<p>Calculator programs aren't really necesary, and barely useful. But they are in no way cheating AT ALL. I got a high SAT math score. Take heart that I think no less of your score if you used a calculator program.</p>
<p>Just pay attention. A lot of attention. Be careful that you know exactly what the question is asking. Make sure you do the appropriate modification/ tweakage. </p>
<p>Pay attention, and don't get caught in their traps! :-D</p>
<p>math and writing are easy to break 700. CR is extremely hard to break 750.... in my books...</p>
<p>Well, the AP math tests as well as the SAT IIs are less tricky (and generally have better grading curves). On the SAT I, however, the curve is a bit more limited, the questions are extremely tricky (and the tricky ones use simple Algebra I and Geometry generally). So, what you should do is learn how to get around the trickiness. Practice. Practice makes perfect! Then again, you shouldn't practice because no one can achieve perfection, so therefore the saying "practice makes perfect" is a lie and you would be wasting your time trying :-P. Naw, just kidding. Practice!</p>
<p>well if you wana get around tricky questions, I'd say contest math questions are the best practices. a couple questions from amc and aime and tricks on sat looks like cake.</p>
<p>o yea another thing is REAd EVERY WORD ON THE QUESTION. I hate how collegeboard play with words.</p>
<p>a good place to get challenging problems is <a href="http://www.saab.org%5B/url%5D">www.saab.org</a></p>
<p>use college board book - do last 4-5 problems per section of the tests. old college board book had 8 practice tests. With 3 math sections each, that is about 24 sections. Do 4-5 problems per section (hard ones only!). Remember that in the section with 18 problems, you have 8 multiple choice and 10 grid-ins. Thus, #6-8 are hard right before grid-in and also #16-18 in grid-in. in the other 2 sections, it is always the last few problems. So you are looking at doing about 96-120 problems total. You have 3 weeks or so. Do them on the weekend. You can kick out 20 problems on a Saturday and 20 on a Sunday. If you get really gungho, but Princeton Review 11 fakes and do the same thing. Practice only the hard problems. You will have seen most of what they will throw at you. I have seen repeatedly problems with absolute value inequalities at the end - you just remember to have a negative and a positive solution and to flip the inequality sign on the negative solution. Solve the equations and bingo. Also, they like now the exponential growth of things backwards and forwards - this is simple. Another favorite is the formulas with variables where the first minute, hour, etc.of something such as a plumber visiting your house, a taxi ride, a phone bill is at one rate and all remaining minutes are at a second rate. They make all the rates variables. Just fill lin your own numbers and then check the answers which are in variables. Just plug in your numbers for the variables and see which formula works. Also remember that the total number of minutes is m, then the first minute is one minute and all additional minutes are m-1! This threw my daughter on a test. Also, plug in your own numbers! Don't try to be an algebra whiz kid. The test is so darn repetitive in terms of types of problems. You can do very well this way. Trust me - I am a tutor!</p>
<p>also don't forget distance = rate times time problems. These are also popular. Remember that on the SAT the distance going somewhere is the SAME as the distance coming back to the same place. It does not matter that the rate going and time going are different than the rate returning and the time returning. Thus you can set the two sides equal to each other. Both distances are the same! This should be intuitive because if you drive 100 miles to NJ shore and you drive 50 miles an hour, it will take you 2 hours. But if you drive from NJ shore back to your house (same distance!) and you drive like a madman at 100 miles per hour, it will only take you 1 hour.</p>
<p>sorry but i find the college board book and 11 fakes (PR) sufficient to study for test. You will see everything in there you will need. Key is that, yeah, wording is bad. However, you begin to see that when you see the word MUST, you have to consider 2 or 3 sets of numbers. When you see COULD, it doesn't mean it has to, just could it. You begin to see ALL of the types of tricks they will throw your way!!!</p>
<p>"Trust me - I am a tutor!"</p>
<p>mel5140, since you're a tutor, maybe you can help me. I recently scored a 350CR, 750M, 460W. I have about 2 months to raise that 1560 to a 1900. I already have Grammatix and will practice daily if necessary.</p>
<p>Here is my plan:</p>
<p>--1. Work on 2 CR sections daily. (go over wrong answers, look up unfamiliar vocabs)</p>
<p>--2. Work on 1 Writing section daily. (go over wrong answers)</p>
<p>--3. Work on 1 Math section daily. (go over wrong answers)</p>
<p>--4. Read in my free-time.</p>
<p>That is about 2 hrs of SAT prep everyday for 2 months. I already have the CB blue book, so I will use that. Is this a good plan? Do you think it is effective?</p>
<p>I only tutor Math. You have an awesome Math score. I wouldn't even spend too much time on that. You really need to work on your CR and writing. I don't know what you got on your essay, but 70% of the grade is based on the grammar mulitple choice score so you really need to study those types of grammar mistakes that they test regularly. Also, learn how to write a good five or four paragraph essay. Good opening with 2 or 3 ideas mentioned why you feel that way you do. Next paragraph open with one idea and then have a few detail sentences to support that. Third paragraph should be second idea and again a few more detail sentences. Assuming you are not going to have time for a third reason, then make fourth paragraph your concluding paragraph and say In conclusion... or in the final analysis, but now repeat your two main ideas using slightly different words and try to close with something powerful if possible. It can't hurt to use a couple of big vocabulary words. unequivocal or something - have a few words in your pocket. For CR, as you do the problems try to understand why your choice is wrong and why the answer is right. Remember that answers usually aren't inflammatory and don't apply to ALL people think this way (that answer is usually wrong) but MOST people MAY think this way or SOME people could think this way may be right answers. Good luck!!!</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice.</p>
<p>Another trick is that when they want you to consider whether something MUST be true, you start considering integers. If they said for any numbers, think about FRACTIONS also!!!! But if they say only for integers, then only consider integers. Most people never think about fractions when they see the word "NUMBERS".</p>
<p>also negatives are missed most of the time</p>
<p>Yes, for those problems that ask which of these are possible, you must tyry all different types of numbers. For example, try 0, a number greater than 1, a fraction between 0 and 1, a negative number less than -1, and a negative fraction between -1 and 0. Those choices particularly apply to exponent questions.</p>