Although the content of the SAT math has been presented to students by the end of, if not mid, junior year, this unique timed test poses a difficulty to many students. Many find that both the questions AND the answers are structured in an unfamiliar way. Some struggle with word problems or logical analysis that is the basis of so many questions. A frequent difficulty is that some of the information tested was last thought about somewhere between the 6th to 8th grade. The SAT also often requires students to know EXACT math definitions, also sometimes long forgotten. Lastly, and what can be a problem for even high-achieving math students, "careless" errors can really kill a score. Need some advice?
1. Prepare. If nothing else, sign up for the college board Question of the Day. There's even an app for that! You must familiarize yourself with content matter, as well as how questions are asked, before the test. Also, find out how to use the structure of the test to your advantage. A little preparation will go a long way. A lot of preparation will help you achieve your goal.
2. Practice the timing, so you will know if this is an issue for you. A full length SAT practice test is available for free! Print it out. Don't cheat and do it online - print it, sit down with your number 2 pencil, set your timer, and pretend it's a real test. If you can't set aside 3 hours and 20 minutes of uninterrupted time, do it section by section, paying strict attention to the timing of each section. Make yourself comfortable with skipping questions. Be mindful that you must keep alignment on your answer sheet, and it is best to keep track of questions skipped in your test booklet. You don't want to be the kid freaking out and erasing like crazy because you mis-bubbled a whole column of answers. But good timing is more than that. Are you "taking the long way" to answer ALL the questions? Are you relying on your calculator too much? Could back-solving, estimating, setting proportions, substituting real numbers, using your units,... help you? For some problems, there are strategies to lessen time consuming step by step analysis. For other problems, the step by step analysis is the best way to consistently get the right answer. Practice solving problems via alternate methods so you are familiar and comfortable using what ever strategy is quickest for you on test day.
3. Through PREPARING and PRACTICING you will uncover the topics you may have long forgotten. Working with fractions, percentage problems, prime numbers, rules of exponents, greatest common factors and least common multiples are among some of the prevalent stumbling blocks within the "easier" of the math content. Review what you need to.
4. Careless errors are addressed in a separate post on this page, with steps listed to overcome them. You must be ruthless in attacking them! They can steal more points than most will admit. But come test time - they add up whether you admit it or not. In your practice, when you see you got a wrong answer, and roll your eyes when you see the answer - don't just say - "I knew that". Analyze what you did wrong. Was it a sign error? A copying error? Mental math error? Was your handwriting too sloppy to read? These are all "real" errors and cost you "real" points. Learning that you MAKE these mistakes (just like I make those mistakes too), and more importantly, HOW TO CATCH THEM (here is where I, personally, conquer them), will be key.
If you need help or more advice, please contact me. I address all of these, and more, and have been successful at helping students raise their SAT math score. I build skill and confidence by strengthening the fundamentals, as well as go over test taking tips and strategies, so you can maximize your score. Without a long term contract or "boxed" course, we will personalize a plan for you.
1. Prepare. If nothing else, sign up for the college board Question of the Day. There's even an app for that! You must familiarize yourself with content matter, as well as how questions are asked, before the test. Also, find out how to use the structure of the test to your advantage. A little preparation will go a long way. A lot of preparation will help you achieve your goal.
2. Practice the timing, so you will know if this is an issue for you. A full length SAT practice test is available for free! Print it out. Don't cheat and do it online - print it, sit down with your number 2 pencil, set your timer, and pretend it's a real test. If you can't set aside 3 hours and 20 minutes of uninterrupted time, do it section by section, paying strict attention to the timing of each section. Make yourself comfortable with skipping questions. Be mindful that you must keep alignment on your answer sheet, and it is best to keep track of questions skipped in your test booklet. You don't want to be the kid freaking out and erasing like crazy because you mis-bubbled a whole column of answers. But good timing is more than that. Are you "taking the long way" to answer ALL the questions? Are you relying on your calculator too much? Could back-solving, estimating, setting proportions, substituting real numbers, using your units,... help you? For some problems, there are strategies to lessen time consuming step by step analysis. For other problems, the step by step analysis is the best way to consistently get the right answer. Practice solving problems via alternate methods so you are familiar and comfortable using what ever strategy is quickest for you on test day.
3. Through PREPARING and PRACTICING you will uncover the topics you may have long forgotten. Working with fractions, percentage problems, prime numbers, rules of exponents, greatest common factors and least common multiples are among some of the prevalent stumbling blocks within the "easier" of the math content. Review what you need to.
4. Careless errors are addressed in a separate post on this page, with steps listed to overcome them. You must be ruthless in attacking them! They can steal more points than most will admit. But come test time - they add up whether you admit it or not. In your practice, when you see you got a wrong answer, and roll your eyes when you see the answer - don't just say - "I knew that". Analyze what you did wrong. Was it a sign error? A copying error? Mental math error? Was your handwriting too sloppy to read? These are all "real" errors and cost you "real" points. Learning that you MAKE these mistakes (just like I make those mistakes too), and more importantly, HOW TO CATCH THEM (here is where I, personally, conquer them), will be key.
If you need help or more advice, please contact me. I address all of these, and more, and have been successful at helping students raise their SAT math score. I build skill and confidence by strengthening the fundamentals, as well as go over test taking tips and strategies, so you can maximize your score. Without a long term contract or "boxed" course, we will personalize a plan for you.
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