I got a 630 in critical reading and a 550 in writing, both respectable scores (at least I think). But I got a 460 for the math section, which is very bad, I’ll admit I barely studied for it as the test was the week of finals. I figured I’d put a lot more effort in it the second time. Math has always been my weak point, the geometry is what threw me off the most as I don’t remember anything. I was wondering if anyone else out there who struggles with math, who pulled off a decent math score, could give me some tips. I’ve thought about one on one tutoring as learning through online lessons doesn’t seem to work for me. Thanks in advance.
One-on-one tutoring helps a lot. I also used to be terrible at math (I think I got a C in 7th grade math) but now I’m planning on a math major these are all things that I do regularly and are why I’ve gotten better at math. I tutor math a fair amount, and can give you a few tips:
- Do the work. You probably think you know how to do something, so you skip it. Practice everything. Practice addition, practice factoring, practice your fundamentals. Like in sports, fundamentals and basic skills are absolutely essential, and skipping over the 'easy' stuff wI'll only hurt you.
- Know what you can and can't do. Most people's problems on standardized tests is timing, and the trick to timing is to not waste time. You probably see a really hard problem and spend 10 minutes on it -- don't do that. Skip it. Come back later if you can. I took the math II test in June, and I probably skipped 15-20 of the 50 questions on my first pass-through. It helps so much.
- Know when to use your calculator. It's a GREAT tool to have, but many, many questions don't require it. Don't default to using the calculator, but don't completely pass over it either. You shouldn't need it to do 5x3, but it's okay to use it on 143.2/56.
- Speaking of the calculator, get to know it. You don't need to waste 15 seconds looking for the "graph" button. It's your greatest asset and you should take advantage of it.
- Have someone who is good at math critique your thought process. You don't need to do this alone. Sometimes, you might be getting the right answer but it's the wrong way and won't always give you the correct answer. That being said, DON'T BE AFRAID TO THINK DIFFERENTLY FROM OTHERS. math can be done a dozen different ways.
- Know when to guess. The penalty is scary, but there are certain times you can use it to your benefit. If you have 5 choices, and you take a total guess, you'll end up getting the question right only 1/5 of the time. Out of 100 questions, you'll get 80 wrong. The guessing penalty is 1/4 of the number wrong, so you'd lose 20 points. You got 20 points for your right answers, so your raw score would be 0. That means you, on average, gain and lose nothing. IF, however, you can eliminate nonsensical answers, you can gain points on average. If you can narrow it down to two or three questions, go ahead and guess! It will, statistically, help you.
- Learn from your mistakes. When you take a practice test, don't just say "aww man, I failed!" And move on. No. What you should do is go problem-by-problem and say "what did I do wrong, exactly? What was the error in my thinking? How do I do it correctly?" And when you look in the book for a solution, DON'T JUST READ THE SOLUTION! WORK IT YOURSELF!
As far as the geometry goes, I’ll give you a few specific tips:
- If you're looking for an area of something complex, simplify it. What I mean is to break it into pieces that you can find. I can't tell you the area of a pentagon straight up, but I can break it into a bunch of triangles and find those areas.
- Figures Aren't drawn to scale. Ever. I once saw a triangle that looked like a right triangle, so I used SOHCAHTOA. It turns out the 'right' angle was actually 89 degrees and they were just rude.
- Memorize as few formulas as you need. Here's why: if you know too many formulas and aren't very well versed I'm them, you'll get confused and mix them up. You don't need to know the formula for the area of a pentagon, but the formula for the area of a triangle can help you figure it out. You don't want to be saying "is this the formula for the pentagon or the hexagon"
- If x^2 = 4, then x=2 or x=-2. When taking square roots, don't forget the negative root. The only times it says you can are when it's a grid-in, you're dealing with certain bits of geometry (remember lengths and areas can't be negative). Study up on the specific rules and become very familiar with this. It's akin to mixing up "to" and "too," it always comes up.
I wish you the best of luck. If you have any other questions, reply to me or PM me. I’m always happy to help!
Also, it is a good idea to go over solutions to problems, even ones you got right. SAT math problems tend to have multiple different ways of solving them, and you might pick up on a few techniques/shortcuts. But you should start with the fundamentals first.