP. Strategies & Tactics. PSAT/NMSQT. What is it? (What’s the difference in the PSAT and the SAT?) Who takes PSAT? When? What’s NMSQT? Who’s your competition? How does the process work?. 2011 National Merit Scholarship Competition (Oct. 2009 Test)

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MCHS SUMMER PSAT WORKSHOP

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  1. MCHS SUMMER PSATWORKSHOP Strategies & Tactics

  2. PSAT/NMSQT • What is it? (What’s the difference in the PSAT and the SAT?) • Who takes PSAT? When? • What’s NMSQT? • Who’s your competition? • How does the process work?

  3. 2011 National Merit Scholarship Competition (Oct. 2009 Test) -September, 2010: • 34,000 Letters of Commendation (stop) • 16,000 semifinalists (go!) • February, 2011, semifinalists who meet academic and other requirements advance to Finalist standing (approx. 90%). • March 2011, winners of special scholarships notified.

  4. Qualifying Scores for the Class of 2011 National Merit Semifinalists: Kentucky 208Louisiana 210Maine 213 Kentucky 208Louisiana 210Maine 213 Maryland 220 Massachusetts 223Michigan 209Minnesota 213Mississippi 205Missouri 210Montana 208Nebraska 210Nevada 208New Hampshire 214New Jersey 221New Mexico 206New York 217North Carolina 214 North Dakota 202Ohio 212 Oklahoma 206Oregon 215Pennsylvania 216Rhode Island 211South Carolina 208South Dakota 205Tennessee 212Texas 215Utah 203Vermont 212Virginia 218Washington 218West Virginia 202Wisconsin 209Wyoming 202Commended 201International 223New England Boarding Schools 223 Alabama 210Alaska 214Arizona 209Arkansas 203California 219Colorado 212Connecticut 219Delaware 215District of Columbia 223Florida 210Georgia 215Hawaii 215Idaho 208Illinois 214Indiana 212Iowa 209Kansas 211

  5. LAST YEAR’S CUT OFF: 205 YOUR TARGET SCORE (forMerit $$$: 210

  6. Your currentscore: ? A realistic personal goal: A SPECIFIC PLAN! ?

  7. BASED ON: INDOMITABLE WILL! • Realistic assessment of strengths & weaknesses • Performance analysis to ID areas where you stand to pick up most pts. • Commitment! • Targeted PRACTICE! PRACTICE! And more PRACTICE!* (3O hrs. min.)

  8. All but 10 items are MULTIPLE CHOICE The GOOD NEWS! • 10 MATH questions are GRID-INS, which you must actually WORK! The BAD NEWS!

  9. TIP #1: THINK!outsidethe box! Don’t be J.A.S. –Just another student!

  10. TIP #1: MemorizeInstructions!

  11. TIP #1: LearnFORMULAS!

  12. TIP #1: a2 + b2 = c2 AB2 + BC2 = AC2 ___ ___ ___

  13. TIP #1: IGNOREVerbal garbage!

  14. TIP #1: [ArithmeticMean]

  15. TIP #1: Pay attentionOutside the box!

  16. TIP #1: X= an integer

  17. See how well you thinkOUTSIDE THE BOX …with a little Mini PSAT test!

  18. READY? • Here come four (4) questions and a bonus question. • You have to answer them instantly. You can't take your time; answer all of them immediately. OK? • Let's find out just how clever you really are.... GO!

  19. 1. You are participating in a race. You overtake the second person. What position are you in? • Answer: If you answered that you are first, then you are absolutely wrong! If you overtake the second person, you take his place, so you are second! • Try not to screw up next time. • Now answer the second question, but don't take as much time as you took for the first one,OK?

  20. 2. If you overtake the last person, then you are...? • Answer: If you answered that you are second to last, then you are wrong again. Tell me, how can you overtake the LAST Person? • You're not very good at this, are you?

  21. 3. Very tricky arithmetic! Note: This must be done in your head only. Do NOT use paper and pencil or a calculator. Try it. • Take 1000 and add 40 to it. • Now add another 1000 . • Now add 30. • Add another 1000. • Now add 20. • Now add another 1000. • Now add 10……What is the total?

  22. Did you get 5000? • The correct answer is actually 4100. • If you don't believe it, check it with a calculator!

  23. Seeing’s believing… • 1000 + 40 = 1040 • 1040 + 1000 = 2040 • 2040 + 30 = 2070 • 2070 + 1000 = 3070 • 3070 + 20 = 3090 • 3090 + 1000 = 4090 • 4090 + 10 = 4100

  24. Today is definitely not your day, is it? • Maybe you'll get the last question right... • ...Maybe.

  25. 4. Mary's father has five daughters: 1. Nana, 2. Nene, 3. Nini, 4. Nono. What is the name of the fifth daughter? • Did you Answer Nunu? • NO! Of course it isn't. • Her name is Mary. Read the question again!

  26. Okay, now the bonus round: • A mute person goes into a shop and wants to buy a toothbrush. By imitating the action of brushing his teeth he successfully expresses himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase is done. • Next, a blind man comes into the shop who wants to buy a pair of sunglasses; how does HE indicate what he wants?

  27. He just has to open his mouth and asks... • It's really very simple.... • Like lots of people taking the PSAT!

  28. TIP #2: PSAT isn't SCHOOL! Know where you ARE and where you AREN’T!

  29. THINK ABOUT IT! • At SCHOOL, 70 = barely passing! • But on PSAT Critical Reading 70 Math 70 Writing + 70 (Below cutoff in over ½ states)210 National Merit GLORY BOUND!

  30. TIP #3: KNOW WHERE YOU ARE on the test!

  31. KNOW THE “ROAD MAP”: • Two 25 min. Critical Reading Sections • SC’s • --short, long, & paired passages • Two 25 min. Math Sections • MC’s • --grid-ins • One 30 min. Writing Section • Error ID • Improve Sen. • Improve Paragraph

  32. PSAT = Power Test • --1st 1/3 Easy • --2nd 1/3 Medium • --3rd 1/3 Killer

  33. All points on a POWER TEST are created EQUAL!

  34. “ Power TEST Hoe-Down! --Move down! --Bog down! --Mark down! --Go on!

  35. Go through 3 times! • DO THE EASY ONES • DO THE HARDER ONES • MAKE EDUCATED GUESSES • At the end of the test…CHECK # ON EVERY 5TH ANSWER & LOOK ATANSWER FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION

  36. 1. A B C D E 2. A B C D E 3. A B C D E 4. A B C D E 5. A B C D E 6. A B C D E 7. A B C D E 8. A B C D E 9. A B C D E 1O.A B C D E 11. A B C D E 12. A B C D E 13. A B C D E 14. A B C D E 15. A B C D E 16. A B C D E 17. A B C D E 18. AB C D E 19. A B C D E 2O.A B C D E If time’s short, what should you check? TOO MANY C'S

  37. TIP #4: There are an APPROX. equal number of A’s, B’s, C’s, D’s, and E’s! Only IDIOTS mark “C” on what’s left it time’s running short!

  38. Your definition of “hard”: DIFFICULT

  39. ETS’s definition of “hard”: ...a normed test that whichMOST people miss

  40. Rule #1: EASY QUESTIONS Have EASY ANSWERS!

  41. Rule #2: HARD QUESTIONS Have HARD ANSWERS! So you’d better KNOW WHERE you are on the test!

  42. TOUGH NUTS! Levels 1 2 3 4 5 Easy. . .Medium . . .Hard 80% MISS!

  43. Q: What’s Mona’s problem? Watch out! Everything that looks easy ISN’T necessarily easy!

  44. SAMPLE 1-89-1618-23easy mediumhard • A Woman drove to work at an average speed of 40 MPH and returned along the same route at 30 MPH. If her total traveling time was 1 hr., what was the total # of miles in the round trip? A. 30 D. 35 B. 30 1/7 E. 40 C. 34 2/7 x Easy Answer! Hard Answer

  45. Remember:You can keep going until you see the

  46. Power TEST Hoe-Down! --Move down! --Bog down! --Mark down! --Go on!

  47. Don’t work like J.A.S. Tip #5: You give the orders! --TOP TO BOTTOM! --LEFT TO RIGHT! --START TO FINISH! De-condition yourself!

  48. A POWER TEST distinguishes The Super Sharp • from … The Sharp those with no point at all!

  49. HAMLET’S PSAT QUANDARY “To GUESS or NOT to GUESS. THAT is the QUESTION!”

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