Synopses & Reviews
Your ticket to the private school of your choice
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, the most up-to-date information on the tests, hundreds of practice questions, six full-length practice tests (three of each test and all with detailed answer explanations), and solid test-taking advice.
Pave the way to success get an overview of the SSAT and ISEE, what's on each exam, the different levels available, how to register for an exam, and ways you can prepare for test day
Read all about it gear up for the verbal, reading, and essay sections with a vocabulary primer that includes word lists, plus review and practice for reading comprehension and essay writing
Talk up verbal reasoning dig into analogy and synonym questions by looking for clues and finding relationships between words, and brush up on sentence completion questions
Demystify math take a tour of the math concepts you'll need to know, like arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and word problems
Practice makes perfect take six full-length practice tests that model the real exams (complete with answers and explanations)
Open the book and find:
What skills the SSAT & ISEE test for and how the tests are scored
Study skills and techniques that apply to all portions of either test
Plain-English explanations of the verbal and reading sections
200 vocabulary terms defined
How to pick out roots, prefixes, and suffixes in vocabulary words
Ways to plan out and write a winning essay
Math strategies that work
Practice problems in arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and word problems
Ten ways to calm your nerves on test day
Learn to:
Ace the math sections with ease
Analyze reading passages using trusted tips and tricks
Master the most common vocabulary words
Prepare for the requirements of each test with problems, exercises, drills, and practice exams
Synopsis
Your ticket to the private school of your choiceThe 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.
About the Author
Vince Kotchian is an elite test-prep tutor and admissions consultant who has helped hundreds of students get into the schools of their choice. Curt Simmons is a professional educator and freelance writer who has authored several test-prep titles on a variety of topics, including many For Dummies titles.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1Part I: Paving the Way to Private School: Introducing the SSAT and ISEE 5
Chapter 1: Getting to Know the SSAT and ISEE 7
Chapter 2: Picking Up Study Skills and Techniques for Testing Success 19
Part II: Ramping Up for the Verbal, Reading, and Essay Sections 25
Chapter 3: Defining Your Vocabulary Skills 27
Chapter 4: Talking Up Verbal Reasoning 41
Chapter 5: Practicing Verbal Reasoning 53
Chapter 6: Comprehending Reading Comprehension 75
Chapter 7: Practicing Reading Comprehension 87
Chapter 8: Writing a Winning Essay 101
Chapter 9: Practicing Writing Essays 111
Part III: Tackling the Math Sections 117
Chapter 10: Adding Up Arithmetic 119
Chapter 11: Practicing Arithmetic 133
Chapter 12: Acing Algebra 147
Chapter 13: Practicing Algebra 159
Chapter 14: Jamming with Geometry 173
Chapter 15: Practicing Geometry 187
Chapter 16: Cracking Word Problems and Quantitative Comparisons 205
Part IV: SSAT Practice Exams 213
Chapter 17: SSAT Upper Level Practice Exam 215
Chapter 18: Answers to SSAT Upper Level Practice Exam 243
Chapter 19: SSAT Lower Level Practice Exam 1 255
Chapter 20: Answers to SSAT Lower Level Practice Exam 1 283
Chapter 21: SSAT Lower Level Practice Exam 2 295
Chapter 22: Answers to SSAT Lower Level Practice Exam 2 323
Part V: ISEE Practice Exams337
Chapter 23: ISEE Upper Level Practice Exam 339
Chapter 24: Answers to ISEE Upper Level Practice Exam 371
Chapter 25: ISEE Middle Level Practice Exam 387
Chapter 26: Answers to ISEE Middle Level Practice Exam 419
Chapter 27: ISEE Lower Level Practice Exam 431
Chapter 28: Answers to ISEE Lower Level Practice Exam 457
Part VI: The Part of Tens 469
Chapter 29: Ten Tips for Test Day 471
Chapter 30: Ten Ways to Calm Your Nerves 475
Index 479