Don't Fear SAT Math

For some students,the SAT Math section conjures up a unique mixture of dread and hopelessness. Oh, math, that four-letter word. If you live in constant fear that the Math section will drag down your score, you're certainly not alone. But there's hope! You can beat the Math section. Consider these ideas to help you ease your fear of numbers:

• Study ahead of time. Start your review of SAT Math early, before you begin review for the other sections, so that you don't feel rushed to cram it all in at the end. If you feel pretty comfortable with the other sections, it's okay to make math your main focus (but don't neglect those other sections entirely!). Take a calendar out and schedule the days and times for all the topics you need to study. During the first week of your review, you could focus on memorizing and applying the SAT's given formulas, spending 2 hours a day, 3 days a week on it. When you're ready, move on to the next topic. Maintain a consistent schedule for your study sessions.
• Ask for help. Let your math teacher know that you are studying for the SAT, and ask them to explain some topics that are confusing you. If your teacher has the time, ask him or her to help you once a week until your test date. Scheduling a regular time to meet gives you the opportunity to go over practice questions on your own and bring in those questions that you can't figure out. If your math teacher is too busy, ask someone else you know who is good at math.
• Use math in your everyday life. If you're at the grocery store or the mall that's having a 20 percent off sale, go around calculate the discounted price of a few items. Do you know what your state tax is? See if you can calculate the total cost of your purchases. Practicing these little math problems might seem silly, but the more you use math in your daily life, the more you will see math as a beast you can tame.
• Learn how to use your calculator. Although the SAT test writers claim that you can solve every problem in the math sections without using a calculator, it sure is nice to have such a high-tech, know-it-all buddy sitting beside you. But if you aren't familiar with your calculator or don't know how to use some of the functions, you could end up wasting precious time. Learn how to use your calculator before you take the test. Use it as you go through practice math questions. Practice until you don't even have to think about what buttons to press or where to locate them.
• Use the formulas. Could the SAT have made it any easier? The formulas are right there in the beginning of the section! It's like taking an open book test. Well, almost. But you know what? Your practice tests also have those formulas. You can save time on the test by learning these formulas beforehand. Don't simply memorize them—learn how to really use them by working out some practice sets! And remember: There are other formulas besides these that you should know for the SAT.
• Choose your battles. The questions in the math section go from easy to medium to hard. While you can boost your confidence by breezing through the first several questions, you should also feel free to skip around within the section. You might be able to attack certain topics with more zest than others. You want to be sure that you nail those questions before trying to work through the ones you don't know as well.
• Translate story problems. Story problems might seem easy at first because there are lots of words and few numbers to deal with. But these questions can trip you up if you're not careful. Translate the story problems into numbers, variables, and equations so that you can determine what variable to solve for. Yes, you will end up with more numbers than you had hoped, but once you've isolated the missing piece, you can quickly start solving for it.
• Step back and look at the big picture. There will be times when you read a question and all you get out of it was a jumble of numbers and variables. Don't panic. Sit back for a second and breathe in and out slowly. Remind yourself that no matter how you do on this test, it is just a test. Sure, the SAT is important, but the four hours than you spend on this test won't determine the course of your entire life. The SAT is just one of many factors being considered in the college admissions process. And after you get into college, you will never have to worry about the SAT Math section again!

Does SAT Math give you fits? What do you do to prepare? Let us know in the comments, and email your questions to testpreptutor@sparknotes.com.

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