McGraw-Hill's PSAT/NMSQT [Paperback]

Christopher Black (Author), Mark Anestis (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071454128 | ISBN-13: 978-0071454124 | Publication Date: August 22, 2005 | Edition: 1

Ace the test with help from this expert guide to the PSAT and NMSQT

If you are a high school sophomore or junior, you will probably be taking the PSAT (pre-SAT) this year. More than a measurement tool to gauge your readiness and skill level for the SAT, this test also determines whether you qualify for the National Merit Scholarship program. Employing the reasoning skills successfully used in McGraw-Hill’s SAT I for the new SAT exam, McGraw-Hill’s PSAT/NMSQT gives you the edge you need to ace this test.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Master the essential skills to get your best score on the PSAT/NMSQT

The PSAT/ NMSQT is the official launch of your academic career, as well as a test run for the SAT and qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program. McGraw-Hill’s PSAT/NMSQT will give you the expert-developed, all-important test-taking skills to carry you through the SATs, college exams, and beyond. Designed to develop your command of the 8 critical reasoning skills—the very skills the PSAT is constructed to measure—this book will help you out-think the test and find the right answers even for unfamiliar question types.

McGraw-Hill’s PSAT/NMSQT includes a complete introduction to, and explanation of, the PSAT, with an analysis of all the crucial subject areas -- math, critical reading, and vocabulary. It also features a full description of the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying program–and what score you need on the test to qualify!

McGraw-Hill’s PSAT/NMSQT is the only test-prep guide to include:

• Diagnostic tests that pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses
• 5 full-length sample PSATs fully adapted to the new exam
• Techniques to develop the essential critical reasoning skills you need to analyze questions and come up with the correct answers
• College Hill’s breakthrough method for increasing your score

About the Author

Christopher Black, MA, is the founder of College Hill Coaching and co-author of McGraw-Hill’s SAT I.

Mark Anestis, MA, is co-author of McGraw-Hill’s SAT I, and author of 5 Steps to a 5 on the AP Biology Exam.

College Hill Coaching provides high-quality academic tutoring and standardized test preparation, and is one of the foremost providers of individualized tutoring services in the United States.

Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (August 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071454128
• ISBN-13: 978-0071454124
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #883,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Since 1990, Chris Black has been the Director of College Hill Coaching in Greenwich, CT, a company that has provided private tutorial to thousands of students in high school and college. Widely recognized as one of the foremost authorities on the SAT, Black has appeared on ABC, CBS, and MSNBC, and has written 5 of the top-selling books on SAT and PSAT preparation. He is also a sought-after consulting editor in mathematics, science, and writing for a wide range of textbook publishers. An avid runner and reader, Black is a devoted husband to Liz and father to Sarah and Anna.

All of Black's instructional books are based on the College Hill Method, recognized as one of the most potent methods for improving critical reasoning and active learning skills.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very effective and very clear, April 22, 2006

By 

Carl DeVarona (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: McGraw-Hill's PSAT/NMSQT (Paperback)

I am astonished that this book costs less than the Princeton Review PSAT book, but is twice as big and twice as useful!!! I am a 20-year high school teacher in the Chicago suburbs who also tutors students for the SAT, ACT and PSAT, and this is hands down the most effective tool for tutors and students who are willing to do some serious work preparing for the PSAT. Don't be fooled-the PSAT is important, even though it's a practice SAT, because it is used to determine who qualifies for National Merit Scholarships.

The authors of this book, Christopher Black and Mark Anestis, clearly understand how students learn, what mistakes they commonly make, and how to explain difficult concepts in a way that kids can understand. (Princeton Review and the others don't even pretend that they can improve students' reading or math skills, and so they don't.) Even better, "McGraw-Hill's PSAT" provides tone of practice for students who want to work on improving their reasoning skills, and plenty of diagnostic tests with substantial answer explanations.

Whather you are a parent, a student or a tutor, you will want to use this book.

Black and Anestis get it exactly right in this book: the PSAT and SAT are not simply tests of "how well you know how do take multiple choice tests" (as the Princeton Review claims ad nauseum). It's a test of reasoning skills, and only students who improve those reasoning skills can hope to see great PSAT or SAT score improvements. I've been using this book for a full year, and my students have improved their scores by an average of close to 100 points per section (or 10 points per section on the PSAT). Of course, I'm willing to take a certain amount of that credit, but I don't think it would be nearly as easy without this book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm Buying Another Copy, August 10, 2006

By 

Jon Breyer (Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: McGraw-Hill's PSAT/NMSQT (Paperback)

I am a rising senior who used this book last year, and now I'm buying a copy for my little brother. I like the new blog: it's really helpful to students like me who have a tough time staying "in the loop" about the SAT. In my case, this is because I am home-schooled. Thanks to this book I achieved a score of 72 critical reading, 76 math and 80 writing.

I also wanted to echo the sentiments of the previous reviewer and say that Mr. Black, the author, was very generous with his time and has personally given me excellent advice that helped me enormously in my preparation for the SAT and in taking the SAT Subject Tests and GED. I contacted him through his website, and did not expect a personal reply but was very pleased to get one.

Even if Mr. Black were not so generous with his time and encouragement, I would still recommend this book of all the available PSAT guides. I have spent a great deal in the library looking through the different books, and I have found this one to be far more thorough than the others.

Also, I disagree completely with the reviewer who said that this book was "pro-Bush." I think that claim is just bizarre and I would be interested to know why he/she thinks that. I think it's very odd to read that kind of thing into a book that does not discuss politics at all. I guess he'she means that some of the reading excerpts are political in nature, and some have a conservative bias while others have a very liberal bent. I think that is a very good thing, not a bad thing. I also think it is silly to suggest that this reveals a bias on the part of the author.

In short: many thanks for a very helpful book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From a Tutor's Perspective: A Great Choice, August 10, 2006

By 

Richard Barisi (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: McGraw-Hill's PSAT/NMSQT (Paperback)

As someone who has tutored students for the PSAT and SAT for over 15 years, I must commend the authors of "McGraw-Hill's PSAT" for a truly excellent book. It is extremely well-written and is far more useful to my students than the alternatives by Barron's, Princeton Review and Kaplan.

In contrast to the previous reviewer, I have found the critical reading portion of this book to be exceptionally well written. The previous reviewer seems to believe that the author has a conservative bias, but this shows rather weak critical thinking skills on the part of the reviewer (his claim of an 80 critical reading notwithstanding). I have read this book thoroughly, since I must have a solid recall of the book in its entirety in order to use it effectively with my students, and I can assure any reader that there is no political bias on the part of the author. In fact, the previous reviewer would do well to read the passages on pages 13 and 23 again, and to claim, with a straight face, that they reveal a conservative bias on the part of the authors. The previous reviewer seems instead to have focused on the excerpt from an essay by James Schlesinger on page 24, which is presented as a counterbalance to the more "liberal" argument about global warming with which it is juxtaposed. The previous reviewer seems to be unable to differentiate the excerpted opinions of a national pundit with the views of the authors. In fact, I commend the authors highly for including such politically intriguing viewpoints. That is what a good book SHOULD do, not simply parrot the point of view any particular reader may favor.

I should point out that, in the authors' larger book, "McGraw-Hill's SAT I," they expand on the idea of playing "devil's advocate" as an essential critical reading and writing skill, and I have used this approach with great success with my own students. The previous reviewer would do well to understand this approach, instead of cursing every argument that disputes his bias.

I actually found one of the authors (Christopher Black) to be very accessible, and had a very pleasant exchange with him contacting him through his website, and have found him to have a very level-headed and thoughtful approach to preparing students for college-level critical thinking and for standardized tests like the SAT and SAT Subject Tests.

I STRONGLY recommend this book to any tutor or student who wishes to take a serious approach to a tough test like the PSAT, particularly those who are tired of the "test-taking tricks" approach so popular in the SAT-prep franchises.