<p>Meh, took another Barons practice test yesterday and did really badly, I was super distracted so I got a 660 
Only 2 weeks left, and 2 more practice tests.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if it’s actually helpful to read the information part of Barons? I’ve only been doing the tests, checking my answers, and seeing how they would solve it. I might start reading some of the book though.</p>
<p>The review section of Barron’s is good. Just don’t get mired in the details. Have a PR book next to you to verify that you aren’t going off into the deep end with Barron’s.</p>
<p>Anyway, having mathematical maturity is very helpful for the Math II exam. When I took the SAT, I was only in the middle of Calc AB. As it turned out, I scored a rather measly 740 on the math section of the SAT. If it weren’t for Math, I very likely could have scored a 2360 instead of a 2300. </p>
<p>Now, I’m in Calc BC and AP Stat, and my clairvoyance is simply amazing. I can see right through the Math II problems and often apply things I’ve learned in Calculus or Stats to solve the problems very efficiently.</p>
<p>I’m actually taking BC and Stat right now too, except I feel like I’ve forgotten a lot of things that are on the test by now. There are a few occasions where I’m like, thank god I know these tricks on the calculator from BC or stat, but mostly my feelings are “don’t remember ANYTHING”. I want to be a Math Major, so it’s pretty important that I get an 800 though.</p>
<p>How do you think BC/stat have helped you that much? Or are you only talking about the SAT I?</p>
<p>Anyways, I just got caught up in Barrons and lost 2 hours of my night… I feel like a true CCer.</p>
<p>EDIT: You can tell I’m in math mode right now by how awful my english is atm.
I’m about to go do some more Barrons…</p>
<p>How BC is useful:</p>
<p>1) L’Hopital’s rule for all those pesky indeterminant limits on the SAT II math exam
2) First derivative test for testing whether a function is increasing
3) Pre-calc formulas memorized from doing so many complex integrals </p>
<p>How Stat is useful:</p>
<p>1) Resistant vs non-resistant measures of center (useful on a Barron’s test)
2) Standard deviation and the fact that (8,8,8) has a std. dev. of 0 (though anyone should be able to figure this out) </p>
<p>There are plenty more cases, but these are just the things I came up with off the top my mind.</p>
<p>Oh, well, I never took AB, I just went from pre-calc/calc A to BC this year, so you’ve probably done a lot more calc than I have. I still haven’t learned integrals yet… I think we’re scheduled to learn that around the time of the exam. Usually I just graph them to find out, that seems easier to me.</p>
<p>Also for your stats, I haven’t seen either of those on the Barrons tests yet, maybe it’s on one of the last 2, since I haven’t done 5 or 6 yet. I hope they have a question like that on the test.</p>
<p>Also, after taking a few Barrons tests, these two things really take up a lot of my time, do any of you have any advice on techniques, or programs to help speed them up?</p>
<p>1) Completing the square for conic section problems. On these they often leave it incomplete, and it often takes a lot of time to complete the square twice and then arrange it in whatever formula is necessary for that conic section.</p>
<p>2) Problems where it asks about equations you can’t graph, like one of them I just took asked which of these 3 graphs contains perpendicular lines, and one of the graphs was like abs(xy)=1. I realize one of these isn’t so bad, but if you have more than one to think about it eats up a lot of time. Is there a program for calculators you can download to get around this issue?</p>
<p>Qube, are you a senior?</p>
<p>You don’t need to know L’Hopital’s rule for limits. I’ve taken countless practice tests for math, and I’ve never needed anything besides plugging-and-chugging for the problems. </p>
<p>For example, if you’re given a function and told to find the limit as x approaches a number, just plug in a number very close to that number (eg. as x approaches 3, then plug in 2.999 in the function), and your answer will be listed. Or if it asks as x approaches infinity, just plug in 9999999999. If you get a huge number, then the answer is also infinity.</p>
<p>As for pre-calc formulas, the only ones you have to know that you didn’t learn in algebra II are basic trig identities, such as sin = 1/cos and sin^2 + cos^2 = 1.</p>
<p>How are the McGraw Hill Practice Tests?</p>
<p>Easier? Harder? Just right?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You obviously haven’t taken the Math II practice test in the Official SAT Subject Tests Book. The below limit problem (from the aforementioned test) can be solved through plugging-in numbers, but you’re going to want to plug in quite a few numbers. </p>
<p>L’Hopital’s rule eschews the extra work required to plug in several numbers. </p>
<p>The problem:</p>
<p>What value does (ln x)/(x-1) approach as x approaches 1?</p>
<p>is it even worth looking at conic sections im pretty solid in everything else and i dont understand that section in the barrons 2 book at all</p>
<p>There are usually one or two conics problems on each SAT II, excluding parabolas (which everyone should know). Good to know. Perhaps the PR book’s coverage on conics will be more accessible.</p>
<p>IceQube, I just plugged in .99999 as x and got 1.000005. So the answer is 1.</p>
<p>ughhhhhhhhh are you sure cause my friend took it and he said there was like no conics section questions on it, is the sparknotes section good enough because i dont wanna go out and buy another book</p>
<p>@aqua - you got lucky with this problem. You found the left hand limit. For a limit to actually exist both the left and right hand limits must match. L’Hipital’s</p>
<p>L’Hopital’s rule ensures the correct answer and does not depend on any lucky assumptions such as the one that the left and right hand limits match.</p>
<p>Imdad, there usually aren’t conics, but they can come up from time to time. They were supposed to be taught in algebra 2, I believe. Just memorize the basic forms for parabolas, hyperbolas, ellipses, and circles.</p>
<p>IceQube, no. Calculus is not required for math II. It would be unreasonable for CB to force people to know L’Hopital’s because then most people would have to take it senior year, when they’re cramming for college apps. The limits will always match up on both sides. If you’re still feeling unconfident, plug in 1.00005 as x as well. Takes a total of 15 seconds. It’s really not necessary for people who haven’t learned L’Hopital’s to spend time learning and using it when they could just use common sense.</p>
<p>No. The correct ways to have solved the limit problems are:</p>
<p>1) Plugging in numbers both greater and smaller than 1. </p>
<p>2) Graphing the equation and observing the graph as x approaches 1 (from both sides). </p>
<p>3) Using L’Hopital’s rule. If you already know derivatives it’s a cinch. </p>
<p>Not:</p>
<p>1) Plugging in one number and concluding that the left and right hand limits match. Bad assumption. </p>
<p>Calculus clearly isn’t required to solve the problem. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes, because one sample problem is obviously representative of every single Math II limit problem CB could write.</p>
<p>“1) Plugging in numbers both greater and smaller than 1.”</p>
<p>That’s what I did. Plugged in .99999 and 1.00005. </p>
<p>My point was that there is no need to know L’Hopital’s, since you seemed to insist that that would be the most preferable way to solve the problem. Maybe it is for you, but not for others who haven’t learned it and can just use plug and chug twice.</p>
<p>Check this out if you’re wondering how much something will likely be covered: [SparkNotes:</a> SAT Subject Test: Math Level 2: Content of the SAT II Math IIC](<a href=“SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides”>SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides)</p>
<p>According to that Conic sections are 5% or 2.5 questions. Probably at least one will be on parabolas, but it seems it’s likely that you will need hyperbolas, ellipses, or circles for at least one question.</p>
<p>But look on the bright side, no involutes.</p>
<p>Most of the conics questions I’ve come across (not involving parabolas) involved knowing the equation. The questions are fairly straightforward - what’s the length of the major axis, for example? You just have to be able to read/interpret the equation.</p>