I’ve had a couple of instances this week where my students blindly grab their calculators, start punching in numbers, and then announce the answer without running it by their gray matter. While I wouldn’t want to tackle the entire SAT math section without my calculator, the College Board asserts that all the questions can be […]
Strategy
The Trick for Finding Interior Angles of Wonky* Shapes
Can you find x? My students know if they can figure out this angle, they’ll be able to solve for x (by finding their way around the geometry section in 180 degrees.) But here they get stumped. How do you figure out how many interior degrees there are in wonky shapes? 180 degrees comes to […]
Around the Geometry Section in 180 degrees
Just as Phileas Fogg made it around the world in 80 days, you can navigate around the Geometry section using just 180 degrees. Here’s how: Around the problem in 180 degrees Knowing these two rules can unlock many esoteric questions. There are 180 degrees in a straight line. There are 180 degrees in a triangle. Let’s […]
Quick and Dirty SAT Math Shortcuts
The SAT math section is not a straightforward math test. Yes, it does test your math skills, but mostly it tests your math skills under intense time pressure. So you need to be able to find the right answer in the shortest amount of time possible. Often, this means not solving out problems like you […]
This is the Way to Bubble the SAT!
[Note: this posts refers to the old SAT. But the same technique still applies to new SAT. However, you don’t want to leave any questions blank. When I don’t know the answer to a question, I mark it with an X in the test booklet and mark an “A” on the answer sheet when I’m […]
What Subjects Should I Study for SAT Math?
I get this question all the time. Students, rightfully so, want to know where they’ll get the most bang for their buck. Here’s an analysis of all the questions in the Blue Book. (Click on the chart for a larger view.)