Student-Produced Response
“Student-produced response” is The College Board’s way
of saying, “Do it yourself, Bub.” Simply put, you, the student,
must supply the correct answer without choosing from a group of
answer choices. Answering student-produced responses requires filling
in a grid like the one shown below. Therefore we will refer to these
questions as grid-ins:
An example of a grid-in might be:
|
|
| 8. |
Let f(x)
be defined as f(x) = –2x +4.
Write down the x-coordinate of a point that can
be found below this function. |
|
The grid is fairly self-explanatory. If you work out an
item and the answer is 2, you write 2 in the space
and then fill in the “2” oval underneath. There are also decimal
points and fraction bars in case your answer is not a whole number.
We will refer to an individual grid-in as an item.
A complete grid-in section, comprised of items, is called a set.
There are three peculiar things about grid-ins:
-
There may be more than one correct answer to
each item. You’re probably stuck in the “only one correct
choice” mindset brought on by excessive multiple-choice preparation.
But don’t let this paralyze you: if you get more than one correct
answer, pick one, grid it in, and move on to the next item.
- Answers
can never be negative numbers. Although there is more than
one possible answer, there is actually a limit to what you can grid
in. There is no way to denote negative numbers on a grid-in. Why? Who
knows, and who cares for that matter? The fact is that all grid-ins
must be positive (or zero, which is neither negative nor positive).
So if you come up with more than one correct answer, be sure to
choose one that is a positive number. If all your answers are negative,
you have made a mistake in working out the item.
- Improper
fractions must be simplified or converted to a decimal answer. Let’s say
you come up with
as the answer to an item. If you grid the answer
in as 
, the computer that scans your answer sheet
will read your answer as 
. To avoid getting this
item wrong, convert the improper fraction into the plain old fraction 
or
the decimal 1.5.
Key Formulas
Math sets on the SAT provide you with key geometric formulas
in a reference area that looks like this:
The reference area always appears at the beginning of
the set, below the instructions.
