Official Sat Math Level 2 Thread

<p>November 21st. 2 weeks from tomorrow.</p>

<p>Is retaking a 790 and getting an 800 as good as getting an 800 initially?</p>

<p>I doubt there’s that big of a distinction made between an 800 and 790 :/. You’d be wasting your time, imo.</p>

<p>Unfortunately at Caltech there is (from what I’ve heard and their website).</p>

<p>Ah, well I guess if you are aiming for Caltech/MIT/Harvard/other really selective schools, you might want to retake them. I’m not sure.</p>

<p>I’m applying ED to Cornell, so I’m not too worried as long as I get like 770+.</p>

<p>Hey…would you guys say the PR book is in depth enough, or should I also purchase Barron’s crazy book?</p>

<p>umm does 790 <em>really</em> kill your chances of admission at an ivy? (assuming one is not applying as a math/science major)</p>

<p>No, unefleursauvage, they’re just trying to scare us. Or else, their perception is a little distorted. </p>

<p>The SATIIs, though somewhat important, are never the determining factor in an admissions decisions. Even if they were, 10 points doesn’t count for much. We should all step back, take a breather, and realize that obsessing over the scores will only lead to 2 weeks of unnecessary stress.</p>

<p>s snack, the real test seemed easier than the PR practice tests.</p>

<p>i concur the princeton review practice tests are a little on the hard side, but also they havent changed since the 1999 edition of the book (and maybe they’ve been around even longer). However i thought the real thing was much harder then the sparkntoes practice tests >:0., but wasnt THAT bad.</p>

<p>fug 3 wrong 1 omit so far. I hope I don’t get 2 more wrong somehow from silly mistakes… 5 wrong n 1 omit=still 800? or 790?</p>

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<p>Are you sure about this? If you square both sides and do some rearranging, you can get cos^2 x + sin^2 x = 1, so all values of x work.:confused: Oh well, I put down second and third quadrants as well, so I’m hoping that there’s a flaw in my reasoning.</p>

<p>bump…</p>

<p>you can’t just square it
if i gave you this problem:
find all x such that x = -x
are you going to square both sides, get x^2 = x^2 and say all values work?
The only value that works is 0, so if you square it you’re losing roots</p>

<p>Bingo mohhil.</p>

<p>you can’t just square it
if i gave you this problem:
find all x such that x = -x
are you going to square both sides, get x^2 = x^2 and say all values work?
The only value that works is 0, so if you square it you’re losing roots</p>

<p>sorry for double post;
comp screwed up</p>

<p>Let me take a quick aside from the people who are fretting about whether or not they got 800’s on this tests to ask a question about preparation/strategy.
I took this test in October and got a 690 which was very annoying and surprising for me. Math is not my forte neither is it my major/interest, but I am not bad at it either (SAT I=760, AP AB/BC=5, taking Multivariable now).
For some reason, I have problems finishing this test, and I am not sure why. I usually spend too much time on the early questions (searching for tricks when I shouldn’t?) I guess I am in a calculus mindset or something I don’t know. I only end up getting to about 45/50, and I always get about 5 wrong on careless mistakes or somehow overcomplicating things. That should put me at about 750 but I somehow made 60 points below that on the last test and I have no idea how.
Any pointers on how to improve one’s score? The only thing I did before I took the test the first time was to take a free online practice test which I got 770.
I heard that Barron’s overprepares you; I’m not really bad with the material, I’m more interested in strategy. I’m wondering if any of you have had any similar experiences where you are scoring lowly when you shouldn’t be. Anyone have any improvement stories for this test? I am taking this again in Dec. so help would be appreciated.</p>

<p>OK icefalon i have the same prob as you. On math sat ii practice tests i was finishing with literally ten minutes to go, and getting 750+ scores. However, i wanted an 800 on the real thing, even tho i didnt deserve one and wasnt prepared for one. So on the early questions, i spent time obsessing looking for tricks and making “sure i got questions right”. This is also becuase my confidence goes down and dont trust my intuition. I knew something was wrong because after 20 minutes i had 20 questions done, where as on practice tests the first 20 fly by. I think the main problem here is that on practice tests u really dont care how u do, ur comfortable trusting ur instincts. On the real thing you must be the same way, no matter how “important” the test is. On this past 2c test i didnt get to 2 questions. Some of the questions i obsessed over i still got wrong, checking them over didnt help me find “tricks”. So honestly, the solution is to take it like a practice test. Its not the end of the world if u screw up, and just go with what u think on the test and dont try to “beat” the test. damn that was a lot.</p>

<p>And also, I tend to make more careless mistakes when i obsess over questions because that just complicates the test and cloggs ur mind. U really have to keep a claer head like u do on a practice test. For me the overall solution is just to stop taking these tests so seriously. Its ironic that the less serious/intense/emotional u are on the test the better u will do.</p>

<p>And plus u said ur not overally concerned with material, and u shouldnt be if ur a calc student, this material should be basic by now. the whole key is just to chill out on the test.</p>