<p>My main approach in tutoring is to make sure the student knows the math on the SAT. There isn’t that much of it, so it is important to know it cold. There are various books with SAT math facts and so on, but I think Barrons and Dr. Chungs are best for that.</p>
<p>I am not saying practice tests aren’t important, but I think there is maybe too much emphasis on that in this forum and by many tutors and tutoring organizations.</p>
<p>The issue is that there are there are many students who know all the math. They’re not going to benefit from reviewing basic algebra, but will gain a lot from taking real practice tests and understanding the exam and understanding how to approach questions. On this website there’s plenty of kids who can score 600-700 and want to get as close to 800 as they can. The lower scores are not due to lack of knowledge. </p>
<p>Agree studying the math is more important for a weaker student. </p>
<p>However, most 650-level students whose math is good don’t know all the math that is covered on the test, and it isn’t that much. If you can do all the math required in typical problems it makes things much easier.</p>
<p>It is important to understand squares, rectangles, and equilateral triangles inscribed in circles and visa versa. Solving something like 1/x = 1/a + 1/b for x and so on.</p>
<p>Some students have trouble with the tricky problems, in which case more emphasis should be placed on problems.</p>
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<p>At the risk of being blunt, this position misses the mark on several accounts. For starters, your choice of books is highly suspect, as those books represent poor (Barrons) and horrendous (Dr/ Junk) choices. </p>
<p>If you want to be effective as a tutor, I’d suggest looking up better sources (several are long term contributors here) and more importantly changing your approach and adopting a “learning the math through practice” method. Actually, a better phrase should be “relearning the math through practice.”</p>
<p>PS Fwiw, the correct latin phrase is vice versa! </p>
<p>@sattut more important is getting familiar with the types of problems on the SAT, because in all honesty, not that much math is tested on the SAT (only up to algebra I/II, some geometry, some basic counting/combo). I do agree that lots of practice tests are pretty futile for the student who hasn’t mastered the concepts yet. But the majority of students have seen all of the math topics on the SAT, and after that, it is mostly getting familiar with the test and practicing (especially harder problems).</p>
<p>Maybe we are arguing semantics. There isn’t that much math on the SAT, so you want to make sure you know all that is on it. You could argue that that is types of problems rather than math or whatever.</p>
<p>I don’t think the consensus is that Barrons is a poor book. It has excellent material in terms of math you need to know for the SAT. I don’t know if Barrons or Dr. Chung’s are the best books, but it is helpful to know all the math in their section on SAT math. If you know all of that, then of course go on to other things. However, most students getting 700 or less don’t know it.</p>
<p>I have been tutoring for many years and get excellent results.</p>
<p>@sattut
Don’t listen to @xiggi, he is clueless as far as what are the best study guides. He recommends Gruber which is by far the worst math study guide out there. He also recommends RocketGuide… lmao
To quote xiggi,
Since I am not a professional tutor -and not even an amateur tutor- I do not keep track of score improvements.</p>
<p>Barrons Math is a very good study guide. Frankly, Barrons is good in anything math from Grade 3 to 12.
The other book that gets rave reviews (Amazon, tutors, etc) is PWNtheSAT.
I have both.</p>
<p>@sattut
In order to Master Math, I recommend doing extra problems with you Math class (Algebra, Geometry, etc) as you go along. You can get extra math problems from you school online math book or other math websites (kutasoftware).
This has nothing to do with SAT Test Prep but if the person has a strong foundation in Math before he/she starts SAT Prep then it won’t take that long to Test Prep.<br>
Prep will be mostly a once through a study guide to know the types of problems that come up, the phrasology, the various approaches (plugin, etc) and then you can start practice tests, etc.</p>
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<p>It seems like we have differing opinions. One could listen to @TomsRiverParent who has been active on this forum for a brief time and in that time has been reprimanded for a number of issues by seasoned members and has had posts deleted by the moderator for many other issues. Alternatively, you could follow advice from xiggi who has written a guide to preparing for the SAT that has around 3/4 of a million views and has participated in respectful, thoughtful communications on these boards for around ten years. Your call.</p>
<p>I am not sure why xiggi thinks I don’t know how to tutor because I emphasize understanding the basic math in Barrons key facts and Dr. Chung’s 50 tips. I have used Barrons and Barrons Math Workbook successfully for many years. I am not clear why he thinks those are bad books.</p>
<p>Due to there only being a small amount of math covered on the SAT, I think it is more important to study and understand that math.</p>
<p>PwnTheSat is new and I will check it out.</p>
<p>xiggi is NOT a professional tutor… not even an amateur tutor. (his words)
He does not know what is a good study guide and what isn’t.
His claim to fame, if you do lots of practice tests (college board only), your scores will go up. DUH!!</p>
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<p>The answers to your question above have been provided many times and are available if you are willing to do a little research. If you disagree after reading the arguments, please provide the rationale.</p>
<p>My approach to tutoring is to make sure the student knows the math covered on the test. Since there is a small amount of math, there is more reason to focus on it. </p>
<p>Also, I assign problems that are challenging for the student in the student’s weak areas. If a student misses the problem, I make sure they understand all the concepts behind the problem. I also reassign that problem a few weeks later and go over it if the student misses it.</p>
<p>I guess taking a lot of whole real SATs is an OK approach if you can’t afford a tutor and don’t know how to develop a proper study plan on your own.</p>
<p>I have used Barrons for many years and it is one of the best books available. I would need to see specific reasons why not to use it.</p>
<p>I know this is the Internet and a lot of people posting here are young, but I think Xiggi could be a little more polite. I described my approach, and I am interested in hearing about other approaches. However, I don’t appreciate his implying I don’t know what I am doing. </p>
<p>sattut,
Your approach is what most tutors utilize.
btw, what I like about PWNthesat Math, he has the answers to the Blue Book cross referenced to his Study Guide.
For instance,
Test 3, Section 2, Question 5 on page 515 is Angles & Trangles and that is covered on page 138 of his study guide.
From a self-study perspective, you check what you missed then go directly to the page in the study guide to re-review the topic to get a better understanding.</p>
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<p>People have been posting here for years and many prefer not to constantly review issues every time a new person stops by. That’s why there are threads that are stickied at the top of the forum. You’re asking about books; well one stickied thread is titled “SAT Books? Do not start new threads. Post HERE!” Perhaps you should read that. Another stickied thread suggest people read the thread, which includes threads that are considered the best from the many years this forum has been around, before continuing. Your efforts here might be more productive if you follow the suggestions / informal rules of the forum. </p>
<p>I looked in the Books thread and there seemed to be a consensus that Barrons was one of the best. The purpose of my thread wasn’t to recommend books. I think Barrons has one of the best sections on math for the SAT.</p>
<p>I may be a forum newbie but I have been using Barrons to tutor math SATs since before most of the posters here new their multiplication tables. There was also something in another thread on how a tutor who charges $850/hour uses Barrons.</p>
<p>I obviously have gone against some forum orthodoxy, so maybe should not post so much. Taking many real SATs can work for a motivated student without guidance who is willing to devote a lot of time to it. I may be tutoring someone for 10 hours with 10 hours homework. So with 20 hours of the student’s time, they can often get an 100 point improvement. I don’t believe it is easy to get that sort of improvement by spending that amount of time taking real exams.</p>
<p>It is great when people offer free study guides, but often people with more expertise will not take that much time to provide something free.</p>
<p>While the books you have listed are not my favorites for students who are working independently, it’s a different situation when they are working with an experienced tutor. The tutor can get the best out of the books and guide the student around the problem spots, avoiding the big time-waste that these books can cause. I know that in my day job, I don’t really worry too much about which physics book my students are using. I just pick the sections and homework problems that I feel are useful. In the same way, I am sure that experienced tutors can make effective use of any number of SAT books. And there should be nothing controversial about the idea of learning the math before (or while) taking on the practice tests.</p>
<p>@sattut – yes, the internet is rude. And I sometimes feel this site has a dismissive bias toward newer users. When I first started posting, some students found my ideas to be wrong-headed and dangerous. (Amazingly, not everybody agrees with my approach to guessing and time management – the “if you spend time on it, answer it” rule.) If your students are improving and they are recommending others to you, then your approach must be working for you and for them.</p>
<p>I was not necessarily recommending Barrons and Dr. Chungs in general. They have maybe the best and most thorough sections in SAT math you need to learn. I use them to refer to when teaching students. I assumed they would also be good for students studying independently, but obviously easier more user-friendly guides might be better for some students working alone.</p>
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<p>Fwiw, here are the exact words I used. If you think that such words are lacking in politeness, so be it. I assumed that your original was meant to solicit opinions and thoughts about your approach. And that is exactly what I did! </p>
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<p>I make no apologies for the contents of my reply, as I see no reason why I should sugarcoat my opinion on what you suggested in your thread. We have had plenty of discussions on this forum in the past decade, and often tried to balance the approaches of professional tutors with the opinions and experiences of young members who are going through the process, and discover workable (and different methods.) During this decade, this forum has been especially thankful to people who come here to ACTIVELY help others by sharing advice, tips, and methods as opposed to idle theories. I did make a reference to active tutors, and one at least, has responded to you.</p>
<p>I would more than happy to show the respect you think I lacked and start open and honest dialogues … just as I did with a great numbers of tutors (and all members) on this site. On the other hand, I see no reason to have the courage of my opinions and openly shared when I think an approach is far from optimal.</p>
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<p>I rarely --if ever-- address this precise issue, but the few people who know me in real life would smile at the attempt to equate offering something with free with a lack of value. This forum has always frowned on open solicitations and offer for services that amount to ■■■■■■■■. In so many words, ALL advice HAS to be provided for free. In the same vein, it is gross mistake to equate the cost of service with the … expertise of the provider. In the end, the only yardstick is the success in sharing methods and approaches under the conditions imposed by a site. </p>
<p>This site might benefit from your input, and will respond to such input. Be it negatively or positively. I have done it for more than a decade, and a number of others have done it for many years, including the author of PnwtheSat!</p>
<p>Now onto this related post on qualifications:</p>
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<p>While I applaud your willingness to dig deep in the arcane world of this forum, I am afraid that you missed the finer points of the description of the job and the context of the post you quoted. One does not need to spend time tutoring individuals or offer group session to be a professional with valuable and marketable expertise in standardized tests, and especially their technical elements. </p>
<p>And that is all I will add to this silly discussion. </p>
<p>On the other hand, I see no reason to have the courage of my opinions and openly shared when I think an approach is far from optimal should read
On the other hand, I see no reason not to have the courage of my opinions and openly share when I think an approach is far from optimal.</p>