SAT WRITING ESSENTIALS [...]... THE WRITING SECTION OF THE NEW SAT – Determining the Level of Difficulty Skip questions you don’t know how to answer 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 How do the writers of the SAT. .. 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 3 – GETTING TO KNOW THE WRITING SECTION OF THE NEW SAT – Tomorrow until the Week before Test Day you’ll get a chance to try some... will know how much time you’ll need to arrive punctually, park, and walk from parking to the building where you will take the SAT This “trial run” will help you avoid a last minute rush to the test, which would only increase anxiety Saturday morning, one week before you take the SAT, is a good time for your final practice test Then, use your next few days to wrap up any loose ends Reread your notes on... listed above Record your reactions to the text, such as why you agree or disagree with the author’s point of view, or why you like or dislike his or her writing style If you come across an unfamiliar word, look it up and record the definition (the act of writing it will help you remember it) ■ Mark It Up Assuming this book belongs to you, highlight and underline when you read When you see a main idea,... questions such as: What is this passage about? What is the main idea, or topic? What is the author’s point of view or purpose in writing this? What is the meaning of this word in this sentence? What does “it” refer to in this sentence? What is its antecedent? Is this sentence part of the main idea, or is it a detail? ■ Take Notes Think about and respond to what you’re reading Write the answers to the... skills, plus the ones you reviewed for Sentence Errors, plus more additional skills, will be tested in Improving Paragraphs Each type of question, in other words, calls for a deeper understanding of the writing process, from grammar and usage to organization and development of ideas Therefore, in Chapter 2, you’ll find Identifying Sentence Errors first You’ll review the most common grammar and usage issues... Create a new list of strengths and weaknesses—you should notice a longer strength list this time! Use the same techniques for Chapter 3, studying the material presented, and practicing with the Essay Writing Workshop section There, you’ll get to write thesis statements and introductory hooks for a number of prompts, and be able to read and score two complete essays written from the same prompt Be sure... up any loose ends Reread your notes on test-taking tips and techniques If you made vocabulary flash cards, look at a few each day Log onto www.collegeboard.com and reread the official directions for each part of each section They should be very familiar to you at this point 7 . 68 Essay Writing Workshop 69 Contents vii CHAPTER 4 Practice Test 1 75 CHAPTER 5 Practice Test 2 10 3 CHAPTER 6 Practice Test 3 13 3 –CONTENTS– viii SAT WRITING ESSENTIALS