<p>These are the questions that I keep missing during my tests - I usually get about 50 - 60 percent right. Are there any EASY ways to improve this without having to get an expensive prep book like Chung's? (I already have Gruber's ... is that enough..?)
also, has anyone used sparknotes' online prep for math or any other SAT portion?</p>
<p>If there were easy ways to solve the difficult problems they wouldn’t be difficult problems.</p>
<p>Just do practice tests and look at recurring types of problems where they test 1 specific trick (like the question about phone calls where it’s 50 cents for the first minute and 30 every minute after that) and just figure out how to solve the consistently tested problems.</p>
<p>Agreed^^^!!!</p>
<p>Many of the “hard” questions seemed really hard to begin with, but after doing MANY of them, you really do begin to see a pattern and they don’t seem as complex or difficult. I didn’t know what to make of all the talk about having to get into the SAT writers’ brains. But when you go through the problems and their solutions, you do start to see things from a different perspective and, while still challenging, you view the questions a bit differently.</p>
<p>Just stick with it, review everything you are not sure about, post questions you just don’t get on here for help, and it will all come together for you.</p>
<p>I know exactly what you mean. Chung’s book is like 30 dollars -_-".
Bu I suggest a teacher willing to teach.</p>
<p>MY SAT ELITE Math teacher strongly suggests taking one section of math per night… so that’s spending 25 minutes per night for let’s say a month and boom you already have 30 sections under your belt. He suggests taking as many math tests as possible because the key to getting high scores for math sections is to understand what the problem is trying to ask and logicaly deciphering how to solve it. Because once you know what the problem is trying to ask and you can logically think it out, the questions don’t seem as hard anymore.</p>
<p>Try Nova’s SAT Math Bible.</p>
<p>I’m using it. It’s far from perfect - I’ve noted 2 editorial errors. It’s nothing major, and I’ll be more than happy to point them out for you (if you actually get the Bible). In addition, some questions aren’t worded very well in the permutations section, turning some problems into a semantics game. </p>
<p>On a positive note, it does have a lot of hard problems. It even has the so-called “very hard” problems that are yet another notch harder than what you’ll ever see on the SAT. </p>
<p>And overall, it’s a viable (and chaper!) alternative to Dr. Chung’s. </p>
<p>According to Amazon, the Bible is “out of stock.” That’s a little misleading. It’s still available in brand new condition by retailers not fulfilled by Amazon. Link: </p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Used and New: SAT Math Bible](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1889057487/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1889057487/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new)</p>
<p>I have found that 600+ students all make the same mistake that keeps them from moving to the 700s. You try to do those level 4 and 5 problems the same way you would do them in school. This leads to careless errors and getting the questions wrong. You are usually able to find your mistake right away, and therefore you feel like you “learned” how to do the problem. But that is irrelevant. Because the next problem looks different, and you will get tricked again. The key is to stop doing those problems that way. Start using SAT strategies and stop using mathematics. The SAT strategies might take a little longer, but that’s OK. If you’re using the right strategies throughout the test, you should be saving time on the easier questions.</p>
<p>Holy crap… That’s exactly how I would think^^ what you mean by strategies though?</p>
<p>Hossain,</p>
<p>I can’t add much to what I’ve said since it would violate policies of this forum. But let me give one simple example of a strategy that most students know:</p>
<p>If variables appear in the answer choices, then picking numbers for these variables is a strategy that takes a little longer, but keeps you from being tricked. This strategy should always be used on hard problems.</p>
<p>^ Can you explain why it would violate policies in this forum?</p>
<p>But thanks for the advice, I had the same mentality you explained earlier in your post. I will try to have the SAT mentality now.</p>
<p>Listen to Momom that person is right, just keep looking at hard questions. I can do the easy and medium questions in like 10 minutes but when I get to the hard questions I get stumped.</p>
<p>nothingto,</p>
<p>They’re very strict here with their non-marketing policies. Since I am an author of an SAT prep book I have to be very careful what I write or the mods block me from posting (and I could get banned from the forum). Hopefully this post isn’t in violation. If so, mods, I apologize. I’m just trying to answer nothingto’s question.</p>