<p>I am working with a student looking for an athletic scholarship who I believe is currently below 1200. I have been teaching him the math on the test. I can give him the first few problems in each section of the real SATs for math, spot the writing error and sentence completion. I actually think it would be better to start out by using a GED or SSAT book, but that might offend him. My impression is he is of average intelligence though.</p>
<p>Does anyone know what the best books,materials, or approaches are for this sort of student? I have good approaches for students already scoring very high, but not sure what is best for lower scorers.</p>
<p>On the math side, I recommend two main things to emphasize. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Go so slow that you never venture past the first 60% of any section or subsection. But stubbornly stay with the ones you work on and really fight for them (and answer them, even if you are not sure). Students at this level frequently give up too soon on a problem, hoping the next one will be easier. The end result of that approach is that they invest lots of time on questions they never had a shot on – and didn’t even need to achieve more than their score goal.</p></li>
<li><p>Abandon formal algebra completely. Use trial and error and made up numbers at every opportunity. I would not recommend the GED route. There isn’t enough time to go back and re-create the knowledge of algebra it would take to successfully implement algebra on the SAT.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>On the optimistic side, one of my happiest success stories involves a student in this exact situation. When he learned to approach the SAT with the same competitive and strategic drive he brought to his athletics, it turned things around very quickly. (And yes, he got his scholarship.) </p>
Don’t try to teach him math, if that is what you’ve been doing. The SAT can be done without a calculator, very simply, just by logic - teach him to use trial and error, eliminate possibilities, estimate, and make educated guesses, and make up numbers rather than try to “prove” each question mathematically (as @pckiller correctly advised).
I would also recommend a book called “Pwn the SAT: Math Guide”, which focuses on several different very simple techniques and tricks to do the problems using very little formal math or algebra.
I agree with teaching methods for solving problems without “proving” them. However, with a weak student, teaching the math on the SAT seems important, for example ratios, percentages, being able to simplify algebraic expression and solve 2 equations and 2 variables. Also, it is something we can work on initially if he is weak with the problems. He gets about healf right of the first 5 problems in the easier math sections.
Giving him the beginning spot the error writing problems. Had him do a set of correct the passage writing and he got 3 right out of 11. Think it might be useful to use GRE or SSAT passages for critical reading as they are easier.
I agree on ratios and percentages. But not on solving 2 equations and 2 variables. I don’t believe I have ever seen one of those on the SAT that couldn’t be solved non-algebraically. And definitely not in the zone where this student should be working. Also, you may be right about SSAT as a starting point. Maybe it will build some of his confidence.
I am going to use McGraw-Hill 50 tips for the math and 50 tips for writing and critical reading. There are similar books that are better in general, but McGraw-Hill has easy level problems in each section. This is important because some of the verbal sections on the real test aren’t in difficulty order. Also, it is a way to go over the different categories of material on the test.
I will work on easier math on the test. I didn’t realize how low the student’s current scores were.
Had not worked before with a student where it was hard finding real problems that weren’t too hard, so have to make some adaptations.
Yeh, the McGraw-Hill 50 tips books seem really good for weaker students. They have easy, medium, and hard problems. I gave him easy ones to do and he got all but one right, so this seems like an excellent book for a student with below 1300 scores, and probably unsuitable for one above 1700.