<p>Hello, CC
I am currently a junior and with minimal studying, I have received a score of 1950 on the SAT yet I do horrible on the MATH section? Math does NOT at ALL come natural to me, I'm "retarded" when it comes to math. CR and Writing has been my strong suits even when I was a child, I love reading, and I guess it eventually payed off. I'm so behind on math that I have to retake another year of geometry. Can someone guide me on how to study specifically for the Math portion. I have the Blue Book, Barron's 2400, and Princeton's Review Prep Book. I already skimmed through the Math Review before the actual practice tests in the Blue Book but I'm totally clueless on how to study. PLEASE HELP! I want at least a 2200 by October.(4 months to prepare)
W: 750
CR: 730
M: 470</p>
<p>Lucky that math is your worst section, because it’s generally considered the easiest to bring up, even for those to whom math does not come naturally. IIRC (it’s been a while since I studied for the SAT), Barron’s 2400 math problems really overshoot the actual test’s difficulty, so much so that I’d say the studying you do for them is a bit misguided. Never used Princeton Review anything, personally. I scored a 650 in math my junior year and raised it to a 720 or so just by doing most of the math sections in the blue book and reviewing questions I got wrong and questions I was unsure of. The best things to ask yourself are</p>
<ol>
<li>Why did I get this problem wrong? (calculation error? didn’t understand? wrong approach? did I miss a key word in the question? etc.)</li>
<li>How should I have solved this problem? (was my method correct and I should have just been more meticulous? is there a faster way, or a way with less margin for error? etc.)</li>
<li>How can I extend what I learned from this problem to other problems? (do I need to review anything? can I come up with a related problem that my new knowledge will allow me to solve? etc.)</li>
</ol>
<p>A good idea is to take note of what subsections (e.g. probability, geometry, algebra) of the math section you’re missing the most problems on with a simple tally and going from there to guide your studying. Also, I have never used it, but Dr. Chung’s SAT Math book is very highly regarded and usually recommended in these threads. </p>
<p>If you put in some honest studying this summer, a 2200 is very achievable by your senior year. Try not to tie yourself in a knot with math problems on the SAT; if you’re stuck, try asking yourself the problem in simpler terms. I would take a few untimed math sections to begin with and focus on trying to get the problems correct with absolutely no outside help. When you get stuck on a problem, don’t just mark it and leave it at that; write down WHY you are stuck and WHAT you need to know to be able to solve the problem. When you go over the test, refer to what you wrote down for the what and the why and go from there.</p>
<p>You may find the Feynman Technique (<a href=“http://www.scotthyoung.com/learnonsteroids/grab/TranscriptFeynman.pdf”>http://www.scotthyoung.com/learnonsteroids/grab/TranscriptFeynman.pdf</a>) very useful.</p>
<p>@experientiadocet Well, I’ve been attempting the practice tests in the Blue Book and when I try to review what I got wrong I have no idea how to do it. I have NO idea on where to start… Are there more in-depth explanations for the answers so I could actually understand?</p>
<p>The first thing you should ask when you can’t answer a question is “why can’t I answer this question?” i.e., what is the roadblock?</p>
<p>I can walk you through a problem and how you should go about troubleshooting it if you think that would help.</p>
<p>Heh, well that wouldn’t be very helpful unless you explain to me the tens of problems that I do not understand at all. Should I just continue to use the review in the Blue Book?</p>
<p>I don’t know, do you think the review in the Blue Book is helping you? Assuming that’s what you’ve used so far, have you noticed a generally positive trend in your math section scoring? There’s no sense using it if it’s not helping, but then, the problem may not be the resource material so much as how you’re using it.</p>
<p>@ jrohazn, even I am planning to give the sat , either in october or in November.
Math is my strong section in which I got 760 whereas I am weak in the reading section , in which I managed to get just 640 in my first attempt. If u want we could help each other out in the preparation. I can help u in the math section and u can help me in the reading section.</p>
<p>Check out SAT Quantum website.
Video answer explanations for EVERY math question CB has in public domain.</p>
<p>OP, the first thing you need is an attitude adjustment. All the suggestions here are not going to help you without a serious rethinking of your mental wherewithal. Are you willing to subject yourself to an analysis on an internet forum, or are you really looking for “some easy way to do this”?</p>
<p>@sylvan8798 Where does it say in my post that I’m “looking for some easy way to do this?” I explained my dire situation and I asked for advice. I honestly don’t know how to study for math because I’m horrendous at it. Don’t know where you thought that from but whatever floats your boat.</p>
<p>The maths questions you get wrong, all they all over the place from all area’s of maths or have you identified your weaker area’s? Like are you have trouble with algebra’s, ratio’s, geometry, factoring, etc… etc.
Also most of the test prep books like Grubbers or Barron’s have like a Math refresher or basic math concept refresher section. Review that and SAT maths video’s at Khan Academy before taking anymore tests.
If they are all over the place, check the video’s for wrong one’s at San Quantum and see if you understand the solution once explained in the video.</p>
<p>
Not a personal comment, but an observation regarding a lot of students who want to know how they can succeed but don’t really want to know the truth, just some easy way to do it. You did not indicate whether you can subject yourself to analysis on an internet forum so that others may see what is truly at issue.</p>