SAT Is Tomorrow. Are You Ready?

Saturday, Dec. 4 is the next SAT testing date.  That is….drum roll…tomorrow!  Too late to do any major math studying but there are a few things you can do that might help.

1.  Get enough sleep tonight.

2.  Take a sweater.  Your testing room may be freezing and that can be distracting.

3.  Wear your favorite jeans.  Be comfortable.

4.  Eat breakfast.

5.  Take some Peppermints with you to suck on.

6.  And water.  Maybe a snack for break time.

7.  Problems at the end of the test are harder.  Don’t panic.  Each individual problem does not count that much.  It is not scored like your teacher’s test.  The national average is around 60% correct so don’t have a panic attack if you’re missing more than usual.

8.  Read the directions in practice tests several times before the test day so you are comfortable and don’t have to spend time reading them test day.

9.  Breathe.  Of course.  If you feel anxious though, breathe in through your nose slowly and out through your mouth.

 10.  If you have absolutely no idea at all, leave it blank. Do not guess wildly. The odds are against you.

11. If you can eliminate even one of the choices, go ahead and guess.

12. If you can make an educated guess, rather than a wild guess, guess away.

13. If it is not a multiple choice question. Guess, guess, guess. There is no penalty for guessing on free-response gridded problems.

14. I would add this although there is no research behind it. If you don’t know an answer but you have a strong “gut feeling”, go for it.

15. Your first response is correct more often than not.

16.  Skip the “hard ones” and come back to them.

17.  Remember the problems come from Geometry and Algebra I….or what we used to call Algebra I before some of the new course names.  It’s the wording and the format that is most unfamiliar.  Hopefully you have spent time with that.

18.  If a problem seems dreadfully hard or impossible you are probably missing a shortcut.  Come back to that one later.  Don’t waste time pondering.

19.  Remember you can take this test over again if you have a bad day.    It’s not the end of the world.

20.   We need 20 tips to make it come out even.  Hmmmm.  I know.  When all else fails, pray!  Or maybe do that first.  It is calming.

Come back here after the test and report in.  Good luck!  Although, we know it’s really not about luck!

Should I Guess On The SAT?

The proverbial question going into the “big” test. If I don’t know the answer, should I guess?

1. If you have absolutely no idea at all, leave it blank. Do not guess wildly. The odds are against you.

2. If you can eliminate even one of the choices, go ahead and guess.

3. If you can make an educated guess, rather than a wild guess, guess away.

4. If it is not a multiple choice question. Guess, guess, guess. There is no penalty for guessing on free-response gridded problems.

5. I would add this although there is no research behind it. If you don’t know an answer but you have a strong “gut feeling”, go for it.

6. Your first response is correct more often than not.

Friday SAT Practice Problem

Good Morning! Here’s one to wake you up and get your brain in gear.

x+y=10                                 y+z=15                                 x+z=17
What is the average (arithmetic mean) of x, y, and z?

A. 7
B. 14
C. 15
D. 21
E. It cannot be determined from the information given.

Now you work it.   It’s super great to know an easy, quick way to work this so you can save time the day you take the test. You will need if for the reeeeaaaallllly hard ones! Know what I mean?

If you just ‘don’t get it’ and need a quick video demo, just email me and let me know. Donations only.

Solution: A. 7

Wednesday SAT Problem

What is the product of 1.1 and 1.9 rounded to the nearest tenth?

You work it out and decide on your answer. Then choose one.

a. 1.5
b. 1.7
c. 2.0
d. 2.1
e. 3.0

Answer:
d.

If you need an explanation, email me at realmathinaminute@hotmail.com for a 2 minute video. Free. Donations accepted.

SAT Practice: Monday

Take a look at these two absolute value equations.  Find the value of x that will work in both equations.

  

What did you get?  Check your answer below.

(Solution:    x = 1/2 is a solution to both equations.)

If you need more help, email me at realmathinaminute@hotmail.com.  If you need a 3 minute video explanation, let me know and I’ll send it to you.  No charge.   Donations only.

Next SAT Date is Oct 9, 2010

Time to register for the next SAT test. You need to go ahead and register. Registration deadline is September 10. The fee is $47. You don’t want to have to pay any late fees so get ‘er done now. The sooner the better. See your school counselor of go to the College Board site to register.

Here’s a problem to practice for today.

If the radius of the circle is 4, then the perimeter of the
polygon ABCDE must be less than:

			2
			4
			6
			8
			There is not sufficient information to answer the question.

Remember you can draw in a segment.  Try drawing in a radius.

If you need more help, email me at realmathinaminute@hotmail.com.  If you need a 3 minute video explanation, let me know and I’ll send it to you.  Donations only.

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SAT Practice: Wednesday

Taking the SAT for the first time can be very intimidating.   As much as I love math, I realize it is a major stressor for many of you.   Don’t walk into your SAT with knots in your stomach.  Be confident!  Well, if you’ve never done well in math you might be wondering how you can fake ‘confidence’.  I don’t want you to fake it.  I want you to really be confident.  

 “How?”,  you ask. 

Confidence is a state of knowing.  The more you know, the more confident you are.  So get help.  There are a lot of places you can get help.  This is one of them.  I will post lots of practice problems here.   

 Today’s problems  come from www.majortests.com.   Work each one out.   Then check your answers at the bottom of  the post. Come back for more.  If you really don’t get it, email me at realmathinaminute@hotmail.com.  I’ll explain it to you in a video…step by step. 

1. If f(x) = │(x² – 50)│, what is the value of f(-5) ?

A. 75
B. 25
C. 0
D. -25
E. -75

2. ( √2 – √3 )² =

A. 5 – 2√6
B. 5 – √6
C. 1 – 2√6
D. 1 – √2
E. 1

1. B      To find f(-5), you substitute -5 in place of x. That gives you the absolute value of -25 which is 25. There are no tricks in this problem.

2. A     To square any binomial, FOIL it. You get 2 -2root6 +3. Final answer 5 -2root6. There is really no trick here either. Just don’t subtract 2 from 5! If your nerves plant doubts about that during the test, tell them to just shut up. You know this.

If you need help with these email me at realmathinaminute@hotmail.com

Does Your SAT Score Suck?

One thing is for sure, the problems on the SAT are not like your everyday classroom problems in math.  It’s not that you need to know SO MUCH math to do well on the SAT.   Actually it only covers Algebra and Geometry, nothing higher.  The problem is the wording of the problems is totally different than what most students are used to.

You will get a few straightforward questions, maybe two or three.  I’m not kidding.  The rest of them?  You better be prepared to think!  That is why students who have set a goal of attaining a certain score usually take the SAT more than once.  Once you get used to the way questions are asked your score will go up significantly.

I worked with a student on his SAT prep last night for his first time.  I call it sticker shock.  He was shocked at the way questions were phrased.  He looked at me puzzled over and over.  We read, analyzed, and talked through what the questions really meant.  “Oh!” , he said.  “I would never have known that’s what they wanted me to do.”  Well, after we practice for awhile he will know. 

If you or yours are not a blazing, top of the heap, lovin’ it up math student (even if they are a wonderful person), get them some practice help so they won’t be hit cold.  Or take it once just for “the experience” and plan to do it again later.  The less time a student spends on each problem reading and re-reading and trying to decypher the meaning, the more time he will have to actually work and check his solution.

PS:  All my Easy Algebra I videos are free right now.  Geometry videos are cheap but not free.   Download them to your computer if you have anybody who has a hard time with math.  They are very basic and will help those who REALY struggle.