Please note: the schedule can be altered to suit the learner and his/her family.  The listed dates and times are suggestions.

We will discuss preparation and testing strategies drawn from major print guides (Peterson's, McGraw-Hill, Princeton Review, College Board, etc.).  We will focus on exercises and discussions that improve student scores by addressing such issues as maximizing time, understanding what you've read, and how to approach unfamiliar vocabulary.

Each class will include both direct instruction and student feedback as we discuss strategies and review exercises.

Students do not need any prior experience in test prep; I will seek to improve each student beyond his or her current readiness.

Weeks 1-2: Discussion of the format of the PSAT test, including scoring; learning general strategies to approach passages, maximizing chances of answering correctly, and utilizing time efficiently.  We will also discuss mindset, general study skills, and ways to broaden working vocabulary.

Weeks 3-6: Reading strategies.  How to approach a variety of passage types, focusing first on science and social science passages; what it means to be an active reader and how to put this into practice; focusing on key details and managing each question type; practicing these strategies.  

Weeks 7-10: English strategies.  Discussion of the rules of punctuation, parallelism, subject-verb agreement, idioms, and modifiers; practicing these strategies.  Discussion of the rules of sentence structure, clauses, fragments, run-ons; discussion of tone and style; discussion of questions dealing with organization, unity, clarity, and cohesiveness; practicing these strategies.

Weeks 11 and 12: overall review and practice.

Practice test sections will typically be assigned for homework; we will review them the following class.