College Discussion - View Single Post

PeteSAT · 05-26-2005, 06:17 PM

Another good question: can mediocre students score well on the SAT? The answer to both is “Yes.” The first thing I say in the Math section of my book is that the Math on the SAT is not difficult. It is tricky. It does test some very basic concepts from mathematics through algebra to geometry and a little algebra 2, but the actual math is easy. Figuring out what easy math to do is the tough part. Xiggi’s right. Speed is of the essence. For most math problems there are one or two hard ways to solve the problem and one or two easy ones. Having the versatility to recognize which approach is the best for any give problem comes with experience, perspective and diligent effort. I often have my students do the same math problem in as many ways as possible so they can learn for themselves the best approach.

The writing section is equally tricky and predictable. It doesn’t test many of the 100’s of grammar rules. You just need to learn, through experience, what to look for and how to approach each question type.

The Critical Reading section may seem even more intimidating to many students, but even in CR, patterns emerge. I personally think that the answer choices themselves are the most important aspects of Critical Reading, followed by the questions, and lastly the passage. Many many RC answers hinge on a single word in a tempting answer choice that makes the choice wrong. If students spend too much time in the passage and too little time examining the answer choices, they can suffer.

05-26-2005, 06:17 PM	#53
PeteSAT Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Los Angeles Threads: 5 Posts: 571	Can brilliant students do poorly on the SAT? Another good question: can mediocre students score well on the SAT? The answer to both is “Yes.” The first thing I say in the Math section of my book is that the Math on the SAT is not difficult. It is tricky. It does test some very basic concepts from mathematics through algebra to geometry and a little algebra 2, but the actual math is easy. Figuring out what easy math to do is the tough part. Xiggi’s right. Speed is of the essence. For most math problems there are one or two hard ways to solve the problem and one or two easy ones. Having the versatility to recognize which approach is the best for any give problem comes with experience, perspective and diligent effort. I often have my students do the same math problem in as many ways as possible so they can learn for themselves the best approach. The writing section is equally tricky and predictable. It doesn’t test many of the 100’s of grammar rules. You just need to learn, through experience, what to look for and how to approach each question type. The Critical Reading section may seem even more intimidating to many students, but even in CR, patterns emerge. I personally think that the answer choices themselves are the most important aspects of Critical Reading, followed by the questions, and lastly the passage. Many many RC answers hinge on a single word in a tempting answer choice that makes the choice wrong. If students spend too much time in the passage and too little time examining the answer choices, they can suffer.