Hsptteststudyguide
Hsptteststudyguide
Hsptteststudyguide
Guide
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Table of Contents
HSPT TEST RESOURCES.................................................................................................................... 4
Characteristic ................................................................................................................................. 32
Source............................................................................................................................................... 32
Location............................................................................................................................................ 32
Sequential ....................................................................................................................................... 32
Reciprocal........................................................................................................................................ 33
Cause/Effect ................................................................................................................................... 33
Creator/Creation........................................................................................................................... 33
Provider/Provision ........................................................................................................................ 33
Object/Function............................................................................................................................. 33
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User/Tool ......................................................................................................................................... 33
Whole/Part ...................................................................................................................................... 34
Category .......................................................................................................................................... 34
Synonym or Definition................................................................................................................ 34
Antonym or Contrast................................................................................................................... 34
Intensity........................................................................................................................................... 35
Word Part/ Meaning .................................................................................................................... 35
USING SENTENCES ................................................................................................................................. 35
FOCUS ON WHAT YOU KNOW ................................................................................................................ 35
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UNDERSTANDING THE INTIMIDATION ................................................................................................... 62
FINDING YOUR OPTIMAL PACE .............................................................................................................. 62
DON’T BE A PERFECTIONIST .................................................................................................................. 64
FACTUALLY CORRECT, BUT ACTUALLY WRONG .................................................................................... 65
DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS ........................................................................................................................ 65
POST HSPT............................................................................................................................................. 69
Scholarship Help
http://www.scholarshiphelp.org
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HSPT Overview
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While different programs assign a different weight or importance to
your HSPT scores, it is safe to assume that your HSPT will be a major
determining factor when it comes to the final admission decision made
by each school to which you’ve applied.
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Testing and Analysis
It won’t take you long to discover that the HSPT is unlike any test
you’ve taken before, and it is probably unlike any test you will ever
take again in your academic career. The typical school test is a
knowledge-based test. The HSPT, however, is skills-based.
What does this mean to you? It means that you’ll have to prepare
yourself in a completely different way! You won’t simply be reciting
memorized facts as they were phrased in some textbook.
There are different strategies, mindsets and perspectives that you will
be required to apply throughout the HSPT. You’ll need to be prepared
to use your whole brain as far as thinking and assessment is
concerned, and you’ll need to do this in a timely manner. This is not
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something you can learn from taking a course or reading a book, but it
is something you can develop through practice and concentration.
This guide provides you with the professional instruction you require
for understanding the traditional HSPT test. Covered are all aspects of
the test and preparation procedures that you will require throughout
the process. Upon completion of this guide, you’ll have the confidence
and knowledge you need for maximizing your performance on your
HSPT.
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Introduction to the HSPT
Fortunately, the HSPT does not change very dramatically from year to
year. What this means to you, is that it has become possible for
quality practice tests to be produced, and if you should take enough of
these tests, in addition to learning the correct strategies, you will be
able to prepare for the test in an effective manner.
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The HSPT Scoring Scale
There is no “passing” score to the HSPT, but you will need to know
what the cut off average score is for the schools to which you’re
looking to apply. For this information, check their website, or call, and
they’ll tell you the average score of students who are accepted.
Each school has a different policy for weighing HSPT scores with your
GPA. The majority of schools will weigh your HSPT score more heavily
than your GPA. In fact, some schools will weigh your HSPT at 70%
and your GPA at 30%, which means that this one examination is worth
more than years of previous schoolwork.
You’ll also be able to realistically judge the type of school to which you
should be applying, and you can better set out your future plans in
your mind.
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Mathematics and Quantitative Skills Test
To identify the skills that need extra work, complete a practice test
that gives additional information, or, complete a practice test and look
for yourself at the areas where you excelled, and the areas where
struggle was apparent.
Your “critical” math skills will be in the areas where you have made the
most wrong answers on your practice test. Those will be the math
skills that will best help your score in the shortest period of time, if
you manage to practice and better these skills. This is the area in
which you can maximize your score increase potential.
To master your critical math skills, there are certain steps you may
take:
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The best way to get to learn your math skills is to rehearse them with
as many new sample questions as you can get your hands on. The
questions you do, the more you will become familiar and comfortable
with that type of question, so that you can move on and concentrate
on other areas for perfection.
Question Types
The test is very consistent with the type of mathematics questions that
it uses, year after year. The following are the types of mathematical
questions that you are likely to encounter:
y Arithmetic
y Divisibility
y Multiplication
y Addition
y Subtraction
y Evens and Odds
y Prime Numbers
y Percents
y Square of a Number
y Exponents
y Roots
y Averages
Arithmetic
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Arithmetic skills refer to the questions that can be solved by using
addition, subtraction, multiplication and/or division.
Since calculators are permitted in the test, the questions will obviously
not be purely arithmetic - they’re not out to measure your ability with
a calculator. So in this style of question, you’ll need to recall your
order of operations. A good trick to recall your order of operations is
“Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally”…before you say “huh?” recognize
the first letters in this phrase:
For example:
How many egg cartons are needed to hold 300 eggs, if each carton
can hold one dozen (1 dozen = 12)
A. 15
B. 18
C. 22
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D. 25
E. 28
Divisibility
For example:
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5. Numbers divisible by 9 occur when the sum of its their digits are
divisible by 9 (for example, the number 639: 6+3+9 = 18, which is
divisible by 9).
Which of the following integers divides into both 200 and 150?
A. 3
B. 7
C. 30
D. 50
E. 300
Multiplication
Addition
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Here are some rules to be certain that there are no slips while doing
addition:
Subtraction
-(A - B) = -A + B = B - A
(-X)2 = X2
If X - 0, X2 > 0
If, on the number line, one number occurs to the left of another
number, the number on the left is the smallest number.
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Therefore, when studying the line above, you will know that X < Y and
Y < Z.
For example:
Use the number line to make conclusions with regards to whether each
number is positive or negative.
In this situation, you will have an easier time if you implement specific
numbers to fit the problem. For example, let X = -7, Y = -2, and Z =
3. Be certain to utilize some negative numbers while substituting.
Y-X
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even number is divisible by 2 and not have any remainder. Keep in
mind also that 0 is an even number. Consecutive even numbers are all
located 2 units apart. For example, if x is an even number, then the
next consecutive even number would be represented as X + 2.
Odd numbers, on the other hand, are numbers within the set {…-5, -3,
-1, 1, 3, 5,…}.
Property Example
Even + Even = Even 2 + 8 = 10
Odd + Odd = Even 3 + 9 = 12
Odd + Even = Odd 3 + 8 = 11
Property Example
Even x Even = Even 4 x 6 = 24
Even x Odd = Even 4 x 5 = 20
Odd x Odd = Odd 3 x 9 = 27
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If R is an odd integer, what are the next two consecutive odd integers?
A) T and V
B) R and R+1
C) R+1 and R+2
D) R+2 and R+4
E) R+1 and R+3
Note: the correct answer is (D)
A. x2
B. xy
C. y2
D. x + y
E. 2x + y
Note (A) is odd. (B) is even. (C) is even. (D) is odd, and (E) is even.
Prime Numbers
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The first ten prime numbers are: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29
Note, though that 1 is not a prime number, and both the smallest and
the only even prime number is 2.
For example:
If xy = 13 and both x and y are positive integers, then what is the sum
of x + y?
A. 13
B. 14
C. 16
D. 20
E. 26
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Here is another example:
A. 18
B. 28
C. 30
D. 34
E. 38
Note: The first five prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11 and their sum is
28. The answer is B.
Percents
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Percent = missed questions x 100 = 12/80 x 100 = 0.15 x 100 =
15%
Total
X=N xY
100
The word “is” means equal (=), while the word “of” means “multiply”
However, before multiplying, you must change a percent into a
decimal or fractional format.
For example:
To change the fraction into the percent, you must first change the
fraction into a decimal, and then multiply by 100 (or move the decimal
point by 2 places to the right)
For example:
First, change the fraction 1/5 into the decimal 0.2, and multiply by 100
(move the decimal 2 places to the right). Therefore:
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1/5 x 100 = 20%
The following table provides the common percentages that you will use
on a regular basis, and may wish to memorize.
Please note that numbers over 1 achieve percentages that are greater
than 100%
A. 5
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B. 8
C. 10
D. 12
E. 15
X = 0.20 x 50
Keep in mind that to change the percent to a decimal, and that the
word “of” means that you should multiply.
X = 10
5 is what percent of 2?
A. 2.5%
B. 25%
C. 100%
D. 250%
E. 500%
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n = 5/2 = 2.5 = 250%
Square of a Number
When preparing for the test, make sure that you are fully capable of
understanding and reproducing the following table, as well as
recognizing the numbers that are perfect squares and perfect cubes.
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9 81
10 100
11 121
12 144
A. 4
B. 8
C. 9
D. 16
E. 64
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Note: the answer is (E)
Exponents
Examples:
x3 = x × x × x
x5 = x × x × x × x × x
When it comes to the power of 10, there is a simple, quick rule that
simplifies the powers of 10, by writing it as 1, followed by the number
of zeros as specified by the power.
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The solution would be as follows:
You could use algebra and take the square root of both sides or since
49 is a perfect square you could guess integers for x. Just remember x
-3 must be positive or negative.
(x - 3)2 = 49
x - 3 = 7 or x - 3 = -7
x = 10 or x = -4
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The test will require you to manipulate both square roots and cube
roots. Some of the questions will measure whether or not you
understand these expressions.
You should remember that none of the following should ever occur:
Averages
1. Total
2. Average (also known as a mean)
3. # of numbers
The average is the total of elements that are within the set.
For example:
Jenna’s last four test scores were 35, 56, 75, and 28. What is the
average of Jenna’s test scores?
A. 43
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B. 48.5
C. 52.5
D. 54
E. 47
35 + 56 + 75 + 28 = 194
194 / 4 = 48.5
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Verbal Test
Characteristic
Some characteristic analogies will focus on a characteristic of
something else.
Dog: Paw – The foot of a dog is its paw.
Lady: Lovely – A lady has a lovely personality.
Source
Casting: Metal – A casting is made from metal.
Forest: Trees – A forest is composed of trees.
Slogans: Banners – A slogan is printed on banners.
Location
Eiffel Tower: Paris – The Eiffel Tower is a structure in Paris.
Welsh: Wales – The Welsh are the inhabitants of Wales.
Pound: England – The pound is the monetary unit of England.
Sequential
One: Two – These are consecutive numbers.
Birth: Death – These are the first and last events of a life or project.
Spring: Summer – The season of Spring immediately precedes
Summer.
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Reciprocal
Parent: Child – A parent cannot exist without a child.
Power: Work – Power is a function of work.
Owner: Possession – For possession to occur, there must be an owner.
Cause/Effect
Storm: Hail – Hail can be caused by a storm.
Heat: Fire – Heat results from a fire.
Monotony: Boredom – Boredom is a consequence of monotony.
Creator/Creation
Carpenter: House – A carpenter builds a house.
Painter: Portrait – A painter makes a portrait.
Burroughs: Tarzan – Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote the novel Tarzan.
Provider/Provision
Job: Salary – A job provides a salary.
Therapist: Treatment – A therapist treats patients.
Army: Defense – An army enables national defense.
Object/Function
Pencil: Write – A pencil is used to write.
Pressure: Barometer – A barometer measures pressure.
Frown: Unhappy – A frown shows unhappiness.
User/Tool
Carpenter: Hammer – A carpenter uses a hammer.
Teacher: Chalk – A teacher uses chalk.
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Farmer: Tractor – A farmer drives a tractor.
Whole/Part
Door: House – A door is part of a house.
State: Country – A country is made up of states.
Day: Month – A month consists of many days.
Category
Door: Window – Both a door and a window are parts of a house.
Thigh: Shin – Both a thigh and a shin are parts of a leg.
Measles: Mumps – Both measles and mumps are types of diseases.
Synonym or Definition
These are analogies in which both terms have a similar meaning.
Chase: Pursue – Both of these terms mean to “go after”.
Achieve: Accomplish – Both of these terms refer to the successful
attainment of a goal.
Satiate: Satisfy – Both of these terms mean to gratify a desire.
Antonym or Contrast
These are analogies in which both terms have an opposite meaning.
Disguise: Reveal – To disguise something is not to reveal it, but to
conceal it.
Peace: War – Peace is a state in which there is no war.
Forget: Remember – The word “remember” means not to forget
something.
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Intensity
These are analogies in which either one term expresses a higher
degree of something than the other term.
Exuberant: Happy – To be exuberant is to be extremely happy.
Break: Shatter – To shatter is to strongly break.
Deluge: Rain – A deluge is a heavy rain.
Using Sentences
The most commonly used strategy for solving these problems is still
the best. You should try to put the words into sentences that make it
easier to understand their meaning. The sentence doesn’t have to be
complicated.
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Many test takers are panicked when they realize they don’t know what
a word means. The key is to use what you do know. Does the
unknown word have any prefixes or suffixes that you recognize? Do
you know of any familiar words that have the same root word? You’ll
be surprised what you can determine about a word when you dissect it
appropriately.
If you aren’t able to dissect the word, there are still lots of other words
in the other answer choices that you do know and can work with.
Since there are only five choices to choose from, if you are able to
eliminate the other four, then even if you don’t know all the words in
the fifth answer choice – it must be right. Also, if you are confident
that another answer choice is correct, you can immediately move on,
without worrying about a word that you don’t know.
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Language Test
Just because you think that one of the answer choices sounds best, go
ahead and try all of them by plugging each of them into the blank(s)
and seeing which one sounds the best. The test writers will be sure to
put in additional choices that may sound “close enough,” but you want
to make sure that you pick the one that is the absolute best possible
answer choice.
Read Carefully
Apostrophes
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Possessive Nouns
2. Plural possessive nouns not ending in "s." Use 's to show that a
plural noun not ending in "s" is possessive [the children's toy].
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5. Possessive personal pronouns. Do not add an apostrophe to a
possessive pronoun [the problem is hers (not her's); the
corporation must disclose its (not it's) assets.]
Comma Errors
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for instance similarly furthermore
therefore
hence thus
Incorrect: The city must increase its tax base, however, the citizens
must be able to accept the additional tax burden.
Correct: The city must increase its tax base; however, the citizens
must be able to accept the additional tax burden.
4. Use commas to set off the year if you also identify the day [The
birth of Norma Kelly on June 2, 1974, brought the . . . .], but
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omit the commas otherwise [The birth of Norma Kelly in June
1974 brought . . . .].
Correct: The sunlight helped the flowers to grow, but they require
frequent watering in order to stay alive.
Correct: Yours is timely and mine is late.
The doctors told their patients that they had serious problems.
[Who had problems?]
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To prevent children from sucking their thumbs, some parents soak
them in tabasco sauce. [Do the parents soak the children or the
thumbs?]
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The three primary strategies for solving reference problems are: (1)
repeating the antecedent (as in the prior example); (2) re-arranging
the material to place the referent close to the antecedent; or (3) re-
arranging the material to eliminate the need for the referent. For
instance, here is another possible solution to the reference problem
above:
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However, the following indefinite pronouns are either singular or
plural, depending on the nouns or pronouns they refer to:
all
any
none
some
For example:
All [singers] are permitted . . . .
All of the money is counted . . . .
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the St. Catherine's example, the writer is probably avoiding "It treated
him with respect." That problem can usually be solved by changing
the antecedent to the humans who actually performed the action:
Every student who had already taken both courses is [not are]
excused from this requirement.
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Since a gerund or gerund phrase functions as a noun, it takes a
possessive pronoun:
We'll go to their house for the party instead of their [not them] coming
to ours.
Lack of Parallelism
Parallel structure:
Non-parallel structure:
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Now that the structure is parallel, extra words can go:
Miscellaneous Problems
This is an easy mistake to make because the correct case may sound
wrong. If so, the best solution is to add the understood verb or to re-
phrase the sentence completely to avoid the awkwardness.
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2. Use the subjective case for a pronoun that functions as the
complement of a subject. A pronoun is a subjective complement
when it actually equals the subject of the sentence. For
example, consider these two sentences:
Once again, this is an easy mistake to make because the correct case
may sound wrong. In spoken English we often hear "It's him," or "It's
me." Again, the best solution may be to reverse the sentence or to
re-phrase the sentence completely to avoid the awkwardness.
3. Use "try to" and "sure to" rather than "try and" or "sure and."
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Correct: Ms. Thompson wanted to try to finish the project by
Friday.
This rule makes sense if you think about it. The proper function of the
word "and" is to connect two different things. Thus, the "and" in the
first sentence should mean that Ms. Thompson wanted to do two
different things, but she didn't; she only wanted to do one thing –
finish the project. The same is true for the third sentence. The "and"
seems to tell the reader that the sentence is an instruction to do two
different things, but it isn't. The reader is only to do one thing – pick
up the baby.
5. Watch out for one more common error with adverbs: the
difference between "I feel bad" and "I feel badly." In the first
sentence, the writer is commenting on how she feels, either
physically (perhaps she has the flu) or emotionally (perhaps she
is sad). The first sentence is the proper use of "bad" as an
adjective.
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However, the second sentence uses "bad" in its form as an adverb.
The writer is commenting on her ability to feel; perhaps her fingers are
numb. Sometimes writers use the adverbial form "badly" when they
mean "bad," perhaps believing that "badly" sounds more elevated.
Each time "myself" is used, test the use by asking whether "I" or "me"
could substitute for "myself." If so, using "myself" is incorrect.
Incorrect: Ms. Alpha and myself will meet you for lunch.
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A topic that is hotly debated among test taking circles is whether or
not you should read the reading passages before you read the
question. One theory is that you can save time if you read the
questions first and then go back and read over the passage. Another
theory is that you should read the passage first and then go into the
questions. Both theories have their own individual merit and due to
the differences in ability and preferences among test takers, one
method may work better than another for you.
Our recommended theory is the flyover. You want to spend some time
on the passage, at a bare minimum so that you have a general idea
about what the questions are going to ask and get your mind into the
proper mindset for the series of questions. However, you don’t want
to waste too much time on reading the passage, because much of the
detail will be forgotten by the time you get to the questions anyway.
Therefore, you should fly over the passage. You should read it very
quickly for a high-level overview (hence the flyover) understanding of
what is contained in the passage.
After you’ve finished your flyover of the passage, take a few seconds
and compose a tentative mental summary of what you’ve just read.
Try to sort out the details you picked up on and arrange them into a
loose organizational pattern that describes the passage. Remember
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that your goal in the flyover is not to check it off of a test-taking list of
things to do. You want there to be some purpose behind the flyover
and having the definite goal of being able to put together a brief
mental summary will allow you to maintain some focus and gain
benefit from the flyover – as opposed to just skimming it for the sake
of skimming it without actually picking up on anything.
As you begin going through the questions and answer choices, if you
get good enough at putting together your mental summaries from
practice, you should be able to eliminate a number of answer choices
that are immediately contrary to your summary. Note, however that if
you find yourself without any good answer choices remaining (because
you’ve eliminated them all) you obviously had to have eliminated the
right answer choice. Don’t hesitate to reopen an answer choice that
you’ve already “eliminated” from consideration and reconsider it as a
possibility. If you think an answer choice contradicts your initial
summary, you’re probably right, but are not infallible.
A main focus of this flyover will be the opening and ending sentences
in each paragraph. These are likely to contain the main ideas of the
paragraphs and should be mentally tagged for future reference. Try to
remember a vague idea of what the different paragraphs are about,
because this will save you time when answering questions later.
For the most part, make sure you never try to just answer the
questions from this first flyover. Always try to go back and confirm
the answer, as your memory will play tricks on you and the writers of
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the test questions may deliberately have planted a trap for you –
remember that they don’t exactly have your best interests at heart.
Extraneous Information
Some answer choices will seem to fit in and answer the question being
asked. They might even be factually correct. Everything seems to
check out, so what could possibly be wrong?
Unless you are behind on time, always go back to the passage and
make sure that the answer choice “checks out.”
When a question asks the test taker to identify a main idea, you
should first focus on the opening and ending sentences of the passage
and each individual paragraph. If you can’t find the main idea from
these key sentences, then ask yourself how you would describe the
passage to someone who had never read it. Which words and phrases
would you use to explain the principle ideas of the passage?
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This is called “Kitchen Logic” - when you explain something the way
you would if you were talking to your friends and family, while sitting
at your kitchen table. So, when faced with identifying the main idea of
a difficult passage, make it easier on yourself by backing away from
the passage and thinking about it in terms of using easy “kitchen
logic”.
Put yourself in the shoes of the author and imagine that you wrote the
passage and try to identify what you were trying to describe and how
you were trying to describe it. If you take on the opinions and ideas
expressed by the author as your own, then it becomes easier to
answer questions that would be easy for the author to answer.
Emotional Words
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Each question will be about a different angle of the passage. For
questions asking about the author’s emotions, find words in the
passage that are adjectives describing emotions.
So, if a question asks what sort of attitude an author had towards the
passage or subject, then look throughout the passage for attitude
words that might convey a positive or negative attitude. Are words
such as brilliant, excited, delightful used, or are words such as
depressive, gloomy, disappointing used?
Example:
Question: The author’s attitude on this topic is best described as:
A. indignation
B. eagerness
C. impartiality
D. fear
E. consent
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This will help sort out the different choices and keep you from
overlooking an answer choice and making an easy mistake.
The strategy of finding certain “give-away” words does not only apply
to adjectives in questions about emotions or attitude. Many questions
about specific details will have key words that hold the “key” to finding
the right part of the passage to look in for the answer.
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you need to correctly answer the question and will allow you to be
confident in your answer choice selection.
One warning that should be made here is that often question writers
may use the exact same word or wording in their answer choices that
are used in the passage, but have done so in such a way as to mislead
you. So, simply because a particular word or phrase appears in an
answer choice and also appears exactly the same in a passage does
not make that answer choice correct. Be sure that you reread the
answer choice and consider the context that it is in, to ensure that you
are not misled by a cheap trick.
Questions that ask you to make an inference from the passage will
require you to use your own personal judgment. Anything directly
stated by the author is not an inference. You will need to understand
the main idea of the passage in order to make a proper inference
about the author’s intent and mindset.
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Applying Ideas for Generalizations
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Example:
A passage states: “He was notorious for making decisions on the spur
of the moment…”
A. evil
B. disturbed
C. famous
D. despised
E. powerful
If you knew that the most common definition for “notorious” meant
being known in an unfavorable sense, then you might be tempted to
choose choice A, “evil.”
But once you review back over the passage, choice C, “famous” fits in
better into the context of the sentence of passage. Read the sentence
again and substitute your chosen answer choice for the word it
replaces. This gives you:
““He was famous for making decisions on the spur of the moment…,”
which makes sense and is correct.
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In trying to understand the author’s perspective, you will sometimes
be asked about how the passage is organized. Many times, the
simplest way to find the answer is to note how the opening sentence in
a passage or paragraph relates to the rest of the passage. How does
the author’s main idea get developed and broken down into supporting
ideas and statements?
Example:
Question: Which of the following best describes the organization of the
author’s discussion of this topic?
A. He provides an example – Ask yourself, is there an example in
the question? Don’t work exclusively from your memory. Make
sure you can go back and actually find the example in the
passage.
B. He makes a comparison – Ask yourself, is there a comparison in
the question? Again, go back to the passage and actually find
the comparison being made and verify that it exists.
C. He makes an acknowledgement – Ask yourself, where is the
acknowledgement made and to whom?
D. He discusses a theory – Ask yourself, which theory is being
discussed?
E. He praises the research – Ask yourself, where is the praise
mentioned?
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because the author provided an example, doesn’t make choice A
correct. The example provided may have been to support a
comparison that he was making and the comparison may be the main
method of organization, which in this case would make answer choice
B correct. So always read all the answer choices and only choose the
one that is the best, not just the first one you read that is factually
correct.
When asked for main ideas that best summarize the passage, an easy
strategy is to look at the first words in each answer choice and without
looking at the rest of the answer choice, see if you could make a
decision based on those first words alone.
Example:
Question: Which of the following best explains the author’s primary
purpose?
A. dispute…
B. describe…
C. condemn…
D. convince…
E. criticize…
If you know that the passage is fairly neutral about the subject, then
even if you know nothing else, you can probably eliminate the stronger
verbs used in answer choices A, C, D and E, leaving you with
“describe” or answer choice B as being correct.
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Understanding the Intimidation
The test writers will generally choose passages that will be completely
foreign to most test takers. You can’t expect the passages to be on a
topic with which you have any familiarity. If you do happen to come
across a passage that you are familiar with, consider yourself lucky,
but don’t plan on that happening.
Also, while the topics chosen may have originally been interesting
reading in their original state, after a particular section is pulled and
used for the test passage, it will likely be dry and boring.
Getting hit by strange reading topics that you don’t recognize, of which
you may only have a small part of the original selection, and that are
dry and boring can be a bit intimidating if you’re not adequately
prepared. Just remember that the passages themselves will contain
all the information necessary to answer the questions and you don’t
need any prior knowledge of the topic in order to succeed and do well
on the test.
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Everyone reads at a different rate. It will take practice to determine
what is the optimal rate at which you can read fast and yet absorb and
comprehend the information. This is true for both the flyover that you
should initially conduct and then the subsequent reading you will have
to do as you go through and begin answering the questions. However,
on the flyover, you are looking for only a surface level knowledge and
are not trying to comprehend the minutia of details that will be
contained in the passages.
You can practice with any form of reading material. Read an article at
your normal pace and then after you’re finished, ask yourself some
questions about what you just read and see how well you can
comprehend. Experiment with reading articles faster and slower and
always gauge how well you comprehended what you read at the end.
Train your brain to remember the details and absorb the facts.
With practice, you will find the pace that you should maintain on the
test while going back through passages. It should be a comfortable
rate. This is not a speed reading exercise. If you have a good pace,
and don’t spend too much time on any question, you should have a
sufficient amount of time to read the different sections of the passages
at a comfortable rate. The two extremes you want to avoid are the
dumbfounded mode, in which you are lip reading every word
individually and mouthing each word as though in a stupor, and the
overwhelmed mode, where you are panicked and are buzzing back and
forth through the passage in a frenzy and not comprehending
anything.
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You must find your own pace that is relaxed and focused, allowing you
to have time for every question and give you optimal comprehension.
Note that you are looking for optimal comprehension, not maximum
comprehension. If you spent hours on each word and memorized the
passage, you would have maximum comprehension. That isn’t the
goal though, you want to optimize how much you comprehend with
how much time you spend reading. Practice will allow you to
determine that optimal rate.
Don’t be a Perfectionist
If you are working on a problem and you’ve got your answer split
between two possible answer choices, and you’re going back through
the passage and reading it over and over again in order to decide
between the two, you can be in one of the most frustrating situations
possible. You feel that if you just spent one more minute on the
problem, that you would be able to figure the right answer out and
decide between the two. Watch out! You can easily get so absorbed
in that problem that you loose track of time, get off track and end up
spending the rest of the test playing catch up because of all the
wasted time, which may leave you rattled and cause you to miss even
more questions that you would have otherwise.
Therefore, unless you will only be satisfied with a perfect score and
your abilities are in the top .1% strata of test takers, you should not
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go into the test with the mindset that you’ve got to get every question
right. It is far better to accept that you will have to guess on some
questions and possibly get them wrong and still have time for every
question, than to work on every problem until you’re absolutely
confident in your answer and then run out of time on the last few
problems.
When you are going through the answer choices and one jumps out for
being factually correct, watch out. Before you mark it as your answer
choice, first make sure that you go back to the question and confirm
that the answer choice answers the question being asked.
Different Viewpoints
For most passages, that would be fine, but when other viewpoints
besides the author’s are expressed, you have to discern who is
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expressing their opinion in the passage. Make sure that if multiple
individuals are giving their viewpoint on a topic, that you sort them out
for any questions and associate the right viewpoint with the right
individual.
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Getting Ready For Test Day
You’re all set to take your HSPT! Now here are a few things to
remember for test day:
Get there early. Know exactly where the test will be held and how you
will get yourself there. Pay attention to traffic reports so that you can
compensate for any unexpected issues on the road. Leaving early will
mean that you’ll be more relaxed; red traffic lights won’t raise your
stress level, and you won’t be pulled over by the first officer who has
to fill his speeding ticket quota. And most importantly, you’ll have
time to use the rest room.
Give yourself a massage! Rub your head, neck and shoulders. Place
your hand over your heart while taking a very slow, deep breath.
Stay on track. Remember, you don’t want to rush, you only want to
perform in a timely manner. Although there are time restrictions, if
you misread direction, accidentally fill in the wrong answer-choice, or
think illogically due to rushing, it won’t be worth all the time you save.
Remember, haste makes waste! Also, keep in mind that incorrect
answers don’t count against you, so you can always guess at any
answers that you are unsure of. Remember, an educated guess is
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better than no guess at all! Moving through a test methodically and
efficiently will likely mean that you’ll have more time at the end than if
you were to rush and stumble, or dawdle over questions that you’re
struggling with.
Most importantly (at least to your sanity), remember that once it’s
over, it’s over. Clear your mind of it, because you did your best. Go
treat yourself to a hot chocolate or an ice cream cone, catch a movie
with some friends and relax!
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Post HSPT
After the HSPT, when you’ve had the time to rest and relax from the
stress you put your brain through, take the time to critically evaluate
your test performance. This will help you gain valuable insight into
how you performed, what sort of score you should be expecting (and
therefore what schools will be within your scope for application) and
the sort of mindset you’ll be expected to utilize when you’re actually in
school.
This doesn’t mean that you should begin a session of “if only I’d…” or
“I shouldn’t have…” This will only depress you. The point of this
exercise is to keep you grounded, open minded and optimistic.
Soon enough, you’ll receive your score, and the applications will start
rolling out. Make it an organized procedure, keeping as prepared and
informed as you were with your HSPT, and this will only lead to a
bright, successful career in your future!
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