General Math Strategies I
- Welcome to General Math Strategies Part I. In this lesson, we're focusing on the bigger-picture habits that help students perform well on SAT math, not just the math itself. A lot of students think SAT math is only about content knowledge, but how you navigate the test matters, too.
Pacing, question order, how effectively you use the built-in tools, those skills can easily be worth extra points on test day. Here's a quick refresher on the structure of the section. You've got two math modules, 22 questions each, 35 minutes per module, and you can move freely within a module.
That last part is especially important because it allows you to use one of the best pacing systems available to you when you take the SAT, the two-pass system. Here's how it works. On your first pass, answer the questions you can solve confidently in the moment.
Those are your now questions. If a question looks doable, but will take more time or thought, mark it for review and save it for your second pass. Those are your later questions. And if you truly have no idea how to approach a question, make your best guess and move on.
Those are your never questions. Be honest with yourself and decisive in the moment. Spending four minutes stuck on one hard question usually hurts more than it helps. And remember, there's no penalty for wrong answers on the SAT, so leave nothing blank.
Now, this pacing system only really works if you know yourself as a test taker. What are your strengths, algebra, geometry, statistics? And where do you tend to slow down or make mistakes? One of the best ways to figure that out is by keeping an error log.
When you review practice problems, track what you missed, why you missed it, and whether the mistake was conceptual, procedural, or careless. Patterns show up quickly, and once you know those patterns, pacing decisions become much easier.
All right, let's talk about the built-in tools. First up, Mark for Review. If you wanna return to a question later, click the flag icon at the top of the screen. Flagged questions appear on the review screen, which makes it easy to jump back to them without scrolling through the entire module.
Next, the Strikethrough tool. This is the SAT's built-in process of elimination tool. You can cross out answer choices directly on the screen, which helps narrow down your focus and reduces clutter while you're solving. Next, the Reference Sheet.
This contains geometry formulas, like area, circumference, volume, and special right triangles. Use it. Don't waste energy memorizing formulas the test already gives you.
But remember, most algebra formulas are not included. Things like exponent rules, the quadratic formula, and slope relationships, those still need to be memorized. And finally, Desmos. Desmos is the built-in graphing calculator included directly in the SAT interface.
It's one of the most powerful tools on the test. You can graph equations, solve systems, and check arithmetic quickly. We'll go deeper into Desmos in later lessons, but for now, the big takeaway is simple. Practice with it early and often so it feels natural on test day.
All right, quick recap. Use the two-pass system. Know your now questions, your later questions, and your never questions. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Keep an error log to recognize those patterns quickly.
And get comfortable using the SAT's built-in tools, Mark for Review, the Strikethrough, the Reference Sheet, and especially Desmos. That's it for General Math Strategies Part I. See you in Part II.
Read full transcriptPacing, question order, how effectively you use the built-in tools, those skills can easily be worth extra points on test day. Here's a quick refresher on the structure of the section. You've got two math modules, 22 questions each, 35 minutes per module, and you can move freely within a module.
That last part is especially important because it allows you to use one of the best pacing systems available to you when you take the SAT, the two-pass system. Here's how it works. On your first pass, answer the questions you can solve confidently in the moment.
Those are your now questions. If a question looks doable, but will take more time or thought, mark it for review and save it for your second pass. Those are your later questions. And if you truly have no idea how to approach a question, make your best guess and move on.
Those are your never questions. Be honest with yourself and decisive in the moment. Spending four minutes stuck on one hard question usually hurts more than it helps. And remember, there's no penalty for wrong answers on the SAT, so leave nothing blank.
Now, this pacing system only really works if you know yourself as a test taker. What are your strengths, algebra, geometry, statistics? And where do you tend to slow down or make mistakes? One of the best ways to figure that out is by keeping an error log.
When you review practice problems, track what you missed, why you missed it, and whether the mistake was conceptual, procedural, or careless. Patterns show up quickly, and once you know those patterns, pacing decisions become much easier.
All right, let's talk about the built-in tools. First up, Mark for Review. If you wanna return to a question later, click the flag icon at the top of the screen. Flagged questions appear on the review screen, which makes it easy to jump back to them without scrolling through the entire module.
Next, the Strikethrough tool. This is the SAT's built-in process of elimination tool. You can cross out answer choices directly on the screen, which helps narrow down your focus and reduces clutter while you're solving. Next, the Reference Sheet.
This contains geometry formulas, like area, circumference, volume, and special right triangles. Use it. Don't waste energy memorizing formulas the test already gives you.
But remember, most algebra formulas are not included. Things like exponent rules, the quadratic formula, and slope relationships, those still need to be memorized. And finally, Desmos. Desmos is the built-in graphing calculator included directly in the SAT interface.
It's one of the most powerful tools on the test. You can graph equations, solve systems, and check arithmetic quickly. We'll go deeper into Desmos in later lessons, but for now, the big takeaway is simple. Practice with it early and often so it feels natural on test day.
All right, quick recap. Use the two-pass system. Know your now questions, your later questions, and your never questions. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Keep an error log to recognize those patterns quickly.
And get comfortable using the SAT's built-in tools, Mark for Review, the Strikethrough, the Reference Sheet, and especially Desmos. That's it for General Math Strategies Part I. See you in Part II.