The year 2016 may seem quite distant, but for high school students who plan to take the redesigned SAT, the preparation begins in 2015. To further complicate matters, the 2015 PSAT will debut a redesign similar to the revised SAT.
If you plan to sit for the PSAT, it will be important to adjust your preparation in key ways. Here are three areas to keep in mind as you study for the PSAT and the SAT.
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1. Content: The redesigned PSAT, which will be released in October , will shift its emphasis from rote memorization of content to evidence-based analysis. The effects of this shift on grammar and vocabulary questions have been widely publicized, and students should note that how they study for these sections will have to change as well.
For instance, memorizing lists of commonly-tested vocabulary will no longer be effective. Since the PSAT and the SAT will assess your vocabulary skills by embedding terms within larger passages, the ability to use the surrounding context to determine the meaning of a word, rather than simply memorizing a definition, will be the most useful skill for this section.
Similarly, grammar questions will also involve working with grammatical mistakes in context, rather than in isolated sentences. Be sure to supplement your PSAT studying with consistent reading and writing practice. Something as common as reading for pleasure can broaden your knowledge of vocabulary and grammar in various contexts.
Questions on the math section will also place more emphasis on analysis and context than they will on rote memorization — geometry will be de-emphasized, for example. This will allow for more problems that involve charts, graphs and data analysis. As you design your PSAT prep plan, schedule additional time for these sorts of involved problems.
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2. Length: The redesigned PSAT will be 35 minutes longer than the current test and will have an additional 14 questions. This means you will need to train yourself to focus over the entire, extended length of the exam.
Full-length practice tests will be extremely important in this regard. It will also be wise to devote extra attention to your time management strategies.
Although it may seem counterintuitive, the longer PSAT may negatively affect your testing speed at first. As you complete practice tests, aim to maintain the same pace and level of energy throughout the entire exam.
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3. Answers: The redesigned PSAT will use four multiple-choice answers instead of five. And just like the redesigned SAT, there will be no guessing penalty.
The strategies that you may have learned about how and when to guess on the PSAT, such as guessing if you can eliminate one or more options, are no longer valid. Instead, you can safely guess whenever a question seems mystifying, even if you cannot eliminate any answer choices.
With that said, do not allow this new freedom to stop you from systematically eliminating answer choices when you can, and ensure that you note any practice test questions that you guessed on so that you can review them if time permits. Be aware that this creates an extra time management wrinkle, as you will need to leave ample time at the end of your exam session to look over these questions.
The redesigned PSAT can be conquered with the right prep. While you do not need to radically alter your current PSAT study regimen, noting the three areas discussed above can help you find greater success not only on the 2015 PSAT, but also on the SAT.
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Revise Your Prep Plan for Success on the Revised PSAT originally appeared on usnews.com
