<p>My daughter just called from her SAT tutoring practically in tears - the math is just not getting any better. She's taking the May test. At this point, should she just forget working on the math and getting more and more frustrated and focus on getting a better score on the verbal parts? She wants to major in vocal performance so the audition is going to be key. She has great grades, but just doesn't retain the math. She can figure it all out one week and has to start all over the next day.</p>
<p>She shouldn't forget about the math -- that'd be silly. She should keep practicing and she should keep trying to get a good score. Even if all her tutoring only gives a 50pt increase, it's still 50 points.</p>
<p>That was the premise I was relying on but the math is frying her brain to the point that I'm afraid working on it is going to start doing more harm than good. She works with a one on one tutor and by the time she gets home, she has trouble doing the problems they just worked through.</p>
<p>Hmm. I think it would be in her best interest to get an SAT math workbook (I'd reccomend Barron's) which covers the basics all the way through the advanced material. </p>
<p>Maybe the tutor is trying to teach more advanced stuff on-top of a shaky foundation? Without a good foundation, you can't build anything substantial!</p>
<p>practice makes perfect. You can't let her quit on something just because it seems hard at first. The begining is usually the hardest in most cases. Once she gets the hang of it, she'll forget about forgetting about math...just give it a little more time and see what happens.
If she remains as she is now, then just do less math than before, but don't abandon it completely. That would be a big mistake imo.</p>
<p>Thanks - she has the Barron's book and the Blue Book. She also has "Up Your Score" and has enjoyed that one. I think you are right about the basics. Algebra is the beast - I think she inherited it. I got mid 700s on the old SAT verbal and in the 500s on the math. Back then, that was just fine because the LACs looked more at the verbal score - even though most wouldn't admit it.</p>
<p>Well caretera here's what I think you can do to help. I get the impression that your daughter can't get over ~650 on the SAT math. Is that correct? I definitely say do not "forget about the math". Just getting two more right on average on the math section pulls your score up by 50-60 points (whereas two more right on WR gives you only about 30 points). </p>
<p>Here is what I propose to pull up her score up. Its expensive but it helps improve scores by at least 50 points and saves lots of time (I used to score around 700 now I get almost 800). BUY A TI-89 TITANTIUM calculator. YES, I'm sorry but you should really invest in this thing or at least ask if your daughter can borrow one from one of her friends. There are always at least 10 questions on the test which can be solved by just plugging in the question on the calculator.</p>
<p>For example if the questions is:</p>
<p>9(3^a)=3^b</p>
<p>write a in terms of a. </p>
<p>You can solve the question by using the "Solve" function on the calculator. You just type this on your calculator "solve(9(3^a)=3^b,a)"--the ,a means with respect to a--and voila! the calculator spits out the answer. If you have a good tutor he will be able to explain this very easily to your daughter. Also this calculator solves inequalities/quadratics. It can also find the points of intersection on two lines by just plugging in.</p>
<p>Also here is some help to improve her vocab score by about 80 points (I'm assuming she gets around 650 on CR and misses around 4 vocab question) is to memorize this list of words, using flashcards or preferably mnemonic devices. </p>
<p>check this out about mnemonic devices:</p>
<p>Also by the book Barrons 2400 to help improve SAT scores. The questions in the book are so hard that the real SAT looks like a piece of cake.</p>
<p>Stuck -on-1700 - I think she will back off the math a bit but not abandon it. She called on the way home and said that the practice questions this week looked harder than they were so she froze a bit and then couldn't work out of it. She stayed an extra hour working on them and feels better. A big part of it is a math phobia that I try so hard not to reinforce but I completely understand it. I managed to get an undergrad, grad and law degree while secretly believing I suffer from dyscalculia, a disability in dealing with the abstract concepts necessary for anything beyond arithmetic.</p>
<p>I'm sure this is really discouraging for your D. When you mentioned that she was nearly in tears, though, I wondered if there's something about the way the tutor is working through things--maybe by simply having her work actual problems all the time. Some SAT problems require a kind of mathematical reasoning that's almost automatic to some people, but doesn't come easily to others, even those who get good math grades once they figure out how to solve certain types of problems. </p>
<p>Your D might get more out of the sections of the workbooks that review the concepts (rather than working actual problems at first), or she might even benefit from doing problems from the ACT, which are generally more straightforward, and so provide a better review of math concepts that she's probably already had. I hope she hangs in there!</p>
<p>Atomic - that's the Barron's book she has been working through. I was afraid I bought the wrong book because it seems geared to kids who get it but want better. She was fine with it though but commented the work is harder than the standard stuff. I told her to just look at it as icing on the cake - if she gets one question more because of it, that's great. "Up Your Score" uses mnemonic devices and alliteration to remember words and we do that together. I used to have a photographic memory and could actually reread portions of texts in my mind during tests so I have a lot of tricks with regard to memory. She is also using Sparknotes but time is running out for the May test. She will definitely do the June one as well. We'll do more of the memory trick work. She has a TI 84 plus calculator - is that not enough? 650 would be a dream for her - if she can get to 600, she'll be happy. There are several schools with great music programs where low 600s would be adequate.</p>
<p>Thanks Marathon Man - you may be right about the tutor. We have nothing to compare to - she is working more and more with the books now to get the basics.</p>
<p>Which schools are we talking about and is she considering double majoring at any of them? In most BM vocal performance programs, they will not care a whole lot about the SAT scores, just the audition. If we are talking about improving from 650 as Atomicbomb seems to think, she would do a lot better by spending the time working up her audition material. If we are talking about improving from 450 or so, then maybe she stands to gain at a some of her schools by working on the math.</p>
<p>There is a lot of good information about music school admissions on the Music Majors portion of CC. If you have not already seen it, I suggest you go there and start reading.</p>
<p>Edit: we crossposted and it seems that 600 is the target. Unless we are talking about places like Rice or Carnegie Mellon, 600 will be more than enough and 550 will probably be just fine.</p>
<p>BassDad - 600 may be more of a dream. Her practice tests are putting her in the low 500s for math. </p>
<p>She will definitely work harder on the audition materials than anything else. Her voice teacher is already starting with her repertoire and she is in a performing arts magnet school so she has been working with classical music since freshman year. She is a hard worker and only knows how to do her best so she is determined to do the very best she can on the SAT.</p>
<p>Her work ethic will serve her well as a music major. Unless she is applying to places where she must be accepted academically by the school before the music department can consider her, the difference between low 500's and a 600 in Math is just not going to be all that important. There are a few schools where it will matter, so I applaud her determination, but you should both understand that a Math score of 500 will not be a barrier to getting into many great voice programs as long as the audition is where it needs to be.</p>
<p>I am the director of a tutoring center in the Boston area and an SAT tutor (although I personally teach primarily the Verbal section). A few things come to mind. Can I ask you some questions?:</p>
<p>1) What is your current tutoring arrangement like?</p>
<p>2) Does your daughter have a good math teacher (at school) right now?</p>
<p>3) What did your daughter get the first time she took the SAT M?</p>
<p>4) Is it possible for her to take a test in the fall? It sounds to me like your daughter may be feeling time pressure which is contributing to her anxiety and tendency to freeze up.</p>
<p>5) Where is she planning to apply?</p>
<p>6) Have any of her teachers mentioned the possibility of dyscalculia?</p>
<p>It looks like you are focusing so much on Math that she's breathing and living it. Bad. I would suggest just stop everything on math and focus completely on Verbal and Writing. Even thought this was W for me, I did not touch or think SAT for 2 months and then did some practice question every week before the test. My score shot up by a ~100 pts. Prep can do you only this much, and I have many others whose scores jump after a period of time, without any prep. </p>
<p>I would suggest taking the May SAT and use it as a diagnostic. Often time, if you go in to a test knowing that you have another chance, your mindset is more at peace and you tend do a lot better. I went into my first SAT telling myself just to do my best and that if I got anything bad I still have another chance. So I didn't stress at all, and having never even scored beyond 650 on math in practice tests, I got a perfect score. The key is relaxation, and no fixed mindset on anything.</p>
<p>Also, don't take practice seriously! Once you believe that score (if that score is bad) is what you'll get, you'll lose self-confidence and get frustrated repeatedly. </p>
<p>Gl, don't stress over math, it's not that important in the long run.</p>
<p>I have used the Ti-84 for a looonggg time, and I just thought that the ti-89 was the rich kid version of the ti-84. I was dead wrong. That calc can do almost anything, and if your D is having trouble getting 600 then this would definitely help. Ask her to borrow one of her friends' ti-89 calculator, and let her tutor teach her how to use it. I really believe it well help, but your D will have to put some time in to learning how to use it, but it will payoff (I personally think its easier to learn how to use a calc than learn how to do frustrating math). If by some mishap, she doesn't do stellar on the May SAT, seriously think about getting her one.</p>
<p>Also a good tool is the CB online course because it grades essays and does automatic scoring. If you don't already have it, PM me and I'll tell you a secret.</p>