Get SAT Ready: 5 Math Prep Rules You Need To Know

Conquer the math section of your SATs by following these 5 SAT-prep rules.

Rule 1: Figure Out Your Weaknesses

Perhaps you tend to misinterpret the question and solve a different problem altogether…. Or maybe you’re rushing through your work and making careless mistakes?

You need to diagnose your weakness in order to fix the problem. Sounds easy, but the majority of your classmates will never even do this. When you respond to practice questions, do you tend to miss all of the trig questions? Those are question types (and skill areas) you need to work on.

DiagKNOWstics can help you work on detecting those error patterns.

Rule 2: Memorize Rules & Formulas. Period.

Yes, the Test Gods will give you a handful of critical formulas at the beginning of the math section itself… But you need to have them secured in your brain well before test day.

Avoid the momentum suck every time you have to return to the “formula list”, and KNOW these formulas beforehand:

• Area, average formulas
• Pythagorean Theorem
• Special triangle rules
• Exponent rules

Rule 3: Play The Underline Game

You should especially remember this if you’ve been missing questions by accidentally solving for the wrong value. Be prepared for the question to require you to solve for more than one value, then underline key parts of the problem.

It can feel like a labyrinth when solving for one value requires solving for a different value along the way… But don’t get lost! Time and time again, students are lured into the “trick answer” selection because they lose track of the value that they were originally supposed to find.

But you won’t, because you maintained focus (thanks to simple underlining).

Rule 4: Befriend Your Calculator

Nobody wants to take away from the magic of “mental math”, but frankly, it has no magic on the SATs.

An SAT-approved calculator (with fresh batteries) will save you time per question, plus it helps you bypass the careless calculation errors you’re unknowingly making when you think you’re acing the test. No matter your math ego, practice using your calculator until typing in tricky equations like [(16 +37)/3]⁵ is actually easy.

…And be sure to unlock those shortcuts you didn’t know existed— like the TI-83's ability to display a decimalized answer as a fraction. (YUP.)

Rule 5: Prep With Self-Paced, Smart Tools

That “cookie-cutter” prep-program your parents were raised with can become a massive waste of time and money — — individualized video explanations mimic an actual live tutor scenario (without the cost & the time-suck).

It’s about test prep that’s efficient and effective. Opt for learning technology that determines your strengths and weaknesses, then drills into the content you struggle with most.

Cue DiagKNOWstics, of course.