<p>Any advice how to boost my math score? I'm extremely frustrated and angry at myself. My math score is making me think that I'm a complete idiot. I can't believe that one test is standing between me and an application that is decently competitive at the top tier schools.</p>
<p>The math section is the only section that requires a higher level of intelligence (as opposed to reading a passage and answering questions or correcting basic grammatical errors), I'm evidently a moron. </p>
<p>Can anyone tell me how I can improve it? I'm lost. I studied all the concepts but I just can't apply them in a timely and accurate manner. 3/4 of my wrong answers are from reading the question wrong, making basic algebra mistakes, but mainly it's running out of time. I cannot do these problems fast enough. When times up I usually have 4 problems that I haven't even looked at yet (and of course they're the hard ones that take the most amount of time). I've noticed myself taking 4 minutes on one "easy" question like #1-7. I'm the kind of person who needs to slowly think through the problem then write out all the variables, etc. etc. The other 1/4 I don't understand how to do. Since the questions are always different I don't have any idea how to prepare. This sucks...</p>
<p>Not a bad problem to have- I think math is the easiest one to study for to bring your score up, so stay positive. There is a good book called PWN the SAT. It’s just for math. The author also hosts a free website that includes solutions for pretty much every math practice test, as well as question/answer forums. Not only is this valuable itself, but it allows you to “try before you buy” the book. </p>
<p>Seeing how the solutions are obtained will be important for you- it’s not that the math is ever hard, it’s more reading the question and quickly comprehending what they are asking, what information is provided/missing, and how to attack the problem. There are patterns that emerge, and those patterns become more obvious with practice and a little guidance.</p>
<p>FWIW, Dr. Chung’s is generally viewed as having harder problems than the SAT tests. If you can master those you’ll probably be in great shape for the real test, but you run the risk of just getting frustrated even more…</p>
<p>“3/4 of my wrong answers are from reading the question wrong.” With your CR score I have to doubt that this is really the problem. You didn’t say how much you studied already. Like many things, you should get faster with practice. Also, the questions should start to look somewhat the same.</p>
<p>You’re definitely not a moron if you can get an 800 in both CR and W. I did on one of my two attempts at the SAT, too. Those will definitely help your superscore when you bring the math up!</p>
<p>Get yourself some prep books and practice, practice, practice. Do timed tests (maybe not at first). Go over the answers you got right and those you got wrong. Good luck!</p>
<p>@JohnSmith52 - You are very similar to my D! Unfortunately, she didn’t take the SAT in her junior year, and by the time she received her scores senior year, there was little time to do much about her math score. I would just practice a lot and get a math tutor if you can afford one.</p>
<p>I was thinking of starting a thread to see if others have had such disparate scores, and how those scores impacted their admissions. I used my D’s composite score to judge her profile against the incoming class profiles of various schools, but it’s weird when the CR and Writing scores are above the 75%, and the Math score is near or below the 25%. </p>
<p>If you have the money, I’d talk to your parents about a SAT math tutor. It can make all the difference and you’re in a great position to put your SAT score on par with the top kids in the nation. The math section, in my opinion, was the easiest section mainly due to the fact that I was able to find my rhythm. I had a SAT math tutor for sometime and he taught me techniques for various problems and after practice and practice, I was able to brush through the first 13-14 questions which gave me enough time for the harder, but not terribly harder, questions. </p>
<p>Just remember:</p>
<p>1) You don’t need to show work. Learn how to cut corners on the calculator while still getting a correct answer. </p>
<p>2) Like stated in the above post, there is a pattern with the math section. A test a day or every other day will allow you to feel more confident with the problems in front of you and instead of asking yourself, “how the f*** do I start this problem?” you’ll be saying “Ah! Permutation!” </p>
<p>Good luck in finding your rhythm, you’re so close. </p>
<p>The math section is essentially a bunch of tricks so if you learn the 30-60-90, 45-45-90 triangles and how to factor, you are pretty much set. All you need is practice and I’m sure you’ll do great! Most people tend to do worse on CR than Math anyways, so you are fine…</p>
<p>@JohnSmith52 - I have the same problem you do - math is my lowest score and it really frustrates me because I am fine at math in school (got an A in my trig/pre-calc class easily) - but I can’t master SAT math. My problem is also that I just don’t have enough time - on the march SAT, I did not even get to the last two problems of each section - I ran out of time. I don’t understand why people say the math section is the easiest to master. I’ve practiced so much with practice SAT math sections but I feel I’m not getting anywhere.</p>
<p>I have always found the CR section to be like Math. Technically, the two sections are completely different “academically”, but the same skills are used. When you do a CR passage, there is a lot of “thinking outside the box”. For example, you have to kind of read between the lines, piece together flows of logic, etc. The math section is like this except it is more concrete (in my opinion). A lot of the math section is about noticing an “idea”. The SAT doesn’t test arithmetic, it tests “ideas” such as “prime numbers are {2, 3…}.” Knowing that 2 is the only even prime number and is the lowest prime number will help you because some kids think that 1 is a prime number or that there are no even prime numbers. Also, the harder questions will test your understanding of math. ETS wants to know if you understand math – as in, you can not only plug and chug numbers in your calculator, you understand ideas. </p>
<p>Sorry, if this made things more confusing. This is how I always viewed CR and Math. </p>
<p>“The math section is the only section that requires a higher level of intelligence (as opposed to reading a passage and answering questions or correcting basic grammatical errors), I’m evidently a moron.”</p>
<p>…Are you serious? Critical Reading is the most innate ability tested on the SAT and the hardest to improve. So if you have a bad CR score, well you’re screwed. Math isn’t that hard to improve since all the questions are the same, just in different scenarios. e.g. a blue ball is replaced with a red ball, and maybe 3 more balls are added in a level 5 probability question.</p>
<p>With two 800s, there’s no way you’re a “moron.” The math section is probably easiest to improve on with lots of practice, so you can definitely get your math score up there. If running out of time and reading the questions wrong are the big problems, you should be able to improve a lot just by taking more tests.
I improved my math score from 670 to 800 in a week and a half by studying a ton. I spent all of my lunches and free blocks taking math sections, and I spent a couple hours at home every weekday as well. You probably have way more time to study, so there’s no need for you to cram like I did. </p>