How do YOU save time on the SATs?

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>I've been lurking here for quite a while, and it seems almost everyone finishes their SAT sections in only half the time! Meanwhile, I barely finish in my allocated time. I mostly struggle with math, only getting around 650:S in practice tests. I was just wondering if someone has any 'math tips' which help them perform operations/understand equations easier. The more examples = the better</p>

<p>I'll start off:</p>

<p>How to square a binomial easily
(x+1)^2
Square the first term, multiply the two terms together in the middle and double it, and then square the second term
=x^2 + 2x + 1^2</p>

2

<p>or better known as </p>

<p>(a+b)^2 = a^2 + 2ab + b^2</p>

3

<p>When confronted with a weird geometric problem, drawing lines to form random triangles is often useful and gets the problem solved :P</p>

4

<p>yea same for me. i can get the easy problems but for the last ones usually i cant "see" the solution unless i think about it for awhile.</p>

5

<p>There are special right angle triangles like</p>

<p>3,4,5
5,12,13</p>

6

<p>Skip questions I can't get on the first time and come back to them after I finish everything else, which by then I'll have a whole new perspective and can solve the problem.</p>

<p>Also if it's like x^2 - 2xy - y^2 = 34 and (x + y)=5, and it asks for (x-y) then factor the first into (x+y)(x-y)=34 and solve from there.</p>

7

<p>yeah, a^2-b^2 = (a-b)(a+b) ...memorize it.</p>

8

<p>I save time by daydreaming about girls I have a crush on.</p>

<p>Oh, wait.</p>

9

<p>with math, if there's a question i don't understand, i always skip it and go back later. then i generally have time to stare at it, and it starts to make sense... but that seems like common knowledge, i guess.</p>

10

<p>If you ever get a shape that is shaded inside another shape, try to rearrange the shaded side so it covers a % of the area of 1 of the figures.</p>

<p>When bubbling in answers, only bubble in after you answer a page of questions- you won't have to keep going from answer sheet to question booklet.</p>

11

<p>30(4-5x) = 4(80x+59), i use solver function o.o solve for x.
30(4-5x) - 4(80x+59) = 0
0% room for errors. unless mispunch strokes o.o</p>

12

<p>If you're talking about math, I totally feel your pain. Even though I ended up with the 800, I found myself plugging in answer choices into the question because I didn't actually know how to do it. D: Honestly, time isn't your problem if you can at least know you got them all right.</p>

13

<p>I don't look at the questions. LOL jk. </p>

<p>PITA - plug in the answer choices. It can save time.</p>

14

<p>^ Yay, someone else who does it! :)</p>

15

<p>I used to PITA, but then I practiced and got good at actually doing them. Makes the test a bit less stressful :)</p>

16

<p>shortcuts are not needed. for that one just square the first number, add then terms and and double, square the last?</p>

17

<p>i used PITA on a practice test, and it took alot longer than actually doing out the problems... did anyone else have the same results?</p>

18

<p>Depends, I mean, if you use PITA a lot, you can identify which problems it'll be helpful on and which it will not be.</p>

19

<p>To save time on the CR, I read all the questions before I read the passage. If a question references a certain line(s) in the passage, I underline that portion. As I read, I take note of the underlined areas, pay extra attention, and generally answer the questions as I go.</p>