<p>I was just wondering all you 800 math scorers and others in the high 700's, what is your plan of attack?</p>
<p>Do you guys just memorize like every formula and question type on the SAT and do tons of practice? Do you guys just plug in on every opportunity on the test? Are you guys crazy good at algebra and geometry? How? I want an 800? What are your tips/strategy?</p>
<p>i got 670 then studied for 2 weeks taking 2 sections a night and got an 800 the next time. my secret was taking the tests without a calculator so when u get to the actual tst u save time and know what to do without the calc.</p>
<p>I'll be honest, I didn't prep, went in cold and got a 710 on math. It's all just about knowing the basic concepts of geometry/algebra, classes which I did pretty average in B+/A- in both.</p>
<p>A lot of questions, I could instantly find the answer, and the questions where I couldn't do that, I would just plug in every answer and see if it works. </p>
<p>I guess I don't have a real strategy to give you, but I would just say practice and take your time on the test. Make sure to read the ENTIRE question and really, SAT Math is incredibly easy. There's no reason why you can't get a 700-800 if you understand the concepts and take your time.</p>
<p>Well, I got an 800 this May (but CR was bad - 630). The most sincere advice I, or most other people can give you, is - be thorough with concepts, and then practice. First, learn all common SAT Math concepts. Gruber's is supposed to be very good for this purpose(though I didnt use it) - study everything it (or any other book) has to offer. And then practice.... The Blue Book's great for practice. Find and do whatever questions you come across. </p>
<p>Another thing my friend and I did was - we used to sit together and each of us would bring the hardest SAT questions we could find, and then practice. It helped a lot. You could try it with some of your friends.</p>
<p>I dont know if this'll work for you, but try to use your calculator minimally. Its hardly required for the SAT. Only when you actually need to perform large operations head for it. This may help better your problem-solving.</p>
<p>Hope this helps</p>
<p>Like blakpanther987 said, the best thing you can do is know the concepts. If you just do practice problems, you're limited to those and similar problems. If you actually learn the math behind every problem, you'll be more comfortable at applying each technique. </p>
<p>I disagree with the other posters who said to try not to use your calculator too much. While you shouldn't be using it to do 10 * 43, you should be using it as much as you need or want. Many of the harder problems can be solved even if you don't know how to do them directly by using a calculator.</p>
<p>I am fairly good at basic math and division so I never really use it to do basic functions. However, I do use it to graph equations and functions occasionally when I see a shortcut via that way. </p>
<p>On all my practice tests I got 750+ on Math, real day i got below a 700... I guess I was just nervous. Hopefully I'll do better though. </p>
<p>But, thanks for the help.</p>
<p>You can know every math concept, but there are always questions that have nothing to do with concepts, rather pure logic. Like those questions that ask the 100th term of a sequence or what happens when you multiply a bunch of fractions(say 50 fractions together), and you have to see some trick to do them all.</p>
<p>if you have taken Algebra II then know all the concepts, now its just a matter of practice. They safest way to get a 800 is to do practice math sections, especially focus in on the harder questions. Make sure you know how to do every question and accurately. A lot of the time I would be like the answer is 5 but i wouldn't be answering the question. So on the day of the test i went slowly about a 1 minute per question read the question fully answered and then reread the question to make sure I was answering what the question asked. That really helped my accuracy (800 M and 800 M SAT II IIC). The whole time though it wasn't a matter of i didn't know the concepts but I didn't answer the question properly. If you don't know the concepts I would spend the summer working on that as well. Perfect practice makes permanent!!!</p>
<p>dudemanimcool, my advice is this. do practice tests without the calculator. Then, try to do all the problems at a later time using ONLY the calculator. this may sound funny, but it worked for me. this way, you know how to solve the problems with both a calculator and by hand. Also, if you have covered all the material (i.e. finished Algebra II) you should be fine. the problem for most people is not the material, but how to apply it to the SAT type problems.</p>
<p>The best advice I can give you is to have a genuine understanding of the concepts and to be comfortable moving numbers around. If you have to write out every step in your algebra, don't let a missed minus sign or something like that stop you from the 800! eliminate stupid answers in the multiple choice also by plugging them in or just thinking why it's not a possible answers.</p>
<p>I got an 800 in March, and I didn't specifically prep for the Math section. </p>
<p>I am a math person (math team and all) so I didn't find the material too hard. So I think a good understanding of the underlying material is necessary. </p>
<p>I would also say that blindly memorizing formulas is definitely the wrong way to go about it. To be honest I try to avoid memorizing formulas if I can help it. This will force you to think about why and how a formula works. </p>
<p>I would also agree with some of the other comments that practice w/o a calc can help if you aren't at the 800 level. This is because EVERY problem on the SAT math can be solved without a calc. So on test day when you have your calc, you will feel very comfortable with finding shortcuts etc.</p>
<p>Lastly, I think the most important test tip is to CAREFULLY read the question. Can't emphasize this point enough because this is where the SAT usually gets people!</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>The best way to get an 800 on math is to be very careful. If you know a question is supposed to be on the more difficult side and you found it too easy, you probably fell for the trap.</p>
<p>I didn't prepare for it at all, but I am also a math person(do contests such as amc, aime, arml etc). I think the best way is to just try the questions and learn how do them.. It takes time but it's worth it..
and yea, like ephemeral said, it's easy to make silly mistakes.</p>
<p>many of the math scorers are just naturally great at math. those who scored an 800 usually arent lucky, they could probably do it 7/10 tests. as other people have said, if you're not a math person, it's best to understand the concepts.</p>
<p>well all you need is to have taken precalc/trig, and with a little bit of luck/intuition you can get an 800 for sure. There's no calculus so it's really easy. Just know your geometry/trig formulas.</p>
<p>bring a calculator ;p and uhh flash cards?</p>
<p>Lol. we should make a sticky on the CC consolidated advice to getting a 750+ on every section. that would help a lot.
I studied every math concept from a Kaplan book in the two weeks before the test and got a 690, and i'm always at the top of my math classes.
I guess i'll try taking more practice tests and practicing the actual math more, and also not use a calculator</p>
<p>Any specific books that you 750+'rs recommend for practice work in math?? Like the SAT math workout books? I dont want to use the big blue book for that. trying to use it for just practice tests</p>
<p>with a 790 in sat1 and 800 math2 for sat2s, id say the main reason i got these scores is because i have a natural knack for math. that, and of course, an incredible knowledge of how to use my ti89. </p>
<p>seriously, once you get the basic concepts of algebra/geometry, you start seeing patterns of types of questions on the test and can start answering them ridiculously fast/easily. if you don't have the natural talent for math, then just do practice tests and check the explanation for the answers to see how to do it. do enough and eventually you'll be able ot apply the strategies to questions yourself.</p>
<p>also, know your way around your calculator. i know a lot of people here will curse me for telling you that, but if you have a calculator that can do it, why not use it? i mean, ok you don't have to use it for #1: Solve for x, 2x^2=8. It would probably be faster to just do that in your head, but use the calculator wisely. know where all the functions are, and especially the tips and tricks for your respective calculator. for example, on the ti89, the F2 Solve function is probably applicable to at least half if not more of the questions and that's all you need. you cna use that to solve almost anything, ranging from trig to even system of equations (up to like 26 simutaneous equations, as long as u have the same number of variables and equations it should be able to solve it. separate the equations with the word "and" in the solve() function.)</p>
<p>I recommend buying barrons SATI book for math
I used to have around 670s in Math (or probably worse) and before I took the march SAT, i just did all the practice tests in barron, read the explanation, and I ended up getting 800 in march.</p>
<p>Read a study book. Skip through the obvious stuff and focus only on what would come out on the hard questions, like permutations.</p>
<p>But most importantly, practice, practice, practice!</p>
<p>You'll realize that CB gives you plenty of time for math. Read each question carefully, and underline the key parts of the question. I got into the habit of re-writing what the question was asking for before working out the problem to avoid errors. Do not let yourself make careless mistakes...this is the difference between a 730 and an 800.</p>
<p>770 (-1) March SAT, 800 May SAT</p>