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Conclusion
Without practice, you won’t master SAT geometry.
You’ve learned quite a bit since you picked up this little book,
but now comes the hard part—you have
to apply it to testlike items. There are five practice sets at the end
of this book: four composed of multiple-choice items and one made up
of grid-ins. Here are some tips for getting the most out of these
items:
- Do not time yourself on the first practice set. When you begin, don’t worry about time at all. Take as long as you need to work through each set.
- Read the explanations for all items, regardless of whether you got them right or wrong. This is critical—always read all the explanations for each set’s items. The idea is to develop skills that help you score points as quickly as possible. Most important, scoring a point doesn’t mean you got it in the most efficient manner. The overarching goal is to apply the methods you’ve learned. Whether you get all, some, or none of the practice items right doesn’t matter.
After the first set, you may want to start paying attention
to time. Certainly, by the actual test, give yourself about a minute
or so per item.
All the vital information and snazzy strategies you learn
in this book won’t do a lick of good if you don’t use them on the
day of the test. Sadly, this happens more often than you
might think. Students acquire useful tips, but once the test starts
on Saturday morning, all of it goes out the window.
To help ensure that this doesn’t happen to you, tackle
these five geometry sets using the skills and strategies
you have just learned. Don’t worry about how many you get
right or wrong; they’re just practice sets. Instead, focus on how
well you use the techniques you’ve learned. When you look at a geometry
item, can you tell what method would work best to answer it? If
it’s a Treasure Map item, how long does it take you to unlock the
treasure? If the figures are drawn to scale, which answer choices
can you eyeball and cross out?
Don’t get frustrated by your progress on the practice
sets. Every mistake you make on the practice sets is one that you
will avoid on the real test. Yes, there’ll be some geometry rules
you don’t know, but learning about these on practice items corrects
that deficit. When the real SAT rolls around, you’ll have yet another
geometry fact in your arsenal that you can employ if needed.
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