If you’re planning on taking the SAT, chances are you’re a little nervous about the math section. Don’t stress! Many students struggle with SAT math…but our experts are here to help!
The big questions is: What basic tips will help you crush the SAT Math Section?
We’ve got you covered! To get you started down the path to SAT Math stardom, we’re proud to present our brand new SAT resource: the “Tips to CRUSH the SAT Math Section” video.
Watch the embedded video below, or scroll down for a full video transcript. 🙂
What Will I See in the “Tips to CRUSH the SAT Math Section” Video?
In this free video, our SAT expert Chris will give you a brief introduction, followed by seven must-have tips for killing it on the SAT Math section.
In this video you will learn:
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1. All questions are created equal!
2. How math questions are ordered by difficulty!
3. Everything you need to know about grid-ins!
4. When you should guess!
5. Where to find the SAT Geometry Formula Cheat Sheet!
6. What’s up with the No Calculator section!
7. Advice for brushing up on your Mental Math!
Plus, stick around till the end and check out our SAT Math MEGA FORMULA list for a downloadable cheat sheet of all the formulas you’ll need for the test. 🙂
“Tips to CRUSH the SAT Math Section” Video Transcript:
Hi, I’m Chris, the SAT expert at Magoosh. And today for you I have seven awesome exciting tips that you have to know for the math section.
And so this is perfect for those of you who might not have that much time and want to have a tip, and in this case tips, that go a long way in a little time.
Now make sure you stick around for the very end of this video, because I’m going to give you this extra bonus tip at the end. So stick around.
Let’s start with tip number one, all questions are created equal.
What do I mean by that?
It means that every question is weighed the same. One question doesn’t have more points than another question.
So, the super hard question with the triangle inverted upside down in the pyramid is worth the same number of points as an easy question.
That’s really important to know.
So you don’t want to try to rush through the easy questions only to get to the hard questions and not even answer them correctly.
The idea is, spend time on the easy ones as well as the medium ones.
Don’t rush, they’re all worth the same.
Good to know.
Next, it’s important to know that it starts easy and gets harder.
I just implied that a second ago, so if you were listening carefully you might have picked up on that.
But if not, I’ll repeat it again.
The beginning of the math section has the easy questions.
So question one, easy, two, easy. Maybe three’s also easy but a little bit harder.
And by the time you get midway through the section, you’re at the medium level questions.
Meaning that you get towards the end of the section, and the questions are more difficult.
So important to know in terms of pacing.
A: don’t rush through the section. B: if you can’t get towards the end and you’re stuck with the really hard question, well, it’s not the end of the world because going back to the previous tip, they’re all weighed the same so you don’t really have to get to the end the section anyway.
Next we have grid-ins, what, what are grid-ins?
Well, this area SAT question math has four possible answer choices A, B, C, and D except for the grid-ins, what are grid-ins?
Well, that’s what they don’t give you any answer choices.
That’s why you just have to put your answer there in a little grid, that’s why were called grid-ins.
But that can of course be a little bit intimidating.
But it’s important to know that grid-ins come always at the end of the section.
And when they come, the first grid-in problem will always be the?
Easiest, that’s right.
It resets that difficulty level.
So if you’re in section three and you get to the hard question in the multiple choice, the hardest one and then you see your first grid-in, that first grid-in will be boom, easy.
You got it.
And you don’t like grid-ins cuz you don’t have A, B, C or D, doesn’t matter.
No matter what, always guess because there is no guessing penalty whatsoever on the SAT.
So guess, guess, guess, guess, whether it’s A, B, C or D, or any number you can think of in the grid ins.
Throw it in there.
Next, good tip to know is there’s a little cheat sheet with geometry formulas at the beginning of each math section.
So if you’re stumped and all of a sudden you forget what was the area of the triangle, or oh no it’s a 30-60-90 triangle ah.
Look at the beginning of the section, and there you’ll have the formula broken down make things a lot easier.
Now we have what?
Well we have something that’s not good news.
But it’s important to know it’s there.
Section three is the first math section we will see.
It is also the math section in which you can not us a calculator [SOUND], no.
Again, yes, it’s a simple fact.
Know this, prepare for it.
And know that the math is not crazy insane.
Because they know you can’t do too much with the calculator, or sorry, without a calculator but nonetheless it’s there.
Get ready for it, and get ready of course in the remaining time you have, however long you have, a great tip is mental math.
Brush up with your mental math and you’re just sitting there thinking, huh?
I’m bored, commercial’s really long what’s nine times seven?
Keep doing that, interweave that into your daily life.
And so when you wake up, test day.
You’re on section three, no calculator.
You got it.
Now as far as that extra bonus tip goes, look in the description below.
And you’ll see a link there.
Click on that link.
And it’ll take you to an awesome, super formula sheet.
Remember how I was telling you there was a cheat sheet at the beginning of the math section?
It’s an itty-bitty one.
Whereas the cheat sheet, our formula sheet, if you click on that link, it’s huge.
Which gives you everything you need to know for the test.
And we will see you next time.
Want more SAT Math Tips?
Ready for more? Take a look at some of our other free SAT Math tips and resources:
- SAT Math Practice: How to Study Smarter and Score Higher
- 5 Math Tricks Every Student Should Know
- Running Out of Time on SAT Math: What to Do
Happy studying! 🙂
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