When guessing is faster than solving on the SAT and ACT math sections.
Math
Get out of your head for success on the SAT
A lot of my students try to solve problems in their head. Especially math problems. This is a bad idea. Short-term memory is the first to go under pressure. And the SAT is exquisitely designed to short-circuit your short-term memory. Write out *every step* of the math solution. Here’s an example of one of my […]
SAT Secrets From a Top Scorer
What does it take to get a top score? I was chatting with a former student recently about his amazing jump in SAT scores. He said he changed his mindset. In Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To, Sian Beilock proposes that people have one of […]
SAT math strategy: First check the refrigerator…
SAT math strategy: First figure out what numbers are available before you jump in to solve the problem.
Using a "ruler" on the SAT
(Post updated: Nov 10, 2018) Whoa! Since when can you use a ruler on the SAT? Well, you can’t use a traditional ruler, but you can use the edge of your paper like a ruler. Let me show you how it works. What is the area of the square? Well, we can measure it using […]
"How do I improve my SAT math score?"
This is a favorite question from my students. Here’s the short answer. These are the most frequently tested topics in the SAT math section. (These were pulled from the 540 math questions in the Blue Book.) Start by focusing on basic algebra, functions (Phillip Keller’s The New Math SAT Game Plan has one of the […]