Anatomy of SAT Numbers & Operations
Even without reading this book or preparing
for the SAT in any way, you’d still get some numbers & operations
problems right. However, there’s a big difference between:
-
Sweating out a problem, breathing a sigh of relief
when you finish it, and timidly moving on.
- Answering
a problem, seeing that the next problem contains a bunch of pushover
terms, such as sets and ratios,
and licking your chops in expectation of an easy mark.
Moving from scenario 1 to scenario 2 is not as tough as
you might imagine. It just takes a little bit of work. The mistake
many students make is taking the SAT cold. That’s right—no preparation.
Not so much as a flip through the information booklet.
By familiarizing yourself with every type of numbers &
operations question you can encounter on the SAT, you can approach
each question coolly and calmly, knowing in advance what needs to
be done to answer it correctly. It’s about switching from survival
mode to attack mode. It’s attack mode that will help you score
high.
In this section we provide you with an X-ray of SAT numbers
& operations. Later on, we’ll review the subtypes of questions
and specific strategies for approaching each one. By looking at
these questions inside and out, you’ll know more about how The College
Board tests your skills and how to approach each and every question
you’ll encounter on the test.
There are two types of math questions on the SAT: multiple-choice and
student-produced response.
