The Foreign Service Journal, December 2021

90 DECEMBER 2021 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT 3. The reading material is unfamiliar and/or presented in an unusual format. Technique —Mark the questions before reading the passage. On the SAT Reading test, mark in the passage any line or paragraph references mentioned in the question stems. Mark the “paired questions” (unique to the SAT—two sets of answer choices for the same question stem) so you can answer them efficiently. On the Writing and Language section, draw a line between the question stem and its corresponding number in the text. On the ACT Reading test, look at the questions first, as well. The computer text replaces line references with highlights, and you can use the highlight function to identify key words in the question. Use the flag function to identify questions you want to answer first or avoid. 4. The math questions are in order of difficulty and not sorted by content. Technique —Do the test in your own personal order, not the order the test makers give you. On the SAT Math section, before you answer any questions, skim through the entire multiple-choice section, marking each question N (for now), L (for later) and X (for never), depending on your personal preferences. With practice, you can do this in five seconds (or less!) per question; it will give you an efficient guide. Top Test-Taker Tip —Since the Grid-In In the Reading section, since three of the choices are wrong, attacking the answers— figuring out what’s wrong—is the correct strategy. Continued from page 84