<p>I have a friend who did really bad on the SAT test ( like 450 on the math and 450 on the verbal, maybe lower). Right now I am trying to teach her all the math she needs to relearn (she is not taken math this year). I'm finding it difficult to teach things which I learned so long ago and just take for granted. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>also, I am going to try nad bring up her verbal score but I have NO IDEA how I should go about doing that.</p>
<p>Her test is January 22. so less than 2 months to prepare.</p>
<p>get her some prep books and go through each section one by one. I recommend one of the big books put out by, I guess Princeton Review, for the basics. If she gets the concepts and finishes all the book, do practice problems in 10 Reals.</p>
<p>For verbal, give her a wordlist to memorize on her own time. Then, do practice problems with her during your time (put a focus on her weakest area).</p>
<p>For math, the best route may be to only do practice problems with her. SAT math can be learned easily through examples.</p>
<p>Throw down some prep books and go over stuff. Take practice tests with her and go over them. At least that's what I did with a kid that i was tutoring for the ACT. </p>
<p>I really don't want to give her a word list because it is boring and stupid and doesn't raise your score by much. but can't think of another way to up her verbal...</p>
<p>It's terribly hard to tutor someone who lacks basic skills. I found it difficult enough tutoring a kid who had a 660 Writing score and wanted to bring it up (He did- 760 second time around!). I'd say to go for prep books and go over them together. Also, make sure she has the very basic stuff down (i.e. 180 degrees in a triangle). As for Verbal, unfortunately word lists really are the place to start, even if they are boring. Good Luck!</p>
<p>Vtran, in this case you need to redefine a foundation of knowledge and build on this new basis. This foundation is important for your friend to regain her confidence. Do not focus on the 800 score; start from the bottom up. </p>
<p>Have a take a couple of sections of practice tests and review how she performed. I have a hunch that your friend answers all questions and guesses wildly -hoping to earn a few extra points. Despite that probability laws tend to support the effectiveness of guessing, there are times when a student will be better off by not guessing. </p>
<p>Let's establish some parameters: would you friend be happy to gain 300 points or higher? Let's assume that 300 points would be fine. Now, you need to score 600 on both math and verbal. One important element of the SAT is that a student who answers ALL the easy and medium questions will earn a 600. Yes, this means ignoring all the questions of level 4 and 5.</p>
<p>Help your friend hunt for the easier questions and make sure to go over the strategies that help avoiding the common errors. The focus will not be on finishing the section, but simply to answer all the questions that appear doable with more time devoted to them. Make sure to go over ALL of her answers, especially the ones she answered correctly. You need to make sure she did not get lucky by guessing. Doing so will start to build those little building blocks of knowledge and confidence that are so critical to do well on the SAT. Remember that the repetition of similar exercises yield the best results. </p>
<p>Lastly make sure that your friend does not have any medical issues that cause poor concentration and bad scores. If she did, she could qualify for extra time. </p>
<p>Xiggi:
I think I'm basically going to have to teach her a year or 2 worth of math. I don't really know how to approach teaching someone like her. She's not very math oriented and wants to immediately jump to the answer by messing with a few equations without really knowing the concepts. She does want to learn, but I'm not sure how I can teach her. Right now, the way I am approaching it, I feel like I am wasting her and my time</p>