Use the Reference Information
When most students take the math sections of the SAT, they seldom pay attention to the reference information (i.e. the formulas) provided by the College Board. This is usually the case since they may feel that they already know the formulas so well that they don’t really need to rely on the table given to them. As a result, many students make careless mistakes since they often don’t check the formulas before using them. For example, the formula for the volume of a cylinder is provided as V = (pi)(r^2)h. However, sometimes students mistakenly write this formula as V = (pi)rh and therefore solve a problem incorrectly. This is a needless mistake to make especially since the formula is given.
The Most Important FormulaEver!
The most important information provided in the reference area on the SAT is perhaps the list of figures depicting 30-60-90 and 45-45-90 special right triangles. These figures are important because students often confuse the side ratios especially on the 30-60-90 triangle. Many problems on the math section of the
SAT deal with these types of triangles.
Use Your Calculator
Forgoing the use of the calculator for simple calculations can be a grave mistake when taking the SAT. This is because many students feel that they are experts at quickly adding numbers in their heads. Though this may be true, mistakes can be made especially when fractions or negatives are involved. Using the calculator can minimize the occurrence of mistakes on the math section. It should as well be noted that many of the answer choices on the multiple choice section are based on common computational mistakes that students may make when solving a given problem.
It’s All About Time!
In general, time is of the utmost importance on the SAT. More specifically, the time provided for completing the
math section must be divided appropriately so that the right amount of time is spent on solving each question. That is, the student should not rush through each section for fear that he or she will not finish on time. Conversely, the student should not spend too much time on any given question for obvious reasons. It should be noted that in general, the questions in each section get progressively harder from beginning to end. Therefore, most students should leave more time to answer later questions.
The first math section of the SAT has 20 questions to answer in 25 minutes. This means that on average, the student should take 1.25 minutes or 75 seconds to answer each question. Of course, the initial questions will usually take less time to answer, therefore leaving more time for later questions. The second math section including the student-produced response questions involves answering 18 questions within 25 minutes. This gives about 83 seconds to answer each question. Finally, the last section is made up of 16 questions to answer within 20 minutes. This gives 1.25 minutes or 75 seconds to answer each question.
Conclusion
The student taking the math sections of the SAT should focus on effectively using the reference information table provided. Also, the student should not forgo calculator use because it is probably the student’s best friend on exam day! Finally, time is a major factor in excelling on the math sections and should be analyzed in terms of the average number of minutes needed to answer each question.
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