SAT Prep Black Book by Mike Barrett - Math Training
Hidden test design patterns of SAT Math questions
Hidden test design patterns of SAT Math questions.
1. The hidden patterns have to do with using the answer choices to help you determine the most
efficient ways to answer questions and check your work.
a. DO not make stupid, small mistakes.
2. You will find that some of the answer choice patterns can be easily identified before you start
working on a question.
Pre-solution patterns:
1. These patterns reflect relationships in the answer choice that we can notice before we have even
tried to attack the question.
Hidden pattern 1: Halves and doubles
a. Very often, one of the wrong answer choices will be twice as much as the right answer, or
half as much as the right answer.
i. Often found when multiplying or dividing by 2, but can also be found in other
questions.
b. BUT Remember that this pattern is an indication that you are probably right, not a
confirmation that you are definitely right.
i. Be very aware of this useful pattern, but do not rely on it exclusively to pick an
answer.
ii. If you find a question like this, then pay extra attention to what you are doing and
the answer choice you have picked.
Hidden patterns 2: Opposites
1. You will sometimes encounter answer choices that are opposite of other choices for the same
question.
a. Example: 9 and − 9, or 13 and −13
2. Might confuse an answer because you have forgotten to take into consideration the negative
signs.
3. It is more for the answer choice to be one of the opposites than for it to be an answer choice
whose opposite is not present in the other choices.
4. Types of opposites to look out for: If you see this pattern in a set of answer choices, you
should be especially careful to double check your work for any mistake that could result in
choosing the opposite of the correct answer.
a. A pair of choices that are reciprocals of one another.
b. A pair of choices that include commonly confused concepts, such as sine and cosine.
c. A pair of choices that could be thought of as complements or supplements of one another,
such as 35 degrees and 55 degrees, or 20% and 80%.
5. As with any pattern in the answer choices, seeing a pair of opposites does not guarantee that one
fo the opposites is correct, but noticing this pattern can often help alert you to potential mistakes
that you must fix.
Hidden pattern 3: The first and last terms in a series are often wrong answers.
1. Sometimes the answer choices in a math question will include a series.
2. The college board seems to include series in the answer choices in hopes that you will make a
mistake and repeat a step in the solution one time too many or too few.
3. When a series is involved in the answer choices, we will typically find that the correct answer is
not the first or last number in the series.
a. The correct answer is usually near the middle of the series in order to allow you to make
a mistake in either direction and still find a wrong answer that reflects your mistake.
b. It is not an unbreakable rule.
Hidden pattern 4: Wrong answers try to imitate right answers.
1. The CB likes to create wrong answers that incorporate elements of correct answers to make it
harder for you to eliminate answer choices on the basis of a partial solution.
a. All answers may begin in the same way, however each answer choice will immediately
begin to differ.
2. Similarly, if you are having trouble deciding how to start attacking a question, then an expression
or idea that appears often in the answer choices can give you a hint about how to set up your
solution.
a. For example, if most or all of the choices involve dividing by 3, that is a strong hint that a
correct solution will involve dividing by 3.
3. Noticing this kind of imitation among the answer choices can also help remind you to stay sharp
and avoid any mistakes related to the common elements of the choices.
a. It can help you identify the harder parts of the question, the mistakes the CB is expecting
you to make, and how each answer ́s procedure changes.
POST SOLUTION PATTERNS:
1. They can usually only be identified with certainty after we have done some calculations for a
particular question.
a. Some of the pre solution patterns might also only be noticeable after you have finished
the solution.
Hidden pattern 5: Right approach, wrong step.
1. One of the ways that the SAT will try to confuse you is by giving you a problem that involves
multiple steps, and making one of the wrong answers a number that you would get if you
attempted a valid solution but then accidentally stopped after one of the earlier steps, before your
solution was complete.
2. Because this type of wrong answer is actually a number that you find in the process of solving the
math problem, seeing it can reassure you that you have approached the question correctly.
3. This wrong answer pattern is an important reminder that you always need to read SAT Math
questions extremely carefully, to be sure that the answer you select is actually what the question
asks for, and not just a number you find on the way to the real answer.
Hidden pattern 6: The right answer to the wrong question.
1. This answer pattern takes advantage of situations where the test taker gets mixed up about what
the question is asking, either through carelles reading or through losing track of the steps in a
question.
a. A classic example:
i. When a question about the area of a figure includes an answer choice that is the
perimeter of the figure.
1. This is the right answer to the wrong question.
2. When you think an answer choice is following this pattern, you should check to make extra sure
that you have identified the answer choice that actually reflects what the prompt is asking for.
Recommended math plan
Recommended math plan:
1. The math plan is a set of guidelines to help you figure out how to attack tough questions.
Math plan:
1. Read the prompt carefully and identify what the prompt is asking for:
a. This can be a big problem if not handled well.
b. Most of what we do on the Math sections will depend on our ability to notice key phrases
and details in each question.
c. If you know the meanings of every word and concept, then you know enough math to be
able to answer that question.
d. At some point, the prompt will indicate the exact thing that will make up the correct
answer.
i. We need to make sure we know what the question is asking us to figure out
because this will direct all our other decisions as we work on the question.
1. They put the right answer for the wrong question.
e. It is highly unlikely that two consecutive questions would ask you to solve the same kind
of problem, so it is fundamental to know what type of question they are asking.
2. Consider diagrams, if there are any:
a. Two questions you should ask yourself when diagrams are included:
i. Are any dimensions of the diagram left out of the diagrama itself but
included in the underneath it?
1. The first step in the solution is to see if any dimension is left out of the
diagram itself but included in the text of the question.
ii. Is the diagrama drawn to scale?
1. If a diagram is drawn to scale, we can sometimes answer the question
just by looking at the diagram itself and using its scale to eliminate
choices that are obviously too large or too small.
3. Read and analyze the answer choices, if there are any:
a. So many questions become so much easier to answer when we consider the answer
choices as part of the question from the very beginning.
i. Remember that the CB likes to play little games in the answer choices.
ii. Look over the answer choices and see what kind of options the SAT is giving
you.
1. Try to figure out why the test is presenting the answer choices that way.
a. Look at the values in the choices, but also look at the
relationships among those value, and try to think about how
those relationships might be important to the question.
b. It is important to remember that every SAT math question can be answered in less than 30
seconds each if we are really on our game.
i. Think about how the answer choices relate to the question from the very
beginning.
c. Make a quick mental note of the similarities, differences, and other relationships
among the answer choices:
i. Avoid making mistakes that reflect the wrong choice of attacking the question.
ii. Sometimes, the CB provides wrong answers that reflect simple mistakes in
reading or calculation, other times, the mistakes may reflect more fundamental
errors, like confusing terminologies and concepts.
iii. Comparing answer choices is helpful.
1. Noticing the similarities can help us realize which math concepts are
likely to be involved in the ideal approach to the question.
a. Help us identify crucial parts of questions and answers, and
potential approaches.
2. Noticing the differences can help us realize what kinds of simple
mistakes the CB thinks an untrained test taker would be likely to make.
a. Can help us identify the parts in which we have to put extra
attention into not messing up.
3. Noticing other relationships can make us aware of the best ways to
approach a question, and help alert us to specific issues for that
question.
a. You will have an idea of what you should do to answer the
question.
4. Think about which areas of math might be involved:
a. By this point, you should have a pretty good idea of which specific math terms and
concepts are mentioned in the question.
b. The solution to a question can only involve concepts that are immediately related to the
concepts in the question.
c. When we do not know how to answer a question, we should not panic and start recalling
every single math concept we know, instead we want to narrow our focus and confine our
thought process to two types of ideas:
i. The concepts mentioned directly in the question
ii. The concepts that are directly related to the concepts mentioned in the
question.
1. For example: if a question involves words like degrees and radius and
center, then it must be a question about circles, and the SAT is only
allowed to ask us about a limited set of circle related concepts.
d. If necessary, identify the bridge concepts that connect what the prompt is asking for
the ideas you have found in the question.
i. In some situations, the math concepts that you have noticed in the question may
not directly address what the prompt asked you to find in the first place.
1. See if a proposed idea leads into another,
2. See if a proposed idea completes another idea.
ii. Every single question involves a bridge concept in the sense that solving every
question requires us to realize something that is not directly spelled out on the
page.
1. In most cases, the bridge concept is fairly obvious.
iii. Sometimes finding the bridge concept is less obvious, and we may need to spend
a few seconds trying to identify the concept that relates the ideas in the prompt
(and/or the diagram) to the answer choices.
e. Note things to look out for:
i. Crucial to avoid making mistakes or to catch them and correct them after we
have made them.
ii. The section will provide us with a lot of opportunities to make small mistakes
like the following:
1. Confusing the numerator and denominator of a fraction
2. Solving for the wrong variable in a question that involves more than one
variable.
3. Simplifying a fraction incorrectly
4. Misreading the label on an axis of a graph.
iii. These mistakes can cause us to miss questions even when we fully understand
what they are asking us to do.
iv. To improve your score, a habit you should get into, is identifying the aspects of a
question that might cause you to make a mistake ... before you make the mistake.
1. A way to do this is through identifying answer choice patterns.
5. Look for a 30 second solution:
a. We try to use the right basic math ideas that will let us connect the prompt to the correct
answer choice.
b. The best solutions will take you less than 30 seconds to work out.
i. If you can not think of a fast, efficient way to find the correct answer with total
certainty, then consider saving the question for a later pass.
1. If you only have a few minutes and really do not understand the question,
then you should consider guessing.
c. You can still get the question right even if you can't find a solution in under 30 seconds.
d. It is important to get into the habit of looking for fast, simple solutions.
e. COmmon mistakes comes from not catching small details in a question, and wasting a lot
of time and effort pursuing unnecessarily complicated solutions as a result.
6. Carry out your solution.
a. After doing everything previously mentioned, you can go ahead and solve the problem.
b. If you try to solve the problem without going through the earlier steps, there is a
very good chance you will just be wasting your time.
c. The way you approach answering questions in school won't work on the SAT.
d. If you read a math question on the SAT and dive right into it without thinking about it
first, you are probably doing something wrong and you will end up choosing the wrong
answer.
e. Do not try to solve the problem until you have read it and thought about how it fits the
SATs patterns and rules.
7. Re-check your work, paying attention to post - solution patterns. Consider using a different
approach to resolve the question.
a. Checking your work is critical, so as to avoid making small mistakes, even though you
fully understand the question.
b. One way to avoid making mistakes is to look at all the choices you think are wrong and
to identify why they were included and why mathematically are they wrong.
i. Figure out the mistakes the College Board expected you to make.
c. Another way to review your work is to simply re do exactly the same steps you did
previously.
d. It can be effective, but it is not his favourite to guard against mistakes.
i. Can be hard to find mistakes because you are distracted by everything.
e. If you are fully satisfied that you know why your answer is right (also knowing why the
majority of the rest are wrong), then you can mark your answer and move on to the next
question.
f. If you are not completely sure that you have figured out the correct answer, consider
saving the question until a later pass.
Closing thoughts on the SAT Math path:
1. You should not try to solve SAT Math questions without reading them carefully and setting them
up first, taking into account all of the aspects of the SAT ́s design that make these questions
different from traditional mah questions.
2. Taking a few seconds to get your bearings will make answering the question a lot easier.
3. Remember to keep the solution to every problem as simple as possible, and remember that you do
not have to find formulaic approaches in most cases.
4. You do not have to use this process on every question, only on the ones that you can not figure
out at first.
5. The important thing is to be aware of all the elements involved in the Math Plan and try to
implement them in your practice sessions, so they can become second nature when you see
challenging questions on the test.
Rounding and estimating on the math sections
Rounding and estimating on the math section.
1. When can it be applied?
a. Questions whose prompts specifically mention rounding or estimating
b. Questions with answer choice that allow a trained test - taker to determine the correct
answer with total confidence by using estimation, even though the prompt does not
mention this possibility.
Question whose prompts specifically mention rounding or estimating.
1. Two ways we can choose to answer these kinds of questions:
a. We can calculate the exact answer to the question and then pick the answer choice that is
closest to it.
b. We can roughly estimate the correct answer from the beginning, and pick the answer
choice that is closest to our rough estimation.
2. Approaches towards doing it:
c. The first approach is, with the knowledge that estimating involves arriving at a number
that is close to a real value without matching it, to figure out the exact answer to the
question and then pick the answer choice that is closest to it.
d. The second approach is to estimate an answer like the question describes.
i. Keep in mind the general level of detail and exactness in the prompt and the
answer choices, to get an idea of how precise you need to be when you do your
estimating.
1. Be as precise as the question, prompt and answer choices require you to
be.
ii. Be very precise.
Questions that allow a trained test taker to find the right answer through estimation, even though
the prompt does not mention this possibility.
1. A trained test taker will notice that it is sometimes possible to use rounding and estimation to
eliminate all the wrong answer choices on an SAT math question without actually doing the
calculation that the question seems to be asking us to do, allowing us to identify the correct
answer with total certainty in pretty short order. (I THINK IT IS A PRETTY RISKY
APPROACH)
a. It can save us the time and frustration of doing the calculations.
b. It can often give us a very high degree of confidence that we are right, because the
technique for ruling out some answer choices is often more simple than the calculation
we would have to do otherwise.
2. You can rule out answer choice by using estimation or rounding and determining that the correct
answer must be above or below a certain value.
a. We can sometimes rule out some of the answer choices depending on how they fall
within a determined range.
i. SAT 1, section 4, question 3.
3. You won't be able to use this technique on every question you see on test day.
SAT Math tool box
SAT Math training
Topics that are not included:
1. Calculus
2. Advanced trigonometry
3. Advanced statistics
Overview and important reminders:
1. The SAT Math test isnt primarily a math test like in school.
a. Need more than knowledge.
2. It is primarily a test of your knowledge and application of mathematical definitions and properties
and your ability to identify patter and shortcuts that most are not looking for.
3. You have to figure first what exactly they want you to do in that question.
4. Do not waste your time, trying to answer the questions like if you were in school.
The big secret of SAT Math
1. You need to be attentive.
2. SAT MATH QUESTIONS TEST RELATIVELY BASIC MATH IDEAS IN STRANGE
WAYS.
3. You need to take apart SAT math questions so you can understand which baisc ideas are involved
in each question.
4. In general, questions avoid formal solutions.
The two critical components of SAT Math success:
What you need to know:
1. Basic knowledge of arithmetic, geometry, trigonometry and algebra (including some basic graph,
related ideas):
2. A thorough understanding of the SATs unwritten rules, patterns, and quirks.
3. It is important to focus on how the test is designed than to try to meorize formulas.
Special technique: Backsolving
Special technique: Backsolving
1. It is when you take numbers from the answer choices and plug them into the prompt to see which
voice makes the prompt valid, instead of setting up a formal algebraic solution and then arriving
at one of the answer choices on your own.
2. Two types of backsolving:
a. Backsolving when there are no variables in the answer choices
b. Backsolving when the answer choices include variables.
Backsolving when there are no variables in the answer choices:
1. Useful on some questions that ask for the value of a variable in a given expression.
a. We can often just take the numbers from the answer choices and plug them into the given
equation to see which one makes a true statement.
i. The answer choice that creates a true statement in the prompt is the correct
answer.
1. For example:
a. Test 1, section 3, question 9
b. Test 1, section 4, question 8
Backsolving when the answer choices include variables:
1. Gets a little more complicated, but very valuable.
2. When the answer choices are expressions involving variables, we can pick an arbitrary
value to plug in for the variable in the expressions from the answer choices, and see which
expression gives the result that the question is looking for.
a. Example in SAT practice test 1, section 3, question 5.
3. Requirements:
a. Any value we decide to pick for the variable must meet the requirements given in the
question.
i. If it states that it must be more than 6, then we can not choose 5.
ii. If the number we use to backsolve does not meet the requirements given by the
prompt, then our conclusion won't be reliable.
b. We should generally avoid picking numbers that are likely to result in false positives.
i. Do not choose numbers like -1, 0, or 1, or any that will create a false positive.
ii. If you do pick a number that results in a false positive, you can just fix it by
choosing another number.
iii. The correct choice will be the only one whose value matches the value from the
prompt no matter which valid number is used to backsolve.
c. Catching and fixing common mistakes by evaluating every answer choice:
i. It is very important to avoid small mistakes.
ii. The CB often designs wrong answers to attract people who make those mistakes.
iii. The first mistake is to backsolve with a number that happens to have a
unique property relative to the question, and results in more than one
answer seeming to be correct.
1. In order to avoid it, do not use -1,0, or 1.
iv. The second mistake is to make a small error in your calculations while you
are backsolving.
1. Check very detail when calculating.
v. Make sure we evaluate all the answer choices whenever we backsolve.
1. If you stumble upon two answer that are correct, the best thing to do is to
backsolve again but with different numbers.
d. What if none of the answer choices seem to work?
i. A mistake could lead us to think that all of the answer choices are wrong, even
though we know that there is always one correct answer for every question.
1. If this happens we must realize that we have made a mistake and decide
whether to try again, skip the question for the time being, guess on it.
2. We could have also misread something or realize that backsolving was
possible in the first place.
Understanding the major types of approaches to SAT Math questions:
Understanding the major types of approaches to SAT Math questions:
1. It is a very different test to the ones you see in high school, therefore you approach them
differently.
a. We will often find that the types of formulas and techniques we might use in a math class
can not be applied at all to an SAT Math question.
i. SAT Math questions are answered very differently.
2. There are three general types of ways to approach answering SAT Math questions (you will only
have to pick one in the moment):
a. Concrete approaches
b. Abstract approaches
c. Test - smart approaches
Concrete approaches:
1. It involves the idea of actually testing out or observing specific mathematical situations that are
described in a question, and then picking the answer choice that fits with what you have observed
in your test.
2. There are three concrete approaches:
a. Backsolving
b. Trial and error
c. Calculator graphing
3. Using a concrete approach can allow you to find a correct answer to a question even if you do not
completely remember of understand all the details of the math concepts that appear in the
question.
4. Keep in mind that only the answer sheet is graded not the process that you used to get there.
5. Concrete approaches can be used to test a set of answer choices against the prompt to see which
one is valid.
6. THERE IS A POTENTIAL DRAWBACK TO CONCRETE APPROACHES:
a. They generally take longer than other kinds of approaches.
i. Because they typically involve working through every single answer choice to
make sure we have identified the correct one with no false positives.
b. They tend to require test takers to do more calculations than the other approaches require.
7. The calculation for concrete approaches tends to be less advanced than in abstract or test-smart
solutions.
8. Backsolving:
a. Is the process of testing concrete values against an algebraic expression in a question ́s
prompts,.
i. Which allows us to identify the correct answer choice without actually going
through a formal algebraic solution.
b. A form of backsolving is plugging a number from each answer choice back into an
algebraic expression from the prompt to see which choice results in a valid statement.
c. Can also be used sometimes when the answer choices are all algebraic expression
themselves.
9. Trial and error:
a. It is similar to backsolving, but we use it in situations where we can not just test out
answer choices to identify the correct one.
b. We make up our own values to test against the prompt, and then adjust our next guess up
or down based on the results of testing out the previous guess; we repeat this process until
we make a guess that checks out to be the correct answer to the question.
i. Kind of like guess and check.
10. Calculator graphing:
a. Many questions address topics like the x and y intercepts of functions, or other aspects of
a function that can be easily read off the screen of a graphing calculator if we input the
function from the prompt.
Abstract:
1. It involves applying generalized mathematical reasoning, rather than working out specific
instances of a given situation, as we would do in a concrete approach.
2. It usually requires less time to execute than concrete approaches.
a. Sometimes we find that we can apply an abstract approach without actually writing down
any calculation at all.
3. Requires a test taker to be a little more comfortable with math as an academic subject.
4. There are two types of abstract approaches:
a. Understanding equations
i. Some questions ask us about equations in a way that allows us to find the correct
answer by thinking about the relationships among the components in the equation
without actually calculating anything in the equation.
1. Like the Special technique: understanding how variables, coefficients,
exponents, and constants can affect a function.
b. Definitions and attributes.
i. The key to approaching a question in an abstract way lies in the specific
definitions or attributes of a mathematical concept.
1. Can be done fairly easy.
5. Abstract approaches are faster than concrete approaches but require a bit more confidence with
math as a subject.
Test - smart:
1. A test smart approach to a question is one in which we combine our knowledge of math, and
some basic calculations, with an awareness of the limitations of the SAT ́s design and patterns.
2. This can sometimes let us quickly see that the correct answer to a question must have a particular
type of appearance.
3. Some questions are so quick that we can not even really list out steps for them.
Conclusion and progression:
1. You should first test out backsolving, you are studying.
Unwritten rules of SAT Math
Unwritten rules of SAT Math
1. The rules for SAT Math problems are pretty much the same whether you are looking at multiple
choice questions or student produced response questions, and whether the question allows the use
of a calculator or not.
SAT Math rule 1: You need to know the words in order to be certain of the answer:
1. SAT Math questions typically do not provide you with context in the way that questions on the
rest of the SAT might.
a. You pretty much have to know the terminology.
2. If in a practice test, you stumble upon a term you do not understand, then it is important that you
learn what the term means.
3. In some cases you will need to understand the meaning of a concept to answer a question.
SAT Math rule 2: Formulas are not as important as you probably think.
1. Sometimes the question will require you to use a memorized formula.
2. The most important attribute is to read carefully and make sure you avoid small eros in
calculation.
3. Remember that the test provides a resource box at the beginning of each Math section.
a. Contains all relevant formulas.
SAT math rule 3: SAT calculations are relatively easy:
1. All content is relatively easy.
2. On the SAT, the solution is much more likely to be a plain old number like 2, because the
calculations we do are usually basic.
3. The most challenging part of an SAT Math question will typically be figuring out what the
prompt is asking you to do in the first place.
SAT math rule 4: The figures are usually accurate.
1. The CB does tell us that every drawing or diagram is done to scale EXCEPT when the test
specifically says otherwise.
2. You can often identify the correct answer with a diagram just by noticing that all but one of the
answer choices are obviously too large or too small to fit with the scale of the diagram.
3. Even if it is not possible to answer a question outright based on a diagram, we can still use this
rule as a way to verify that our calculations are probably correct.
SAT Math rule 5: Limited subject - matter
1. Once you know the concepts in the toolbox, you can rest assured that they will be enough to
answer every single real SAT math question.
2. Every question ́s concepts must be able to relate back to the limited list of relatively basic math
concepts that are in the tool box.
SAT MAth rule 6: 30 seconds or less.
1. Every single real SAT math question can be answered in less than 30 seconds if we find the most
efficient possible solution.
a. It does not mean that you are going to get the question wrong if it takes you longer nor
that you should be trying to answer each question in under 30 seconds.
i. It just means that you are not going about answering the question in the easiest
way if your solution takes you longer than half a minute.
2. Remember that answering every single question can be simple, no matter how complicated the
question may seem at first.
3. Train your instincts to react quickly and find the easiest way to solve the problem.
SAT math rule 7: Questions provide all necessary information to find a correct answer with total
certainty... Even if one of the choices says, ̈The value cannot be determined from the information
given ́ ́.
1. Every question must include all the information necessary for a test taker to choose the correct
answer with total certainty.
a. This holds true even if one of the answer choices says something like the value can not be
determined from the information given.
i. If we were to choose this answer, then the question must provide enough
information for us to be sure that the can not be determined is correct.
1. They almost never appear.
SAT Math rule 8: Wrong answers are there for a reason:
1. Keep in mind the CB doesn't just randomly generate the wrong answers that it offers you on every
multiple choice question; instead, each wrong answer is the result of certain mistakes that the CB
thinks untrained test takers will make on a particular question.
a. The right answer of an incorrectly followed procedure will appear, so always triple check
your answer.
2. We can learn to understand questions and identify the concepts and relationships that appear in
order to get an idea of what the question is actually asking about.
What about Grid - in Questions?
What about Grid - in Questions?
1. Many students wonder if the student - produced response questions require a different approach
from the multiple choice questions.
2. For the most part, the math path process for the multiple choice questions can also be followed
for the grin in questions (with the obvious exception that we won't have answer choices to
consider in deciding how to attack the question).
3. Special considerations to keep in mind:
a. If the question refers to the possibility of multiple solutions, make sure you
understand why.
i. Beware that you might see questions that allow more than one valid solution.
1. Such a question will often use a phrase like one possible value.
ii. If you are faced with a question like these, make sure you can figure out why.
iii. In other words, if you can only think of one possible answer for such a question,
then you have probably misunderstood it in some fundamental way, which means
there is a very good chance that the answer you are thinking of is wrong.
1. This does not mean that you need to work out more than one solution in
order to know that you have got the question right. I am just saying that
you need to understand where other solutions might come from.
b. Do not be afraid to guess, but do not expect much to come of it.
i. You should never leave a question blank on the SAT.
1. However the chances of guessing right is relatively small.
ii. If you do decide to guess on a grid in question, make that decision as quickly as
you can so you don't waste any more time.
1. If you have no idea what the answer might be, you should try 0 or 1.
4. How should we approach roman numeral questions?
a. The best approach to a roman numeral question is not really any different from the best
approach to any other question.
i. The only small difference is that we evaluate each individual roman numeral to
see which ones are valid, an dhten pick the choice that accurately reflects our
findings.
b. It is extremely important to pay attention to small details and to insist on finding an
answer choice that fits exactly with our understanding of the question.
i. Examples:
1. Question 11, section 3, test 3
2. Question 15, section 3, test 3
3. Question 26, section 4, test 2.
5. Avoid decimal expressions unless a question uses them.
a. It is usually a bad idea to express things in terms of decimals, unless the answer choices
are also in decimal form.
b. When we work with decimals, we often miss opportunities to simplify and reduce
expressions that are much easier to see when we keep everything in fraction form.
c. We will have a much better chance of finding the shortest possible solution if we get in
the habit of avoiding decimal expressions on the SAT:
6. It is not school math - Your work does not matter.
a. Do not try to approach each question in a formalized way that would satisfy a math
teacher.
b. The bottom line is that the SAT does not care what kind of work you do to arrive at the
answer that you choose.
i. It only cares if the answer that you choose is correct. That is it.
c. We should get in the habit of looking for the fastest, most direct route to the answer, even
if that route does not involve solving a formal equation.
d. We have to make sure we do not make any small mistakes in our solution that might lead
us to mark the wrong answer.
i. The CB does not care that you used the right process to get to the answer but that
you screwed up on the last steps.
e. For the CB a wrong answer is a wrong answer and a right answer is a right answer no
matter what you did to arrive there.
f. In SAT math we have no obligation to use a formal approach.
g. Most efficient approaches to many questions involve taking advantage of the flaws in the
SAT ́s design.
h. Get in the habit of finding the most direct approach to a question that you possibly can,
and remember that the only thing that matters to the CB is that you mark the correct
answer without cheating.
7. Ignore the So - called order of difficulty
a. Ignore the idea that the questions on the SAT MAth section get harder as the section goes
on.
i. Every question deserves our full attention and respect on test day.
1. Avoid making small mistakes.
2. It is often possible to find very efficient solutions if we are aware of
test ́s design limitations, even when a question might seem challenging to
most untrained test takers.
b. We should always expect test questions to try to trick us into small mistakes, and we
should always be on the lookout for easier ways to answer every question.
c. Every question becomes both an opportunity to find a clever solution and a challenge to
make sure we avoid small mistakes.
d. Treat each question as a separate event.
e. DO NOT BE AFRAID OF ANY QUESTIONS; and do not take any for granter either.
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