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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Bildung
- Sprache: Englisch
Your ticket to the private school of your choice
The Secondary School Aptitude Test (SSAT) and Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) are the two most common standardized aptitude tests used in American private secondary schools. If you're a parent or student looking to apply for admissions at a private, military, or boarding school, SSAT & ISEE For Dummies is your family's ticket to success.
Here, you'll get all the prep needed to score higher on the SSAT and ISEE exams, the most up-to-date information on the tests, hundreds of practice questions, thorough test-specific math and verbal workouts, six full-length practice tests (all with detailed answer explanations), and solid test-taking advice.
- Correctly answer difficult analogy and synonym questions without knowing what all the words mean
- Ace the math section by eliminating answers that are planted to fool test takers
- Apply the proven For Dummies step-by-step approach to combat the essay portion
- Analyze difficult passages using tips and tricks in the reading comprehension section
- Learn the most common vocabulary words tested on the SSAT and ISEE with an entire chapter devoted to vocabulary terms
- State-by-state "Private Schools at-a-Glance" chart with data on more than 1,000 private secondary schools
SSAT & ISEE For Dummies provides students with the resources they need for test day preparation and gives parents sound, expert advice on selecting, applying, and paying for private school.
Das E-Book können Sie in Legimi-Apps oder einer beliebigen App lesen, die das folgende Format unterstützen:
Seitenzahl: 820
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012
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SSAT® and ISEE® For Dummies®
Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/ssatisee to view this book's cheat sheet.
Table of Contents
SSAT® & ISEE® For Dummies®
by Vince Kotchian and Curt Simmons
SSAT® & ISEE® For Dummies®
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.
For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.
For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.
Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011945583
ISBN 978-1-118-11555-8 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-20644-7 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-20645-4 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-20646-1 (ebk)
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Authors
Vince Kotchian is a private test-prep tutor, admissions consultant, and freelance writer. Vince has worked with hundreds of students and has authored a variety of test-prep material for several different companies. Originally from Connecticut, Vince attended Boston College and now lives in San Diego. In his free time, he enjoys running, paddleboarding, and many other outdoor activities.
Curt Simmons is a professional educator and freelance writer. Curt holds a master’s degree in education and has taught 6th through 12th grade students as well as adult learners. He’s the author of numerous books about computers and technology and several test-prep titles on a variety of topics, including many For Dummies titles. Curt has also developed iPhone applications and has written custom courseware for several U.S. companies. When Curt isn’t teaching or writing, he spends his time with his wife and two daughters and is perpetually remodeling his 100-year-old Victorian home. He lives in Texas, loves hanging out at his family cabin in Arkansas, and visits Hawaii as often as possible.
Dedication
Vince and Curt would like to dedicate this book to all the students who love learning and are constantly striving to do well in school. We’re depending on you for the future!
Authors’ Acknowledgments
Vince and Curt would like to thank Tracey Boggier for the green light for this project and for working so hard to bring this book to life. We owe a great debt of gratitude to Elizabeth Rea, our project editor, who gave us helpful guidance along the way and who kept everything moving in the right direction. Also, thanks to Jennette ElNaggar for the fine copyediting work and Anne Clark and Alan Gerstle for the technical review. Finally, thanks to Margot Hutchison, our literary agent, for bringing the book concept to us and for working out the details.
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Vertical Websites
Project Editor: Elizabeth Rea
Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier
Copy Editor: Jennette ElNaggar
Assistant Editor: David Lutton
Editorial Program Coordinator: Joe Niesen
Technical Editors: Anne Sutherland Clarke, Alan Gerstle
Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker
Editorial Assistant: Alexa Koschier
Cover Photos: © iStockphoto.com / Steve Shepard
Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)
Composition Services
Project Coordinator: Patrick Redmond
Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers, Carrie A. Cesavice, Joyce Haughey, Sennett Vaughan Johnson
Proofreaders: Lindsay Amones, Laura Bowman, Susan Moritz
Indexer: Potomac Indexing, LLC
Special Help: Caitlin Copple
Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies
Kathleen Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher
Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director
Ensley Eikenburg, Associate Publisher, Travel
Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel
Publishing for Technology Dummies
Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher
Composition Services
Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services
Introduction
When you first heard you needed to take either the SSAT or ISEE in order to gain admission to a private school you want to attend, your first thought probably wasn’t very enthusiastic. On the other hand, you’re a student, so you know a thing or two about taking tests, and you may be thinking, “Just another day, another test — no big deal.”
But hang on to that thought. The SSAT and ISEE aren’t like exams you’re used to. The SSAT and ISEE are designed to test your achievement in school thus far — they’re not subject matter exams or simply exams where you can study a few pages of notes and then hit the test with your short-term knowledge. No, the SSAT and ISEE are exams that find out how much you know about reading, writing, and math. The content can span all kinds of subjects and questions, and the goal isn’t to see whether you know a block of material; the goal is to see what potential you have for success at a private school.
The good news is the SSAT and ISEE don’t test little details about little details. You won’t find any direct questions about science, history, music, art, and a whole host of potential topics. But don’t misunderstand; the SSAT and ISEE aren’t easy tests. They determine how well you read and write and how well you can solve math problems based on your grade level.
The worst thing about all of this is that you’re under stringent time limits on each test, so you need some specific skills and tactics to do well. That point brings us to why we wrote this book: to help you prepare to take the test so you can do as well as possible. After all, scoring well on the test isn’t just about what you know; it’s about what you know about taking a test like the SSAT and ISEE. The good news is you’ve come to the right place to prepare. With SSAT & ISEE For Dummies, you discover how to tackle the test, manage your time, answer questions quickly and accurately, and get the best score possible. That, after all, is the goal.
About This Book
The SSAT and ISEE are two different exams that basically do the same thing. They’re created by different companies that provide these standardized tests to private schools all over the United States. The exams help school officials and admissions officers determine your current ability, as compared to other students your age around the country. They then use this information to determine your likelihood of success at their school.
So what’s the difference between the SSAT and the ISEE? Which one should you take? Your school may require one test over the other, so you may not even have an option. Be sure to check out the admissions requirements at your school so you know for sure. If you can take either one, you’ll find that the two exams are very similar because they cover the same basic type of content: math, reading, language comprehension, and writing. You can find out more about the content on each exam in Chapter 1. So if you’re on the fence about which exam you should take, check out that chapter before you do anything else in this book.
The SSAT provides lower and upper level exams, and the ISEE provides lower, middle, and upper level exams. Which exam you take depends on what grade you’re in because they’re designed for different grade levels. (Check out Chapter 1 for more info about the different levels of the SSAT and ISEE.)
Because the SSAT and ISEE consist of the same basic content, covering both exams in one book makes sense. We’ve organized this book to focus on different areas of the exam, such as reading, language, writing, and math. Throughout this book, you can find plenty of techniques, tools, and tips to help you get the best score in each section. We also include a bunch of practice questions and full-length practice exams because we believe that perfect practice makes perfect performance.
Conventions Used in This Book
To help you navigate this book, we use the following conventions:
We use italics to introduce new terms. We especially use this in math and language chapters.
Boldface shows you the action part of a list of steps or is used to highlight a main point or idea.
Monofont is used to indicate a web address. If a web address is long, it may wrap to the next line in your book, but we don’t include any extra dashes or anything if it breaks to a new line. In other words, just type the web address as you see it in the book, and it’ll take you where you need to go.
Some words appear in this font. These words are vocabulary words we’ve chosen to shine a spotlight on to help you prep for the exam.
From time to time, you’ll see sidebars, or blocks of text in shaded gray boxes, in various chapters. This extra info isn’t critical but usually consists of additional information or stories that can help things make more sense. You can skip these sidebars if you’re short on time, but do read them if you can.
Foolish Assumptions
We wrote this book for students like you, so we’ve assumed a few important things about you:
You want to do well on the SSAT or ISEE, but you’re not excited about having to take a standardized test. We get that (we’ve taken a bunch of tests over the years and aren’t too excited about them either).
You have lots of things you need to do each day, and studying for another test isn’t exactly how you want to spend your time. The good news for you is we didn’t fill this book with a bunch of stuff you don’t need to know. If it’s in here, it’s important. In other words, we’re not here to waste your time.
You’ve taken English and math classes, and you have some writing experience, based on your grade level. With that thought in mind, our goal isn’t to teach you everything there is to know about English, math, and writing (otherwise, this book would be the size of a car), but our goal is to show you what you need to know for the test and help you practice your skills.
You’re no dummy. In fact, we know you’re already a successful student and you know a lot. You do well, and you want to continue doing well — after all, that’s why you’re reading this book.
How This Book Is Organized
Because this book covers two different exams that each have different levels, we took great care in organizing this book so you can make the most of it. We’ve organized it in such a way that you can find what you need quickly and easily. We also want this book to help you prepare for the SSAT and ISEE without wasting a second of your time, so we’ve included only what’s really important for the exam. Here’s what you’ll find in this book.
Part I: Paving the Way to Private School: Introducing the SSAT and ISEE
This part gives you an overview of the SSAT and ISEE. You find out what’s on each exam, the different levels available, how to register for an exam, and some practical issues about getting ready for the test. You also discover some global test-taking skills, such as managing time limits and how to deal with questions you don’t know or aren’t sure about. This part gets you in on the ground floor and provides a solid foundation for the rest of your SSAT and ISEE study.
Part II: Ramping Up for the Verbal, Reading, and Essay Sections
This part explores what you need to know about the language parts of the exams. Here, you find a vocabulary primer, content chapters, and practice chapters for verbal reasoning, reading comprehension, and essay writing. The chapters explore content, how to answer questions, and how to improve your scores on these sections of the exams.
Part III: Tackling the Math Sections
If math isn’t your strong suit, this section is for you. In this part, you focus on the kinds of math content you’ll see on the exam, so you find content chapters and practice chapters for arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and word problems. We also help you know what kinds of math questions you’ll see on the exam level you’re taking, and what you can ignore, especially if you’re taking a lower or middle level exam.
Part IV: SSAT Practice Exams
This part contains an upper level practice exam and two middle level practice exams for the SSAT. You find full-length exams with the exact number of questions and section time limits you’ll face on the real test. Also, after each exam, we include a chapter that gives you the answers to the exam as well as an explanation for the correct answer.
Part V: ISEE Practice Exams
In this part, you find full-length practice exams for the upper, middle, and lower level ISEE. Each exam contains the exact number of questions and time limits you’ll face on each section of the ISEE. We also include a chapter after each exam that contains the correct answers and an explanation for each correct answer.
Part VI: The Part of Tens
Every For Dummies book includes a Part of Tens. Here, you find two short chapters, each containing ten important tips about how to prepare for test day and how to calm those test jitters that affect so many of us.
Icons Used in This Book
Throughout the book, we include icons in the margin that direct your attention to content you should really pay attention to. We don’t use icons just to make the page look cool, so if you see an icon, it’s there for a reason — pay attention to it!
This icon points out information you should keep in mind. We often use this icon to note test-taking strategies, so be sure to pay attention when you see a paragraph accompanied by this icon.
Every standardized test has potential pitfalls in both strategy and content. We use Warning icons to alert you to common mistakes students make when they solve problems, answer questions, or even manage time limits.
Everything in the book is important, but some content is really important to remember. We add this icon next to content that you really need to remember for the test. Remember icons also accompany test-taking strategies you need to keep in mind for test day.
When you see this icon, you know you’re going to practice the particular area of instruction covered in that section with a question like one you may see on the test. Each example question is followed by detailed explanations of how to most efficiently answer questions and avoid common pitfalls.
Where to Go from Here
Like every For Dummies book, you don’t have to read this book in order from front to back cover, and you don’t necessarily need to read the entire thing. Instead, you can skip around and spend more time on areas where you need additional work. For example, if you’re a math whiz but you’re not too great with vocabulary and answering reading comprehension questions, you can spend more time in Part II and less time in Part III. Also, because you’re taking only one exam and this book covers two different exams based on different exam levels, you don’t need to take every practice exam; however, the more practice you get, the better, so we recommend that you do. For example, if you’re taking the upper level SSAT, consider taking the upper level ISEE practice test, too, because the exams are similar, and the extra practice certainly won’t hurt.
Part I
Paving the Way to Private School: Introducing the SSAT and ISEE
In this part . . .
Part I helps you get your feet on solid ground by exploring the SSAT and ISEE as well as some study skills and techniques. We give you an idea of what to expect, how to register for an exam, and how the exam is structured, and then you explore some foundational test-taking principles and tactics that apply to all sections of the exam.
Chapter 1
Getting to Know the SSAT and ISEE
In This Chapter
Exploring the SSAT and ISEE
Seeing what the SSAT is all about
Discovering the ins and outs of the ISEE
If you had a choice, you may choose a trip to the dentist over taking a standardized test like the SSAT or ISEE. Neither option is fun, but at least the dentist doesn’t require you to study! Nevertheless, you’re reading this book because you need to take either the SSAT or ISEE. You’re taking one of these exams for entrance to a private school, and you know that your performance on the exam is important. The SSAT and ISEE aren’t designed to be easy and fun, but they’re important and necessary.
When you face a challenge, becoming a mini-expert on the subject is a good idea. After all, the more you know, the more likely you are to be successful. So this chapter is designed to fill you in on all the details of the tests. Before you start to study for the SSAT or ISEE, you need to know what these exams are all about, what kinds of content to expect, and how to register and prepare.
Approaching the SSAT and ISEE
When you first found out that you needed to take a test for admission to a school, you probably didn’t jump for joy. No one likes taking tests, but at least at this point in your life, you’re not a stranger to test days. After all, you’ve faced many of them in school so far.
Before you start thinking, “Great. Another test . . . ,” you need to realize that the SSAT and ISEE aren’t like the exams you take for a particular subject in school. In fact, these tests are very different from a typical school test, and that’s why you need to ramp up your knowledge about the exams before you begin to study. In the following sections, we explain the purpose of taking the SSAT or ISEE, what to expect on either test, and how to prepare for test day.
Testing your ability
The SSAT and ISEE are different from typical school exams because they’re standardized tests, meaning that the tests are designed to test your current ability. In other words, suppose you take a math test at school. More than likely, the math test explores several concepts and skills you’ve learned from a chapter or unit in your book, and therefore it tests your knowledge about those concepts. The SSAT and ISEE, however, aren’t designed to test your knowledge.
The purpose of the SSAT and ISEE isn’t to find out how smart you are. After all, human beings are so complex that no test really is able to measure that very well. Instead, the SSAT and ISEE help school administrators and admissions officers determine your current ability with a limited number of school subjects. Knowing your ability helps them determine your likelihood for success in their private school.
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
Lesen Sie weiter in der vollständigen Ausgabe!
