TACTICAL
PSAT
STRATEGIES
Learning Systems
Houston, Texas
www.TestGuys.net
What is the PSAT ?
It’s different from other tests.
 It is a REASONING test.
 It’s designed to test your ability to think.
 It is used for the National Merit Competition
and other such scholarship programs.
 It does not accurately predict your SAT
score.
PSAT Scoring
All Multiple-Choice Questions
 1 point added for correct answers
 ¼ point deducted for incorrect answers
 0 points added/deducted for skipped questions -
Blank IS NOT Wrong!
PSAT Scoring
Student-Produced Math Answers
 1 point added for correct
answers
 0 points deducted for wrong
answers
PSAT Scoring
 Critical Reading (20-80 pts.)
 Math (20-80 pts.)
 Writing Skills (20-80 pts)
Score Range: 60 - 240 pts.
Average score = 150 (mean)
Perfect score = 240
TX Soph. Avg: 124
TX Jr. Avg: 134
Tactic #1: Know All Test Directions
You won’t read them when
you take the PSAT because,
by the end of this course, you
will know them all.
Tactic #2: Pace Yourself - Roughly,
You have about 1 minute per question.
Rocketpeople
Want to finish first!
Snails
Just hope they
can finish!
Good Test-Takers
Do What They Can Do
And Don't Worry About
What They Can't Do!
Tactic #3: Power Test
Concept
1/3 Easy – More than 70% get them correct.
1/3 Medium – About 50% get them correct.
1/3 Hard Questions – Less than 30%
get them correct.
Verbal Section
Sentence Completion
1.
2.
Easy
3.
4.
5.
Medium
6.
7.
Hard
8.
Critical Reading
9.
B
O
R
I
N
G
24.
Power Test Concept
Verbal Section: The J.A.S. Way
Sentence Completion
1.
Critical Reading
9.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
24.
Verbal Section: The Right Way
Sentence Completion
1.
Critical Reading
9.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
24.
Regular Math - Section 2
1.
2.
3.
4.
EASY
5.
6.
Look For “Favorites”
after you bog down
on two in a row!
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Medium
12.
13.
14.
15. Geometry
16.
17. Geometry
18.
19.
20. Geometry
Hard
Math Section 4 – Regular Math + SPAs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
EASY
MEDIUM
HARD
EASY
MEDIUM
HARD
Power Test Concept
Always know where you are!
1.
1. (A) obsequious
2.
2. Feldspar was ____, he won the race.
(A) disappointed
(B) despondent
(C) dejected
(D) zellsbotted
(E) disconsolate
(D) syzygy
19.
5
*
10
=
A.
15
B.
30
C.
50
D.
100
E.
200
Always know where you are!
19.
Next To
Last Math
Question
ALWAYS KNOW WHERE YOU ARE!!!
Beware of obvious answers in the bottom 1/3!
Tactic #4: Eliminate Distracters
 Cover up the Answer Choices
 Read - Find Clues
 Predict Your Answer
 Eliminate (TOG)
 Work
 Ask Yourself If Your Answer
Is Reasonable
99% of 5 =
(A) 0.00495
(B) 0.0495
(C) 0.495
(D) 4.95
(E) 49.5
Ex. 2: The trial was often _____, degenerating
at times into a name-calling contest.
(A) boring
(B) insightful
(D) chaotic
(E) frivolous
(C) lofty
Tactic #5: Work Backwards
Everyone read the following out loud on the
count of…
1
2
3
John went to
to the store.
 Eliminates Careless Reading Errors
 Time Bandit Questions
Tactic # 6: Should You Guess?
If you can eliminate two or more
of the answer choices, make an
educated guess!
The Guessing Game
A - C - E
2 x (+1) = +2
8 x (-¼) = -2
6 x (+1) = +6
4 x (-¼) = - 1
Net Gain:
Net Gain: +5
0
These guessing techniques don’t
work:
 Gum Wrappers, Chapsticks,
Quarters
 Hi Tech Techniques
A B
CDE
- “The Big C”
It’s In The Middle!
Let’s Talk About
“Answer Balance”
Over the entire test . . .
Correct Answer Balance
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
%
A
B
C
D
E
(±3%)
Over the entire test . . .
Incorrect Answer Balance
40
35
30
25
20
%
15
10
5
0
A
B
C
D
E
Guessing Tips
 Triplets are rare - Do Not Guess Into A Triplet.
 Four in a row will never happen.
(Well, almost never happen!)
 Beware of “obvious” answers in the last 1/3 of each
powered question type.
 Watch Answer Balance - Check Your Answer Sheet
From Time To Time
Tactic #7 - Word Roots & Prefixes
 Pregagulous
 Malzellsbott
 Profimple
 Polynosbig
 Subattal
 Unimbrusity (- x - = +)
Refer to pages 8-9 in Your Pink Book.
Verbal Tactics
(Critical Reading Tactics)
Tactic #8: Underline KEY Words
KEY WORDS:
A. Subject - But Not A Proper Noun
Olympic downhill skiers……….
B. Action Words - What happened
to subject.
The Top Ten Reasons Students Don’t
Underline
10. If I don’t get a good score, I can listen to
my iPod and take AP Lunch.
9. My parents made me take this
course…I’ll show them!
8. People might see me do it and
think I’m trying to be
smart or something.
7. It takes too much time.
The Top Ten Reasons
I Don’t Underline
6. I can’t draw a straight line or circle.
5. I don’t want to mark up the page. It’s so pretty!
4. It’s so “whatever... like you know.”
3. #2 Black Lead is so depressing.
2. Following rules is a real drag, man.
And, the #1 reason why students don’t
want to underline Key Words/Clues:
1. It stifles my creativity!
The Olympic swimmer’s body temperature began to decline after
hours of exposure to the _____ water of the English Channel.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
temperate
frigid
polluted
turbulent
murky
Though his lecture contained ideas that were soporific and dull, his
style of delivery was so _____ I actually became quite interested.
A. bland
B. hypnotic
C. laconic
D. histrionic
E. belligerent
She was a woman of contrasts; periods of
_____alternated with periods of frenetic activity.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
animation
torpor
profundity
ebullience
invincibility
Tactic #9:
Three Basic SentenceTypes
 Causal
=
 Causal
Because she has a great need for _____, she
greatly dislikes the public appearances
required of her as a best-selling author.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
luxury
solitude
fame
amusement
praise
 Contrasting
Although Oscar’s life was both _____ and
painful, it was not without _____, for he had
accomplished many goals in his life.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
defiant . . . strife
tragic . . . frustration
gratifying . . . satisfaction
arduous . . . reward
purposeful . . . ambition
 Coordinate
This successful “dot.com” entrepreneur
is _____ and _____; always positive in
attitude and attentive to small details.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
energetic … oblivious
upbeat … alert
cynical … heedless
caustic … careful
wealthy… wary
 Coordinate
Both by _____ and by _____,
American painter Mary Cassatt was
an anomaly, because her artistic
peers were French men.
A. background … achievements
B. aptitude … intellect
C. talent … expertise
D. style … range
E. nationality … gender
Comfort Zone Words
Words Seen Or Heard In English Class,
But Not Really Known Or Understood By
J.A.S.
These Words Seem Familiar To J.A.S.
trite, terse, hackneyed, cliché
Tactic #10: Double Blank Questions
_____ and _____
word and _____
_____ and word
Use one “word” position to eliminate wrong answers,
then use the other “word” position to find the correct
answer.
Burford was ______; he was cool.
No Slang!
Cool Dude = Aloof Amateur Cowboy
Burfetta was ______, that is she was sober.
sober = not intoxicated….but, it can mean “serious,
sad, solemn.
Beware of Multiple Definition
Words
 ANXIOUS
 FLAG
 HUSBAND
 AUGUST
 CATHOLIC
 PEDESTRIAN
Tactic #11: Vocabulary Problems
What to do:
 Look for roots and prefixes.
 Use the “positive” or “negative” technique.
 Pay close attention to “clue” words.
Critical Reading
Tactic #12: Watch Your Time
Count the number of questions!
 Short Passages - about 1 Minute/Question
 Medium Passages - # of Questions + 1
 Long Passages - # of Questions + 2
Tactic #13: Underline Key Words
in the Question
This will allow you to:
 select the questions to answer first.
 identify key words to look for in the passage
to answer specific questions.
 get a basic idea about the topic of the
passage.
Tactics #14 Eliminate The
Distracters
 In Critical Reading Passage Questions,
it is essential that incorrect answers be
marked out!
 Paraphrase the question and eliminate
any answers that do not specifically
address what is being asked.
Critical Reading Summary
Tactics 15 - 17
 Read Questions First - Organize Your Plan Of Attack
 Answer “Vocab” Questions - First
 Answer “Single-Line Number Questions - Second
 Answer “Multi-Line Number Questions - Third
 Answer Specific Fact Questions - Fourth
 Save For Last - “Primary Purpose” “Main Idea”
“Best Title” “Implied/Inferred Questions”
 Tone/Mood Questions
Tactic #18: Paired Passages
Do them in the following order:
1. Answer all questions of the first
passage.
2. Answer all questions of the second
passage.
3. Answer all questions that concern both
passages or authors.
Bonus Tactic:
Tone/Attitude Questions
What to do:
1. Answer this type last.
2. Use process of elimination.
3. Define remaining words in your
own words.
Critical Reading Summary
• Read Questions First – Organize Your Plan
Of Attack
• Answer Vocab Questions
• Answer Single-Line Number Questions
• Answer Multi-Line Number Questions
• Answer Specific Fact Questions
• Answer "Best Title," "Summary,“
"Main Idea," "Author's Purpose,” or
"Implied/Inferred Questions”
Do Not Make Random Guesses On
Critical Reading Passage Questions!
Math Tactics
The Hardest PSAT Math Question Ever!
94% missed it. Are you ready for this?
X+2=5
X=?
The Hardest PSAT Math Question Ever!
Blahblahblahblahblahblahblah
Blahblahblahblahblahblahblah
X+2=5
Blahblahblahblahblahblahblah
X=?
Blahblahblahblahblahblahblah
Blahblahblahblahblahblahblah
Blahblahblahblahblahblahblah
Keys to Success On Math Questions
Key 1:
Underline Key Words
(a) Numbers
(b) Operations
(c) Description Words
Key 2:
Use the drawing
(a) Put facts on the figure.
(b) Draw it if it’s not there.
Keys To Success On Math Questions
KEY # 3 - Write The Formula
KEY # 4 - ATQA: Answer The Question Asked!
(a) Look for the last comma - What follows is the
question being asked!
(b) Read the WHOLE last sentence!
If there is no comma, the question
will be the last sentence.
Did you ATQA?
Tactic #19 - The “Magic Number List”
12. If n pizzas can be made for d dollars, how
many dollars will it cost to make p pizzas
at the same rate?
(A) (pd)  n
(B) (p)  (nd)
(C) (np)  p
(D) (nd)  p
(E) npd
20. If x and y are positive integers, then
5x  2(x+y) =
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
10x  2y
102x  2y
10x+y
102x+y
52(x+y)
Tactic #20 - Plug It In, Plug It In
Ex. 1: If the average (arithmetic mean) of 4, 5,6,
and K is 8, then K =
(A) 8
(B) 10
(C) 12
(D) 15
(E) 17
TACTIC #25 - Weird Symbols
If N = 4N - 4, then 5 + 3 =
(A)
6
(B)
7
(C)
8
(D)
24
(E)
28
Student-Produced Answer
Questions
IMPROVING SENTENCES
Eating food with a high concentration of fat causes the
same reaction in the stomach than if you eat too fast.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
than if you eat
than to eat
as if one eats
as eating
as it does when eating
Identifying Sentence Errors
For its nineteenth-century explorer and discoverers,
A
Bohemia were an identifiable country with visible
B
inhabitants, but one not marked on any map.
C
D
No error
E
Writing Skills Plan Of Attack
I. IMPROVING SENTENCES
All or part of the sentence will be underlined.
Answer (A) is the same as "No Error" – 20% Rule.
If there is a mistake, mark out (A) immediately!
Writing Skills Plan Of Attack
II. IDENTIFYING SENTENCE ERRORS
Only one error per sentence – error will be underlined.
Answer (E) – "No Error" – 20% Rule
If an underlined part is correct, mark it out.
Everyone on the baseball team who came up
A
B
to bat squinted at the pitcher in order to keep the
C
sun’s glaring rays out of their eyes. No error
D
E
Writing Skills Plan Of Attack
III. IMPROVING PARAGRAPHS
 DO NOT Read the passage – Go To Questions!
 Revision, Combination, Content Questions
 Do Any Questions That Do Not Require
Going Back To The Passage – First!