<p>Right now I'm procrastinating on writing my college essays and I thought I'd pass on some things I noticed about the math section of the SAT while studying and helping friends study last year.</p>
<p>When the writers of the test say that all problems can be solved without a calculator they mean it. This is probably one of the best suggestions to use when studying. Try to look for ways to solve the problems that are easy enough to solve without minimal math knowledge and calculations. I've found the best way to solve these problems (usually rated hard by the review books) is to use substitution. This will often offer a faster. It is best to look for how these substitutions work when practicing with a review book so you can see how to set them up and then quickly solve the problems on the test.</p>
<p>Another type of question that often gives people trouble is the type where you are given three variables and asked solve for something in terms of the rest. This often seems difficult but can easily be solved using dimensional analysis. This is when assign units to each variable based on what they represent and use them and arrange them in such away so the units cancel out to give the unit of the desired quantity. </p>
<p>Right now I don't have time to provide examples for each situation but maybe at a later time I will. I hope this is able to help all of you who still need to take the test and this does not just reiterate something you all already know.</p>