There are a finite number of concepts covered on the SAT. The College Board quote claiming that the only prep you should do for the SAT is to take rigorous high school classes is not without merit: the idea is to test what you should already know so if you do well in high school, the theory is that you will do well on the SAT.
Now, there are hundreds of test prep companies and math tutors that would beg to differ, but let’s simply accept their reasoning for the time being. Were you to not study, you could do very well on the SAT with rigorous course work. That is a fact.
With that said, the SAT is NOT simply a math test. Despite what college board wants you to think, the SAT is a “how do you interpret and understanding this question” test. It’s a reading comprehension test that uses symbols, grammar, vocabulary, and math to test that comprehension. And the SAT makes several serious assumptions about you.
The SAT Math Assumptions
The SAT assumes you can add fractions, find remainders, manipulate equations, and factor. In todays lesson, I want to address a few of those “SAT Assumptions” because, frankly, you may have missed some of this. In addition, a lot of what you were taught (like how absolute values are simply “always positive”) is functional but not necessarily correct.
Units on the SAT
I have a video for each lesson except for this one. Units are basic. Too basic for a video. But important none-the-less.
Let’s recall this concept with the number: 482. As you should know, the “4” is the “hundreds” digit, the “8” is the “tens” digit, and the “2” is the “units” digit. That’s about it!
You’ll see questions requiring you to understand digits in the following way:
Why don’t you try to solve that yourself, and give your answer and method in the comments below?
Rules of Numbers
The SAT requires you to just automagically know the rules of even, odd, positive, and negative. In case you aren’t 100% sure, watch this video for quick clarification:
Just remember that if you forget how to deal with something like this on the test, just input your own numbers, usually 2 or 3, and see what happens. It’s very quick to pull (2*2=4, so E*E=E). In case you want a quick cheat sheet, I actually put together a PDF magical cheat sheet. Cool, huh? Download Now
Factors, Multiples, and Prime Numbers
Another SAT math requirement is knowledge of factoring, multiples, and prime numbers. And, to a lesser extent, prime factorization. These concepts are not complicated, but they are very important. In fact, you will factor so often on the SAT (be it with square roots, quadratic equations, or common denominator problems.)
The biggest take-away you should remember is that factors get smaller, and a limited AND multiples get larger and are infinite. If those concepts make sense to you, you are well on your way to SAT domination. If not, please watch the video now:
In case you want a quick cheat sheet, I actually put together a PDF magical cheat sheet. Cool, huh? Download Now
Absolute Value and The Number Line
In our final short lesson for this post, I want to talk about absolute value and the number line. Absolute value is usually an easy concept for students. The idea is that the solution will ALWAYS be positive. But when I ask students to define absolute value, they cannot. This inability to define absolute value correctly belies a deeper misunderstanding of math. Please watch this final lesson because it clarifies a lot of your misunderstandings and it offers a pretty clever idea about distance, values, and SAT math concepts.
In case you want a quick cheat sheet, I actually put together a PDF magical cheat sheet. Cool, huh? Download Now
The Final Word
SAT Math is not hard. But it does ask a lot of you. It is your job, then, to answer right back. If you work through these videos and you have questions, ask those questions in the comments. If these videos are helpful, let me know. Deep down, the lesson I want to instil here is that you KNOW all that you are supposed to know for the SAT, but you may have either forgotten how to implement or forgotten how to use. Either way, together we will rock through your misunderstandings, clear up any issue, and really, thoroughly, and completely make the SAT a little inside joke.
Let me help you pass your SAT! Find out how throughout this website. You rule!