How to Ace the SAT in Three Weeks Part 4: Math

Format

The Math section is divided into two 25-minute sessions and one 20-minute session, for a total of 44 multiple choice and 10 grid-in questions.  The questions in each section are presented in the order of difficulty.

Preparation Materials

• Official SAT Study Guide
• Casio fx-300MS Scientific Calculator

Guide

The Math section loosely touches upon four major concepts:

1. Numbers and Operations
2. Algebra and Functions
3. Geometry and Measurement
4. Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability

Unlike the Math II Subject Test, the Math section on the Logic and Reasoning test requires very little memorization of facts and formulas.  If you’ve paid attention in math class, you should have the necessary knowledge to work out the questions.  The trick is to be familiar with the types of questions commonly asked on the test and learn how to solve them efficiently.  Rather than going over all the individual topics or reiterating general test-taking strategies, this post will cover some of the idiosyncrasies of the exam and how you can exploit them.

Test Tips

1.     Keep the Calculations Simple

Absolutely every question can be done without a calculator.   Although you should bring one to the test anyways to prevent computational mistakes, it’s a good idea to do some practice tests without a calculator.  The advantage is twofold:  first, you get to practice your mental math, and second, not having a calculator forces you to solve the question in a simple manner.  Most questions can be solved very quickly with the proper method, and being comfortable with these shortcuts rather than relying on your calculator will save you valuable time on your test.

2.     Plug in (C) First

An interesting tidbit about the Math section is the order in which the answers are presented.  When the choices given are numerical (which they usually are), they are listed from smallest to largest.  So, if you can’t instantly figure out how to do a problem and decide to resort to good-old guess-and-check, start off with the middle choice, (C).  If the answer is too big or too small, you’ve also eliminated two more of the options!  However, working backwards like this typically makes the question take more time than it should.  It’s not something you should become dependent on, but it’s a useful tool to have in your arsenal.

3.     Swap Variables for Numbers to Confirm Your Answers, Not to Do the Questions

A common math test-taking strategy is to plug in simple numbers into variables and solve all the answers to find the correct solution.  This is a very useful problem-solving technique when the relationship between the variables is difficult to grasp; however, this isn’t the case for the algebra you’ll encounter on this test.  Write out the algebraic relationships and solve them using the variables given, rather than wasting precious time plugging in numbers into multiple solutions.  Once you’ve attained the answer, go ahead and plug in an arbitrary number for confirmation.

4.     Don’t Reduce Fractions

On grid-in responses, it’s completely unnecessary to simplify fractions.  You don’t want to introduce any room for error that you can avoid, so just write out your fraction as it is.  If it doesn’t fit in the grid, divide it and round the decimal.

5.     Label the Diagrams

When you’re given a diagram and the answer isn’t instantly obvious, start by labelling the information on the diagram.  You want to get a clear picture of what you know and what you don’t know, and completing the diagram makes it easier to visualize the solution.  If you’re given a question without a diagram that is related to geometry or measurement, a quick sketch can go a long way.

Preparation Techniques

1.     Time Your Practice Tests

Like the rest of the SAT, it’s imperative that you get some practice under your belt.  However, with the Math section, it’s especially important to time your tests.  Math is the easiest section to make careless mistakes, and if you’re rushing to finish, things can get ugly.  Although you want to have time to check all your work thoroughly, this might not be a reasonable goal unless you’re a very swift mathematician.  At the very minimum, you want to be confident that you can finish each section five minutes ahead of time.

2.     Keep Your School Notes Handy

If you find that you need to brush up on some of the material, take out your old school notes and review them rather than simply leafing through a study guide.  Study guides can be useful for pinpointing the specific topics on the test, but they often present the information in ways that are unnecessarily confusing and miss out on key associations needed for deeper understanding of the material.  Most importantly, reviewing something that you’ve written yourself is a much better refresher than reading someone else’ explanations.

This is part 4 of my article series, How to Ace the SAT in Three Weeks. Click below to read the rest of the series.

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Critical Reading, Sentence Completion

Part 3: Critical Reading, Passage-based Reading

Part 4: Math

Part 5: Writing, Multiple Choice

Part 6: Writing, Essay